(January 16, 2014 at 9:38 am)The Reality Salesman Wrote: While I don't understand the need, that's a much more appropriate response. My question to you is why? What is it that you think God needs you to do?To learn humility and accept His divine provnaunce, whether it personally benfits us or not.
Quote:It just seems like you feel a sense of obligation, and usually, obligations are inspired by an event that requires a plan to execute. If it was going to happen anyway, it doesn't feel like an obligation.We are only oblidged to react in a given fashion if our initial reaction is the oppsite of what God wants for us.
Quote:Surely God knows how loyal you are, and that you believe he is responsible for all that is good. His omniscient ability to know this about you would satisfy Him. Would it not?It's not about what God knows. It's about reminding ourselves to accept the will of God no matter which way the wind blows, but again pop christianity has changed the orginal command to what you indentified here.
Quote: Why not give all worldly credit where it is due? Clearly you believe that all of this happned for a reason, and whether or not the pilot survived, you would express the same sentiment.I whole heartly agree. If I saw this pop christian sentiment happening before me I would take the time to remind those involved to the whole command, or at least ask if we would be as 'thankful' or yielding to God's will if the piloet did not survive.
Quote: Isn't it selfish to only thank God for the events that you think are positive, if all of these things, death or otherwise, are aimed at positive results?It is also equally as selfish to not thank God for anything.
Quote:So, why not thank God for the plane crash? Why not thank God for the Helo pilot that died last week, and remains lost at sea?Again in all things give thanks. The word thanks can mean to be greatful but it is not limited to that in the Hebrew, it can also mean to cast before or to lay before.. The idea meaning to give or to yield to.. In this context we are to be greatful for the good and yield to God's 'will' for the bad.
That is why I said most of the time it is the praise that is made public, and the yeilding is usally kept quiet.
Quote:My issue with this idea of God is that you view him as some celestial controller. One that sees everything, and knows everything. A kind of watchman in the sky that has the power to do anything, but chooses to intervene in your professional career, but allows a devout Christian father of 3 to die at sea without waving a single hand. Are we to believe that God steps in to give you free money, but does nothing to prevent things like this or the Asian Tsunami? Don't you think this is a very obtuse and selfish way for you to depict such a praise-worthy entity?In truth all feeling and trivial emotion aside, 'we' do not know or rather we do know that allowing a population to develop unchecked leads to disease, famine, social and ecconomic collapse. In the nature of checks and balances good people will die, like wise alot of bad people die as well. From God's perspective (and that of the saved) Death of this life is not an end. It is our birth into eternity therefore it is not something to be mourned and lamented over. It is not the unforgivable sin soceity has deemed it.
We all want to live a long life and we may even feel we are entitled to it, but in truth nothing we have here in this life (including our lives) actually belong to us, therefore we are not entitled to anything.
