Why Can't God Control These People?
Speechless.....
MARYVILLE, Ill. — Police removed gun cases and a computer late Sunday afternoon from the Troy, Ill., home of a man who may be linked to the shooting of Pastor Fred Winters at a church about two miles away.
Officials would not comment at the scene, but vehicle records show the home in the first block of Zachary Court is the address of a Terry Joe Sedlacek, a 27-year-old man who co-owns a Jeep Wrangler parked outside the crime scene.
posted by Jeff @ 8:31 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Wow, you really have a problem with God, eh? You ask, "Why can't God control these people?".
This can get complex, but if you read and understood the world-view as presented through the Bible, you would understand better.
1) God can control anything He wants to. He is 'Almighty God' after all.
2) God, being God, has certain character attributes. We all do, His are just better. He doesn't do things against His nature, He is consistent with His principles. Us humans experience 'cognitive dissonance' when we act contrary to our belief system. God doesn't experience this particular discomfort.
3) Scripture says, "All we like sheep have gone astray, each one of us has turned away, but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him".
We are ALL responsible for the evil the world. We have all 'chosen our own way' over that of the Lord. We and our society are in rebellion against God (strike close to home?) and our way is NOT pefect, as God's is. Thus when we rebel, we introduce error, which multiplied, makes evil, makes wounded people, makes for a callous, hard un-friendly world where little girls are raped. We all share the responsibility for evil on earth.
4) God respects our free will. He doesn't force us to do any particular thing. When we rebel, He says, "OK, wish you wouldn't, but since you raise the question of who's way is best, I'll allow you to rebel for a time. We will just SEE whose way is better (This thought is expanded upon at great lengths in a book called "The Great Controversy" By (I think) Ellen G. White.
God respects our personhood, and does NOT force us to be 'Godly' or to obey Him. There are natural results from our actions, these we are not immune to. This is why we suffer.
Does being 'Born again' and becoming reconciled to God take away all this misery and imperfection? No... but to as much as He is allowed freedom in our lives and hearts, He does make us better over time. He heals us from the inside out. Yes, we experience hardship and pain. God has promised to comfort us, to uphold us, to go through trials with us. He promises to never leave us. By respecting our free will (to rebel or to obey) God lets us experience the consequences of our actions. He validates our importance, we are NOT insignificant in realtion to the Cosmos. Some of these consequences we experience are for children to be raped.
5) Why does it seem like Christians are always screwing up and doing bad things? "I'd rather deal with a anybody, a Jew or Muslim, over a Christian".
Yeah, I hear you. There are a number of places in the New testament where God makes it clear what group he is focused on. It is those who need a 'doctor'. In another parable, He invites rich guests to a lavish party. They all beg off, too busy, etc. So He tells His servants, "Go out to the hiways and byways and hedges and invite (the dregs) to my party". He provides white robes for them to wear. White, and white robes, generally means righteousness in the Bible. The righteousness that sinful Christians have is an imputed righteousness, we are forgiven, God has paid the penalty for all of our messes, legally we have been pardoned and so are 'righteouis'. So, the messy group from the hiways and hedges (there is a ministry in town by that name) are a focus of God's. The halt, lame, homeless, wounded (wherever they are). The hurting, the AIDS people, the starving kids in Africa, the lonely ward-of-the-court in a harsh foster home.. these are treated like trash by society, but loved by God in a special way.
I feel for the poor kid who got raped. Her pain now is insignificant to the joy and peace she could enjoy with God for eternity. God will, if asked, come into her and comfort her, and heal her, love her, and be a companion to her. Walking on thin ice here... the fella that raped her has been harmed, wounded, victimized and shaped by a cruel, evil, rebellious world. Of course, he still has free will, therefore is still legally/morally responsible for his crime. Those kids on the streets in Harlem, having known no love, no acceptance, no comfort or human care, humanly speaking, have NO alternative but to turn out to be thieving, violent hard drug pushers or the equivalent. But God can reach into a life like this and provide alternatives. he can start healing, he can show love. He can validate the wrthiness of such a person (if he is loved by the Almighty, that makes him pretty important). From God's point of view (as expressed in the Bible) this rapist is as deserving of salvation as any other man. Which is NOT deserving. God has GIVEN us salvation. If it is earned, it wouldn't be a gift. How 'good' we are is not a condition for God to forgive our sins. In fact, prison is a hot-bed of new born-again Christians.
GeoB
I unfortunately cannot buy into the premise of Geo's comment that there is a god in the first place who places such mind games.
My assessment continues to be that, based on what I see, there cannot be a god who is both all powerful and all loving.
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