I really want to know. Germany was 96% Christian at the time incidentally. Imagine yourself being tortured and experimented on. Watching your spouse and children being killed or raped. Imagine starvation, pain, and the death of millions around you. How can there be a personal god, an ominipresent god?
2006-12-02 06:31:38 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
That was complete horror wasn't it
2006-12-02 06:34:50 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
.
With all respect, you ask the wrong question.
God either is, or He isn't. No sequence of events on earth, no matter how barbaric, negates God's existence. He either is, or He isn't.
The question is, how could a 'loving' God allow this to happen? Since the breakthrough of the Christian vision was a 'loving' God who is actually our Father, the dilemma is reconciling this 'love' with horrors like you describe.
Love is the key. An omnipresent sadistic God is easy to contemplate contemporaneous with The Holocoust. An arbitrary, insensitive, lover of the elites, kind of God is always easy to see with this world. But a loving God? A compassionate one?
Ah, as Hamlet says, there's the rub. There's the calamity that makes for so long life.
God is, or He isn't. The brutalities of mankind don't change the essential truth (or absense) of His existence.
.
2006-12-02 15:34:08 · answer #2 · answered by robabard 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Germany has never been a Christian nation. Germany was the "Holy Roman Empire". The religion was Catholicism. Although some Catholics are Christians, probably less than 10%, the vast majority are not.
2006-12-02 14:37:04 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
this was a test for those who went through this period of time. try Schindler's list and Broken Silence ( Some Who Lived -- Eyes of the Holocaust --Children From The Abyss -- I Remember -- Hell On Earth ).these are stories of horror but so many kept their Faith and found Faith in these places. GOD is not in the business of preventing " man's inhumanity to man " in my opinion.
2006-12-02 14:53:36 · answer #4 · answered by Marvin R 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Read Corrie Ten Booms story. She lived the example you give in your question. SO not fair! At times like that, your faith is tested, in the biggest of ways. For so many back then, it brought them closer to God. The bible says, don't be surprised when people persecute you, or revile you, for my name's sake. If you know your bible, and know the life of Jesus, you know you would not be alone in that. Hitler , with a bit of power, and misguided convictions and beliefs, was allowed to sin like you and I are allowed to sin. He sinned big, and will face God on Judgement day also, like we all will. I wouldn't want to be in his shoes. The great thing about being a christian, is knowing, that our God is a just God. We don't make the best judges, because we either judge too harshly, or are too lenient. We don't know people's hearts like God does, or their motives. Leave it to him, he does the best job. In the mean time, I am thankful for societies that punish people....(like we see Sadamm, etc), for crimes against humanity, etc.
2006-12-02 14:37:19 · answer #5 · answered by oceansnsunsets 4 · 2⤊ 2⤋
God won't and doesn't step in and stop humans from doing horrible things. He was crying that his children was being tortured. But I believe he sent his angels down to help them to ease their pain and suffering. He also could relieve them of their pain so they wouldn't have to bare it all. And they are all with Him in Heaven now, no more suffering, no pain. Joyous. Remember they were a religious people, they had FAITH.
2006-12-02 14:47:22 · answer #6 · answered by creeklops 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋
How is this different from what these good Christians expect to see their God do to those who go to hell?
To be honest I'd suspect that Christians really do not care what happens to someone else so long as they are safe. It is the most self centered philosophy humanity has ever seen.
2006-12-02 14:35:52 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 3⤋
God uses evil to bring about the ultimate good in things.
2006-12-02 14:40:29 · answer #8 · answered by stpolycarp77 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
God doesent MAKE people have trials. But he does allow it. Its apart of our will and eventually we will all come to our death. some deaths are much worse than others but god makes a plan for each of us. In the bible you can read thestory about Job. Its a really inspiring one. The devil wants to test Jobs faith and Gd agrees to it because he knows Job will be faithful. Jobs family is all killed. His kids and his wife. His land and home is taken away. He questions his faith but never denies it. He trusted in God and "passed the test." God repayed him more landand crops, and he had another wife and more children. Its a great story.
2006-12-02 14:37:06 · answer #9 · answered by Raven D 2 · 2⤊ 4⤋
Ask the survivors. Most all will say they came through marginally sane, only by God's grace & mercy.
Don't mistake someone's claim of being a Christian with them actually being one.
2006-12-02 14:34:54 · answer #10 · answered by azar_and_bath 4 · 1⤊ 3⤋
and yet many of those who survived the holocaust are still faithful to God. though it did not hel the Public image of the christian.
2006-12-02 14:37:15 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋