How does God work?

Question

I asked a question about Pat Robertson who to me epitomizes a crazy man under a bridge; he just gets paid a bit more for his proselytizing. ‘nuff said.
And one of my responses was:
“Maybe you need to understand and learn a few more things about the way that God does things (involves love, eternal life..), and the way that satan works
(destroying, killing..pain...death)
Huh?
Well I won’t go in to tomes of text from the Bible on plagues and floods God brought down to his children, but why does my flood insurance policy say “acts of God” and not “acts of Satan”?

Answer 1

It says that because they will get more people to buy their insurance protecting from an Act of God than an Act of Satan. They feel God has their back against Satan already so they have their insurance already there. You have to pay for insurance to protect from an act of God. Amusing isn't it?

Answer 2

I am sure Pat Robertson would say God causes floods to punish the homosexual kingdoms of the earth. You should watch the 700 Club sometime. He is always saying violent acts of nature are God's punishment for a sin committed on a mass scale by a nation, group of people, etc. I think he may have said something along the lines that Hurricane Katrina was God's vengance against the sinful and homosexual nature of America. But don't take it from Pat. Look inside and ask God why He causes things like floods and earthquakes.

Answer 3

For No Man Knows Completely The Ways Of God. Just Trust The Father.
Insurance Policy, dont Read too Much Into It.
Jesus Loves You

Answer 4

act of God
n. a natural catastrophe which no one can prevent such as an earthquake, a tidal wave, a volcanic eruption, a hurricane or a tornado. Acts of God are significant for two reasons 1) for the havoc and damage they wreak, and 2) because often contracts state that "acts of God" are an excuse for delay or failure to fulfill a commitment or to complete a construction project. Many insurance policies exempt coverage for damage caused by acts of God, which is one time an insurance company gets religion. At times disputes arise as to whether a violent storm or other disaster was an act of God (and therefore exempt from a claim) or a foreseeable natural event. God knows the answer!

Answer 5

There is no possible way anybody could ever completely understand how God works and the mystery of why he allows things to happen.People always want to bash God ,but they are not making an effort to get to know him.The best we can do to understand God is to get closer to him by reading the bible ,praying and fasting.Yes there are some gruesome things in the bible but you have to understand,those times weren't like these times.And about your insurance policy, put things into perspective...who do you think wrote"acts of God" on your insurance policy?A man did.I'm not sure what context it was used in ,but don't depend on things like your insurance document to help you make a decision or understand what and/or who God is.

Answer 6

Actually, the Israelites were God's children, and the plagues were brought down on the Egyptians who were holding them in slavery.


Maybe you should get your insurance policy re-written to cover acts of Satan, too. You know how insurance companies are always trying to get out of paying things these days...

Answer 7

One of the things that is often confusing is the difference between "punishment" and "natural consequences". God warns against many things not because he is looking for an excuse to punish, but because he know that if people do them certain consequences will follow. Many of the "plagues", etc. for which people blame God in the Bible as simple the consequences of the people's actions.

Whenever they turned away from God, certain things would happen. For instance, if a society tolerates fornication, out-of-wedlock pregnancies, dead-beat fathers, men who abandon their families, etc., certain consequences will follow. Poverty will increase. STDs will increase. Kids will be more likely to get in trouble with the law. Gangs. Increase in teen pregnancy. Increase in domestic abuse and violence. Increase in divorce. etc.

Is this a punishment from God? No. Its is consequences. God warns against it in Duetronomy 23:2, where he says an out-of-wedlock child will not enter the sanctuary of God for the next 10 generations. It is not because he is "banning" them. It is because the society that tolerants such morals will be against the things of God and will shape the children in such a way that it can take generations to correct the problem, and get the society turned back to God.

For example, in Genesis 12-17, God three times promises the land of Israel to Abraham and his descendents. And Abraham's son Issac and grandson Jacob continue to live in the land, peacefully and increasing in their wealth and influence. They might very well have taken over that land without a single loss of life, war, or "plague".

But along comes Jacob's son Judah and has twins with his daughter-in-law Tamar. And before that generation is grown, the family of Abraham is out of the land and does not return for 400 years (10 generations if you read the genealogy). Then it takes 10 plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, 40 years of wandering in the wilderness and the slaughter of thousands already in the land to get them back in. Not because God was punishing, but because Judah sinned and it had consequences for the next 10 generations.

The Bible is full of example after example of man's sin having deadly consequences. And unfortunately then, just like today, God was too often the one who got the blame. While the whole time he was offering them forgiveness and redemption if they would just turn back to him.

Far as the insurance companies, are we really doing to start taking out theology for them? I shudder to think what they would have as the 10 Commandments... LOL

Answer 8

The second answer from R.L.S is the most accurate. Even when Katrina hit, people labeled it an act of God. Some said, "God does everything for a reason." What reason would God actually have to kill innocent people while evil people live? These things should just be called natural disasters.

Answer 9

Your flood insurance policy says acts of God because it is referring to things outside of foreseeable control.

Back to the original question. How does God work? Well, I do not know that exactly. I know that he does work. How else can you make sense of things?

Would you prefer that your existence is meaningless and that everything you do will be forgotten and that you are doomed to face an ignoble end wherein you die and everything was for naught??

Answer 10

Pat Robertson is crazy. Acts of God is another way of saying acts of nature.