A lot to thnk about
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I'm not too great at having anything profound to say, but I'll try. I gave the 'lesson' at ITL two weeks ago and here was the topic for discussion. "Why do bad things happen to Good People?"
A thought just this very moment came to me as I was typing that. What makes us think we're good? I' mean think about it. If this is a fallen world and all of our 'good works' are as filthy rags in the eyes of God...what makes us think we're so very good and deserving of good things. Now I know what you 'graceies' are going to say...God is good all the time. We are all offered the same grace as the next guy. Yadayada! This is what I say to that...God is God perfect in all ways. Perfectly just. Pefectly balanced. Bad things happen and God lets them happen. Why? Because He is smarter than we are. That's why. Bad things happen because this is not aworld controled by God.....NOOOOOOOOOOOOO that is blasphemey! Well, not really, God let's men control their own actions. People are dying in Africa at astounding rates because bad men run the governments. And no matter how much money we throw at the problem, bad men will make it of no effect. Children are abused because evil people are abusive.
It all started in the beginning and it's been happening ever since. Evil happens so that free will can exist. Illness and death are a result of contamination. This is a broken and contaminated world and illness is not choosy about its victim. Young, old, healthy, weak, male and female. Shit happens!
I had an interesting conversation with an agnostic one time and she said why doesn't God stop all of this if 'it' exisits. I said, "If He/She did then free will would have to disappear and we would be slaves." "Well, why doesn't God listen and answer our prayers?" Now that's a tough one. I do believe that God answers prayers in God's time and in God's resoning. I also believe that Maybe...just maybe...you might have to believe in God in some way to have it happen. Granted, some people have more of an 'in' with God, but in the long run I think on some level you have to say "yes" there is something bigger than me. AND we can't ask for world peace becasue it will never happen as long as free will is part of the plan. Men don't like to be peaceful. We like to be jealous and mean and scared and power hungry and angry. We like to take advantage of others for our own good.
See?
Bad things happen because we are a free group of evil people. Don't blame it on God. Take a look in the mirror.
A thought just this very moment came to me as I was typing that. What makes us think we're good? I' mean think about it. If this is a fallen world and all of our 'good works' are as filthy rags in the eyes of God...what makes us think we're so very good and deserving of good things. Now I know what you 'graceies' are going to say...God is good all the time. We are all offered the same grace as the next guy. Yadayada! This is what I say to that...God is God perfect in all ways. Perfectly just. Pefectly balanced. Bad things happen and God lets them happen. Why? Because He is smarter than we are. That's why. Bad things happen because this is not aworld controled by God.....NOOOOOOOOOOOOO that is blasphemey! Well, not really, God let's men control their own actions. People are dying in Africa at astounding rates because bad men run the governments. And no matter how much money we throw at the problem, bad men will make it of no effect. Children are abused because evil people are abusive.
It all started in the beginning and it's been happening ever since. Evil happens so that free will can exist. Illness and death are a result of contamination. This is a broken and contaminated world and illness is not choosy about its victim. Young, old, healthy, weak, male and female. Shit happens!
I had an interesting conversation with an agnostic one time and she said why doesn't God stop all of this if 'it' exisits. I said, "If He/She did then free will would have to disappear and we would be slaves." "Well, why doesn't God listen and answer our prayers?" Now that's a tough one. I do believe that God answers prayers in God's time and in God's resoning. I also believe that Maybe...just maybe...you might have to believe in God in some way to have it happen. Granted, some people have more of an 'in' with God, but in the long run I think on some level you have to say "yes" there is something bigger than me. AND we can't ask for world peace becasue it will never happen as long as free will is part of the plan. Men don't like to be peaceful. We like to be jealous and mean and scared and power hungry and angry. We like to take advantage of others for our own good.
See?
Bad things happen because we are a free group of evil people. Don't blame it on God. Take a look in the mirror.
