Where do meaning and purpose come from?

When people ask whether life has a deeper meaning or purpose, they are often asking whether our lives form part of something larger, or whether meaning is something we must create for ourselves.

Some believe that the universe has no built-in purpose. From this perspective, people create meaning through the relationships, commitments, work, creativity and causes they choose to value.

Others believe that meaning is not only created but also discovered. They see love, truth, beauty, moral responsibility and the human desire for purpose as signs that some ways of living are genuinely more meaningful than others.

Religious beliefs place human life within a larger reality. They generally hold that meaning and purpose come from an ultimate source beyond ourselves, although they differ in how they understand that source and our relationship with it.

Christians believe that human life has meaning because every person is created and loved by God. They believe that our purpose is to know God, love him and one another, become more like Christ, and ultimately share in eternal life with him.