(May 7, 2016 at 3:17 am)robvalue Wrote: This is a question for all the religious people who ever try to act on god's behalf, in a small or big way, for example:
-Trying to convince others that God is real / their religion is true
-Supporting changes of laws on religious grounds
-Mistreating someone citing religion as the reason (even killing them, in extreme cases)
The question is this:
Does God need your help doing whatever it is you're doing? To communicate? To govern as he sees fit? To reveal his existence? To demonstrate the validity of the true religion? For justice to be served?
If the answer is yes, then your God is pretty feeble. No offense, but you're just a human. If he needs your help, he's more comparable to us than to a deity.
If the answer is no, then why are you acting on his behalf? Do you know better than God how he wants things done? Can he not cope on his own? Does he need protecting? Do things need to be a certain way before he can continue with his "plan"?
I suggest that the greatest act of faith and confidence in God is to leave all of that up to him, and to stop acting like he needs armies of people to do his bidding. Every action taken on his behalf betrays a lack of faith, and a frustration with his inaction. It also reveals an arrogance that you know better than God what should be done.
Job had a beautiful answer to the question that can be repeated every time the issue pops up.
Job 13:6-12 (MSG) = “Listen now while I make my case,
consider my side of things for a change.
Or are you going to keep on lying ‘to do God a service’?
to make up stories ‘to get him off the hook’?
Why do you always take his side?
Do you think he needs a lawyer to defend himself?
How would you fare if you were in the dock?
Your lies might convince a jury—but would they
convince God?
He’d reprimand you on the spot
if he detected a bias in your witness.
Doesn’t his splendor put you in awe?
Aren’t you afraid to speak cheap lies before him?
Your wise sayings are knickknack wisdom,
good for nothing but gathering dust."
