would he intervene in positive ways, wouldn't that also interfere with free will? Why the double standard?
When you say God doesn't prevent things from happening, (natural disasters, disease, etc) because you say we have free will, but then you say "Look! God gave me what I prayed for!" how is that not a double standard?
2007-09-09 05:16:59 · 21 answers · asked by lindsey p 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
James "duhhhh....I dunno...I just believe what Pastor Bob tells me"
2007-09-09 05:30:08 · update #1
The thing is, I believe that God DOES sometimes prevent bad things from happening. However, we usually would never know it.
For example, let's suppose that one day, while you're on your way to work (or the store, or whatever), and because of strange circumstances, you're prevented from getting where you wanted (or needed) to be on time. What YOU don't know is that if you had been on time, you would have been struck and killed by a drunk driver. Since you weren't on time, the drunk driver continued on his way, and was later arrested...or maybe he hit a tree, and it woke him up, and he realized that his drinking was going to kill him.
This is actually similar to what happened to people on 9/11. They were SUPPOSED to be at the WTC when it happened, but because of traffic, an alarm clock not going off, a broken shoelace, or a subway running late, they weren't there.
We don't know how many earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, hurricanes, F5 tornadoes, blizzards, et cetera, are prevented from happening. How would we? We can't see the result of every path.
Which is why (us not seeing the result of every path) sometimes good things happen to bad people, and vice versa. Maybe that family that lost their house was supposed to wind up in a shelter, where they would meet someone that would become a good friend, who would later be prevented from committing suicide by a member of the family. Maybe the man who died in a freak accident, leaving behind young children, was saved from causing a murderer to target his entire family. Maybe the child that died of cancer at the ripe old age of seven was saved from becoming a murderer, or an abortion clinic bomber, or from being the victim of a bombing or a murder later on. And perhaps the woman in Nigeria who is cradling her dead three year old, who would have lived if it had just RAINED, is supposed to call out to God, and He'll send missionaries. We just don't know, do we?
2007-09-09 05:30:19 · answer #1 · answered by The_Cricket: Thinking Pink! 7 · 3⤊ 0⤋
Why would you think God doesnt interfere with free will?
God of the Bible according to the Bible Had his "Chosen" people mangle rape and kill off a whole collection of people that God Himself apparently was completely incapable of taking care of himself (sez a lot about how unpowerful He is doesnt it?)
What about the free will of all those his "Chosen" people interfered with under his command?
Some are always saying you have to take the Bible stuff by context....
think of the greater context of how things were when those guys decided to put the existing books together into an "Official" version
some stuff they put in
some stuff they left out
BUT they did this in a time that very very few people could read
they thought that forever most people would need to be told what something said.
Never could they possibly have been able to image this today where so many could read that "Created" bible and plainly comprehend the fact that the people that put that book together were apparently just as inept as the God they tried to create with thier version of what should have been "Official"
makes one think eh? - times dont seem to have changed so much in the intelligence of those who like to tell others what is what
2007-09-09 06:52:36 · answer #2 · answered by genntri 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
God doesn't interfere not because of free will but because he want to see what you are going to do in a situation, are you going to call out to him or are you going to curse him. Read Job chapter 1&2.
He is right there when all the bad things happens he just want you to want him. If he stopped everything bad from happing to us how would we learn from making wrong choices, we would become spoiled rotten children.
2007-09-09 05:29:50 · answer #3 · answered by Cookyduster 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
What does the Word of God Jehovah say about calamity befalling and God's intervention? You must stand in your day of calamity on the Word of God Jehovah who is omniscient and though he knows what will befall you has the strength and power to save you in your day of calamity.
Psalm 91:7
A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
Proverbs 18:10
The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.
Psalm 4:8
I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.
Samuel 22:19
They prevented me in the day of my calamity: but the LORD was my stay.
Job 3:26
I was not in safety, neither had I rest, neither was I quiet; yet trouble came.
Job 43:10
And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.
2007-09-09 05:43:16 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
well, because, every thing happens for a reason, even it u cant see how the car accident down the road that injured some one, helped someone els, it still does. and bad things happen, like murrders, and war, not because god doesent inter fear, but because we as humans chose to do wrong. and if god awncers your prayers, he is never forcing anything to happen, he onlie gives you the oppernitunity to get what it is thst u want as long as it is for the lord.
do u kinda get what im saying??
when he awncers prayer he is not interfearing at all. he only gives you the opernitunity, just like in every day life, you can chose to do rite or wrong,
2007-09-09 07:32:19 · answer #5 · answered by joyist16 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Because free will only applies when you need it to in order to support your arguments for why bad things happen. Interestingly, the phrase "free will" is not even mentioned in the Bible except in the context of a certain type of animal sacrifice, and the offerings made to construct the tabernacle after the Israelites left Egypt. In the OT, God didn't want them to have FREE will, he wanted them to have HIS will. Any time they did what THEY wanted to do, he punished them with plague, fire, war, etc. In the NT, it's no different; if you exercise YOUR will, you get punished with hellfire.
2007-09-09 05:23:58 · answer #6 · answered by Antique Silver Buttons 5 · 3⤊ 2⤋
God always "interferes" in a way that is best for all concerned. You cannot pick and choose. Making the best of the situation shows what you are made of.
2007-09-09 05:31:48 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
Here is another thing to ask yourself. If God is the creator of all things great and small, the one creator of the entire universe, why did he create evil? If he didn't, who did? Would that mean there would be more than one creator?
2007-09-09 05:30:57 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
God does allow bad things to happen hey He even allowed His Son to be murdered.
Why? So that He can when all is said and done draw good even from evil. He is Almighty.
2007-09-09 05:36:42 · answer #9 · answered by carl 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Everything gets twisted as anyone wishes like:
we don't do the old testament we do the new one
God only loves ,as ppl are dying left and right in some serious wicked ways
God loves you and you have to kiss up to or u will be condemned and will suffer horribly until all eternity!
sounds logical don't you think?
2007-09-09 05:37:58 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋