Re: the existence of
Okay I will attempt to answer your question without a comeback question.
I think it’s within human nature to test and want to be tested…or to have a criterion. We test/judge/evaluate people to see if they should be a part of our lives or should no longer be a part of our lives…there’s a criterion involved…and we even use it for inanimate things thing like a house, car, an experiment, safety measures, a procedure, etc etc. In our jobs, we are tested and we have a criterion for which we work according to and toward…it gives our job a purpose and direction and makes our efforts more meaningful. A test or a criterion fosters a sense of accountability and responsibility. For example, in the workplace, your employer’s criterion makes you more accountable for your duties as well as your actions toward your coworkers. A test or criterion not only fosters a sense of accountability toward others’ rights, it provides direction in how to do things. If you want to remove the concept of a divine test/criterion/assessment, that’s fine…but you will find that we tend to seek purpose/standard/criterion/assessment in various areas of our lives. As human beings we test and are tested…maybe even want to be tested…it’s innate.
If you think about what a test is…you’ll see that a test (be it educational or professional or personal) comes with or provides a purpose or objective. And it is within human nature to seek purpose to things. A test also serves as an assessment and criterion. A test also fosters accountability and responsibility. The funny/ironic thing is that even if one is against the idea of life having a divine purpose…we humans tend to seek a purpose. Even if we are against being tested by a divine being, we ourselves tend to test people and things and desire being tested. Even if the thought of a divine being holding us accountable for our actions makes us angry…still we want to hold fellow humans accountable for their injustices (through the law or otherwise). It is within our nature.