Christians please explain this??

Question

In a way that actually follows the rules of logic:

Why are we suppossed to thank god for our blessings (financial gain, healthy children etc) yet when misfortune happens we are not supposed to express any anger or question his existence. We are just suppossed to look at it as a "test"

Example- In the Darfur region of Sudan they would praise "god" when it would rain, yet when a child has to watch his mother get raped and murdered in front of him by militant guerillas contracted by the government it is just the will of men.

So your argument is that god can make it rain but he cant stop man from butchering one another?

Any of you up for registering for a critical thinking class??

Cuchlain-thanks for the effort... you did not apply critical thinking as much as you ignored it. You cant make things fit into the christian box. Either it makes sense or it does not

Sam- You could have made a truer statement. You are right that the responses exemplify your point remarkably

Answer 1

faith is not logic but pure emotion. and emotion is defined by a mans prejudice and environments and kaos therefore your question represents pure emotion , and emotion can be manipulated into any type of question for a desired /undesired answered.

..... as witness in all these wide array of answers

Answer 2

God is not in charge of the governments or this system of things. Oh He is in overall charge and can exert His power to accomplish anything He wishes, but this wicked world has Satan ruling it by man's choice. (1John 3:8; Gen. 3:17-19) God has allowed time for it to be proven Satan nor man can rule themselves. Mankind has tried every form of government imaginable and has solved none of the severe problems of the earth. That is the reason for our pain and suffering.

God makes it rain on the good and bad. (Matt. 5:45) All humans on earth are in the same situations. The difference is some of us understand this will not last. As Revelations 21:4 promises, God will destroy this old system with a new cleansed earth where "every tear will be wiped out of the eyes, neither will morning nor outcrying or pain be any more. The former things have past away." Of course not the literal tear ducts of the eyes, but the reason people cry in this old world today from hunger, war, greed.

Answer 3

I don't know where your getting your religion from but there are few things that you need to know.
1.Everything that is written in the old testament was rendered obsolete when Christ died on the cross. He came to replace the law and show that the God is not bound by religious law(read Job and NT).
2.He knows what your feeling so there is know point in holding back how you feel. It is OK tell him that you doubt his existence, that you hate him for letting bad things happen, etc.. (read Matt. 5) blessed are those who doubt and hate God for ___ fill in your own logical answer.
3.Darfur is a test. It has shown us how evil,calloused, and apathetic people can be. It has also shown us how heroic and compassionate people can be. It has also shown us something else.
If religious people could realize that they will one day be held responsible for their apathy and inaction(silence is a form of acceptance), this kind of madness would not have happened at all. This is something that isn't preached often enough in churches, mosques, temples.
[Instead, they preach about how God is going to destroy our nation because of our stand on abortion and gay marriage(they always preach this just before an election).There are too many corrupt people in our churches and judging by your view of what God is like, I'm guessing that your familiar with them.]

Answer 4

As far as critical thinking, you are not actually following a logical series of points yourself. Please permit me to reorganize your question more rationally...

It is more logical to ask: Is it reasonable to be grateful for positive occurences in life, and yet to refrain from the converse reaction when negative events occur? Does the occurence of both positive and negative events on the life of a believer reasonably lead to the conclusion that God is in fact either not acting on their behalf or non-existent?

First: It is a common error in non-spiritual thinking that death or physical ailment is the extreme end of suffering. In fact, to a believer, death, suffering, etc is not the worst occurence in life, but the failure to be prepared for the afterlife. Consider a child: their interpretation of discipline (whether it be quiet time or a swat) is that this is the most horrible of punishments; it is in fact the case that what a child sees as a terrible punishment is( or should be) for the safety and security of the child in the greater picture. My child might be disciplined for running near cars, and "express anger or question" my authority (there is no reasonably logic in questioning existence because of negative occurences; I don't question lightning because I was struck by it....), but the child (because of immaturity) does not realize it is to their long term benefit. This is why they do nto stay up late, etc.

This applies in a greater, more spiritual sense. We suffer (sometimes horrible things), but suffering does have some purpose, often what we cannot see. A mature person does not seek to know the answer, but finds some solice in the understanding that these things have some purpose

James 1:2 My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.

The point is that if God did not permit suffering, would we seek for an eternal comfort?

If you wish for more critical thinking, I would suggest you might examine Ecclesiastes

Answer 5

I believe God has no more power to make it rain than he has to stop humans from torturing and murdering each other. God is not omnipotent. The idea is that humans can do far more than we think we can, with the help of faith.

If you love sufficiently, that will give you the courage to do things you might normally find difficult or impossible. However, love, no matter how strong, does not grant wishes.

So sufficient faith and/or love might give you the spiritual strength to confront, resist, or endure someone who is attempting to harm you, but faith alone cannot prevent someone from harming you.

Answer 6

It's funny that you said that because I'm taking a logic class.
I'm a christian, just to specify.
I do not, under any circumstances, think that the ill's of this world are a "test" by God.
Furthermore, I do not, under any circumstances, doubt that he could stop it if he wanted to.

God gave us free will as people, we can choose to do what we want, and when we choose to do evil, well, we do evil.
God can't take away our free will without, taking away our free will.
He wants us to choose him, to choose him above all others, the evil is just the side effect of free will.
I don't speak for all christians when I say this, I'm sure.
But God doesn't test us, God doesn't use evil, he doesn't need to test us either. He doesn't need to test us because he knows our hearts. By knowing our hearts he doesn't need to test our actions, and he can tell if we truly repent for something.

"everything works together for the good to those who believe..." That is in the Bible, although I don't know the exact location. What that says to me, is that, although we can't change other peoples actions, and God can't take away their free will without taking away ALL free will, he CAN and DOES work in people's lives to take the bad that happens and turn it into good. Sometimes the bad can shape you for something good to happen later in your life, or can put you in a position to do something good. But when you don't trust God this can never happen. It is hard to see in the moment but God will take everything and make it work out.

I think my answer follows the rules of logic.

I praise God no matter what happens, good or bad.

Feel free to email,

Jessica

Answer 7

The only way he is going to get completly delivered from drugs or any other addiction is through the power of the Holy Ghost. He need it to even get to heaven. I was bound in lust , anger and other things .Jesus deleivered me from it all. Its people at my chuch was bound on drugs like crack and they were deleivered througn the power of the Holy Ghost. I did not know that I needed the Holy Ghost, but now, I which I could have been known. This is personal experience this is real! Some people take it for a joke but it is a spiritual battle going on in earth. When you get (really) saved you will be able to tell. Since I got saved I under stand better. Those evil spirits and things you hear about. They don't be ghost and all that crazy stuff. It be those spiritual sin's Lust spirits, lieing spirits, anger, pride,depression..those are spirits that enter into people. And the only way to get them out is through the power of th holy ghost . You have to want to let sin go all the way, to Follow Jesus. I had to get spirits cast out of me. I did not know I had that in me. I I did lust I had anger, I was addicted to women. I had pride. They sound common but people need to realize that that is the sinful nature Jesus was talking about. We need to be deleivered completly. Going to any church is not going to do it. He needs a real church. for more information or directions... email me at, [e-mail]

Answer 8

we thank god for things like rain and good things in our life because he created it. there would not be rain,sunshine,the sky.and things like money,well god gave you the tools to obtain it. but such as things that other do to us, well that falls under free will. god will not take any ones free will,not even a rapist or murder. Jesus said you can not change a nation, you must change the heart of the person. god loves us all the same, so he will have the same rules for every one. Jesus said gods rain upon the unrighteous as well as the rightest. it maybe hard to see some times, but believe me it's a good thing.

Answer 9

The answer to your question is simple...we are divine. But...we have convinced ourselves that we aren't. So..rapes happen in the world...because we make them happen. All of us..through our collective fear and allowance of it. Because we will not develope this divinity of ours. Because we are convinced if we do...this is some form of witchcraft. Also we are convinced by our christian leaders...that indeed we are just sinful blobs and we cannot be holy..and we cannot be spiritual enough to stop anything. They convince us from when we are very very young...that we are ineffectual in this world. Sorry...that is so not true. Or if we do see someone who is effectual...well that person was a saint and was special...but not you..your just a sinner. Blah blah blah.

The answer to this question...makes a person look at themselvs and be accountable...and not too many people want to be accountable...so they won't go further with it..and they chalk it up to God somehow. When God didn't allow it..we did.

Everything Jesus did was an example of the power that is what the normal christian should be able to do. Everything! Jesus said..all power in heaven and in earth has been given to me...and I give it to you. Jesus said...greater things things will you do! But...so many focus on ...well...you are God..and of course you can do that. No you missed the point. Jesus was saying...this is what is needed to do.

One holy person...buddist, hindu..whatever will affect thousands around them...and make the land heal.

"If my people who are called by my name..shall turn from their wicked ways...and seek My face....then I will heal their land".

Truth be know...when we turn to God in holiness....the land heals because...we are part of Him..and we are walking on this land.

Purity and holiness and perfection is possible with the Grace of God...and the more you seek the more you will be endowed with Him. And those who are pure...will see God..where will they see God? In everyone!

Look at the beautitudes...they speak volumes. This isn't far away...in some time in heaven...the beautitudes are now!!!!

Now are you ready to start being the kingdom of heaven?

Are you ready to heal yourself and your land around you? Do you have love for others?

Are you willing to do the work of the Kingdom?

Answer 10

Who said that you can't express your feelings to God? The Bible is full of examples of questioning, complaining and arguing with God. When you enter into a personal relationship with God, He adopts you as his son with all rights and privileges of a born son. Got a problem? Ask. You did it with your earthly dad, what makes you think you can't do it with your heavenly father who made man in His image? As far as your question about God's abilities, understand that God didn't want robots which gave responses as the proper buttons were pushed. He gave us free will to do with Him as we will. Do you realize the risk He takes in doing that? You can choose to reject Him, villify Him, ignore Him, yet He in His love for you always leaves you the option of coming back to Him and all is forgiven and forgotten. God is above being reached through logic alone as a potter is above the pot he makes. It takes faith - not "blind faith", but a reasoned faith which searches for evidence of Him in one's life and life in general. There are many books available which can help. A good one is C.S.Lewis' "Mere Christianity" (yes, the man who wrote the "Narnia" series). Also check out Lee Strobel and Josh McDowell. Finally, we are to give thanks as Christians in all things. Not for all things, but in all things. We thank Him in the bad times for the opportunities to learn and grow and the opportunity to get closer to Him. I think the world calls it, "No pain, no gain". Most nonbelievers don't believe either because their concept of God is too small or that they don't want to be held accountable but would rather do as they will without interference. Remember that a mind is like a parachute - it has to be packed properly to function. (Ask a skydiver.) Don't substitute feelings for facts. The answers are there - do you really want truth or do you just want your preconceived notions supported? Be honest.