Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:God does not bring you misery, so he most certainly is not going to give you 'just enough' of it [u]
I hate that saying.
I think it is most often a perversion (for lack of a better word ) of 2 Corinthians 12:9
9 " But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."
I agree. There us a misguided belief thatGod somehow caused or allowed people's suffering. God does not cause anyone's suffering.
Yes he does, he does evil as well:
I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things. (Isaiah 45:7, KJV)
Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it? (Amos 3:6, KJV)
Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good? (Lamentations 3:38)
It's quite clear the Abrahamic religions is a pestilence upon society and is no different than the other made up myths of the time.
The Greek and Norse gods also caused harm and evil for various reasons such as jealousy or just amusement. The god of the bible is no different.
Ironically Christians only believe he's there for the good stuff like sunny days and when someone survives surgeries, not realizing if he were all loving he wouldn't put people there in the first place.
Anonymous wrote:Read the New Testament, pp.
Anonymous wrote:Read the New Testament, pp.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:God does not bring you misery, so he most certainly is not going to give you 'just enough' of it [u]
I hate that saying.
I think it is most often a perversion (for lack of a better word ) of 2 Corinthians 12:9
9 " But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."
I agree. There us a misguided belief thatGod somehow caused or allowed people's suffering. God does not cause anyone's suffering.
Anonymous wrote:I am not sure that is totally true. I think its something people say to comfort someone when they dont' know what else to say, its a crutch if you will.
The ability to choose? Dare I say it? Free will?Anonymous wrote:Ahhhh, a kindred spirit! I love your biblical interpretation of the world's ability to choose and how the world was static making us mortal and experiencing our own mortality. Great post!!Anonymous wrote:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. (New Testament, 1 Corinthians, 1 Corinthians 10)
I think this is a biblical basis for this saying. The idea that struggles imply anything about the sufferer's own inherent strength or weakness is a misinterpretation. Instead, suffering offers a chance to rely on the grace of God. As we draw nearer to Christ, we can be strengthened in Him and borrow His strength to endure our trials with patience and love.
As to the greater discussion, my sect believes that God is NOT omnipotent in the sense of just making up a world and rules for us to follow. He loves us and wants us to be purified and refined that we may dwell with Him and learn about Him, but no unclean thing may dwell with God--we believe that isn't a rule He made up but an irrefutable law inherent in the concept of "goodness" and "God." It is a conundrum any parent can relate to. What He HAS (freedom from sin and misery and sickness and death) He can give us, but what He IS (perfect light and truth) cannot be given, but must be earned. The Garden of Eden offered no sickness or death, no mortal weakness nor temptation. It also offered no freedom to choose. If there is no evil or sin, then there can be no goodness nor righteousness. When Eve partook ofthe Tree of Knowledge, she wasn't punished because God wanted her to suffer for her choice, she was given the inherent consequence of that choice. She introduced into the world the ability to choose, and that means that along with a true understanding of good, we also get evil. The world is no longer static, but mortal. Mortality includes the natural world and all of the sickness, death and decay that are so inherent in that natural order. We are born with a propensity to live as the natural man--selfish, weak, seeking our own gratification and pleasure, but also with The Light of Christ inside each of us and we are given the ability to choose what we become. We can follow Christ and His teachings and our suffering will be sanctified as we are perfected in Him, or we can follow the weakness of men and our suffering will be for nothing.![]()
I don't mean to be disrespectful, but I hope you can see how this is a bag full of holes. God just doesn't talk to most people in a way that they can understand. Otherwise why would you even need this guy to tell you that? God could tell you himself. Why would you study the bible? God can just tell you what you need to know.
Ahhhh, a kindred spirit! I love your biblical interpretation of the world's ability to choose and how the world was static making us mortal and experiencing our own mortality. Great post!!Anonymous wrote:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. (New Testament, 1 Corinthians, 1 Corinthians 10)
I think this is a biblical basis for this saying. The idea that struggles imply anything about the sufferer's own inherent strength or weakness is a misinterpretation. Instead, suffering offers a chance to rely on the grace of God. As we draw nearer to Christ, we can be strengthened in Him and borrow His strength to endure our trials with patience and love.
As to the greater discussion, my sect believes that God is NOT omnipotent in the sense of just making up a world and rules for us to follow. He loves us and wants us to be purified and refined that we may dwell with Him and learn about Him, but no unclean thing may dwell with God--we believe that isn't a rule He made up but an irrefutable law inherent in the concept of "goodness" and "God." It is a conundrum any parent can relate to. What He HAS (freedom from sin and misery and sickness and death) He can give us, but what He IS (perfect light and truth) cannot be given, but must be earned. The Garden of Eden offered no sickness or death, no mortal weakness nor temptation. It also offered no freedom to choose. If there is no evil or sin, then there can be no goodness nor righteousness. When Eve partook ofthe Tree of Knowledge, she wasn't punished because God wanted her to suffer for her choice, she was given the inherent consequence of that choice. She introduced into the world the ability to choose, and that means that along with a true understanding of good, we also get evil. The world is no longer static, but mortal. Mortality includes the natural world and all of the sickness, death and decay that are so inherent in that natural order. We are born with a propensity to live as the natural man--selfish, weak, seeking our own gratification and pleasure, but also with The Light of Christ inside each of us and we are given the ability to choose what we become. We can follow Christ and His teachings and our suffering will be sanctified as we are perfected in Him, or we can follow the weakness of men and our suffering will be for nothing.