Even children?
If the Fundamentalist Christians believe that God is in control and everything is God's will,
then that is left for us to assume they believe
People who get murdered had it coming,
even children....
So does that mean that murderers are just pawns in God's "will" to be done?
How does the "free will" of murderers interact with "god's will" in their victims?
2006-09-10 01:29:19 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
There are several schools of thought on this subject. There are those Christians who preach that every bad thing that happens comes from special sin a person has committed, but even within the broader Christian community these folks are often seen as absurd and mistaken, as their ideas don’t seem to jive with certain teachings of scripture (I.E. the sufferings of the righteous which are described at length) and certain logical observations (the overtly evil aren’t necessarily the ones dying painfully).
A school of Christian teaching I find much more reasonable holds that the bad things that befall people aren’t based on how sinful those people are, and that awful things may happen to the least deserving people. This school simply holds that humanity as a whole is guilty of too much evil to complain that life isn’t fair. They would say that since all are guilty of some evil (even if not the same amount), none are undeserving of the imperfect world in which we live.
But you weren’t asking about doctrine, your question was on weather those people are callous. That is hard for me to answer, even for the first group, much as I dislike their teachings. Try seeing it through their eyes for a moment…
You may see an ostensibly innocent child killed by a maniac, but they see it very differently. Based on that death, they conclude that they are seeing a diabolical child, not an innocent one. You and I may disagree with that, and find it a wrong conclusion, but it is much harder to say that they should feel compassion for a person who they think is guilty of great evil. Are the majority of us callous for feeling no pity towards towards Stalin who died quite painfully? I detest their school of thought, but can we fairly label them “callous?” (that’s a real question, please let me know what you think)
As for the second group I described, I don’t feel they are callous—at least not necessarily so. They are required to put themselves into a category with everyone else, so they can't look down on others, or feel that those people deserved their suffering any more than they themselves deserved it. They may feel nothing but pity for the suffering even, perhaps, for the likes of Stalin. That isn’t to say they all do, some are quite callous—the point is that they are feeling or unfeeling not based on that particular belief (which is likely true, to some degree, of many beliefs: they have both their bastards and their saints).
So, two points: one, that is not a necessary, or even sound, tenant of Christian doctrine; and, two, even if held as you describe, it doesn’t necessarily indicate its adherents are callous, much less if more reasonable views are held. Thoughts?
2006-09-10 06:36:57 · answer #1 · answered by Joseph 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds almost like Calvinism. And yes, if they believe if something bad happens to someone, they deserved it... then it must be in God's Will. Going along that line of thinking, the Murderers are doing Gods Will and therefore are not wrong in doing so. I believe the Bible and their religion state that you should do Gods Will... obviously everyone is doing that if he is in Complete Control. So, there is no need for them to go around spreading the Gospel, no need for conversions, no need for any of that stuff.
2006-09-10 09:58:17 · answer #2 · answered by Kithy 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, it is callous, and also is irrational as it flies in the face of the reality we experience. But not all Christians believe that: I don't, and I expect that lots of fundamentalist Christians don't either. However it then gets a bit difficult to maintain the usual belief in God's being all-powerful, and this is a belief that needs to be re-assessed.
2006-09-10 08:35:07 · answer #3 · answered by Hy 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It is a confused persons version of the idea that the universe is a mirror.
The universe is set up to teach us how our actions make others feel. What ever we send out into the universe we get back.
If we are loving, the universe responds lovingly to us. If we are hateful and negative the universe responds in kind with hate and negativity.
This is never intended as a punishment, only as a teaching aid. People who are fixated on the erroneous idea of a judgmental punishing God can't see the love at work behind this reciprocal response that God lovingly built into the universe. so they come to the only conclusion available to them. A judgmental punishing God.
Sad that they completely miss the love.
Love and blessings
don
2006-09-10 08:40:00 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I never said anyone deserves to die. It is not Gods will that children die it is a part of life. As far as your murderers statement I believe that they are compelled by satan and are not operating under God's will. If they were under God's will they would not murder. Remember satan and his cohorts have free reign on earth, they temp the weak mind to do the evil things in this world. Without believing in Christ, satan will take control. Just my thoughts.
2006-09-10 08:51:23 · answer #5 · answered by morris 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
An Anglican priest I know in England tragically lost his son in a road accident, (he was a wonderful young man, married, with 2 little chidren). He could not 'square that circle' either. He is not a priest anymore.
2006-09-10 08:42:04 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
If I could understand all that God does and is--what kind of God would he be? only a man. I don't know why kids die, but I do still believe that God is God and he is good.
2006-09-10 08:34:48 · answer #7 · answered by Ken 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Yes it is wrong.
God did not create us as puppets. Bad things happen to people because of sin in the world. Accidents, and just plane old things that can happen.
Some sickness is because of sin, but not all of it.
2006-09-10 08:37:29 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
You assume what we believe? I bet you don't know one christian who believes that children who get murdered had it coming. And I know thousands of christians and I don't know one either. You are really "out of your tree!"
2006-09-10 08:34:54 · answer #9 · answered by oldguy63 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
No it is not callous, but it is sad that there are so many lost people living with out Jesus in their lives, and don't know what wonderful things they are missing out on???
2006-09-10 08:32:53 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋