My apologies for not posting sooner. Had some very important things to take care of. Well, I'm back and am rather anxious about this entry; here goes.
In my last post, DBA Lehane said..."That God guy seems to take all the credit and takes none of the flak if you ask me."
Naturally, that got me to thinking and I don't think that God can take the flak for what is currently going on in the world. We were given a choice, which stems from Adam and Eve and from the inception, we chose to go against God and against good. Though there are many who will argue with Biblical accounts of humanity, I do not (for the most part} and I believe that we as people have created the mess we live in. From what I know and have read, people have chosen the desires of physical pleasure, instant gratification, and anything that yields rewards without regard for others.
Christ lived amongst us and faced the same temptations and decision making issues as those around Him and He chose to always err on the side of good and live with clarity of his decision. He accepted the fallout and alienation that came with his decisions, which afforded him the opportunity to never have to second guess Himself. He promoted goodness and good living and those who chose against that mindset lived their suffering and adverse effects of the choice they made, so why should God take the flak for something He didn't do and didn't promote. Yes, there must be balance and there is no good without the bad, but ultimately we are still in charge of the choices we make. I have read the Bible and some other religious doctrines and no where does it say that the Higher Power promoted negative behavior and activities. Acts of nature were used as tools to teach us that we need to be mindful of the world we live in and the decisions we make against others.
I feel like I'm all over the place with my thoughts (Codeine will do that to a person), but I'm sure you understand where I'm going. I think it's easy for us to doubt God's role and intention for us if we do not have faith in His direction and doctrine. His goodness, favor, and mercy is dispensed on us everyday. Sometimes we're given reminders that we need to live or get right by an act of nature, s health scare, or whatever He uses to get into our heads and hearts.
Let me ask you this, if you know you're a good person, you don't lie; cheat; steal, or do things that you'll have a hard time living with; should you be held responsible for the "flak" that is around you? While I understand why someone can and would question the role of God in the world and why He gets all the credit when there is so much negativity in the world, but He didn't cause it so no, He shouldn't take the flak.
This is a topic that can and will generate a lot of discussion as many of you are believers and practice Biblical habits. I welcome and encourage debate on this because as I said, I feel a little scatterbrained right now. My wholehearted opinion is that I AM A TRUE BELIEVER. I have experience His goodness, favor, and mercy in my life. I've lived through miraculous situations and know that without my faith in Him I would NOT be where I am. I reiterate that point because in spite of ugliness that has happened in my life or to me, the acts were not performed by God, but someone who did not know God or know how to make better decisions. I think it's easy for many to blame or want to blame God given His reputation for awesomeness, but if we're honest without prejudice of religion, we'll see that it's man not God who's at fault.
13 comments:
:-) This is a favorite topic of mine. Because the notion that God is responsible for our sh!t amuses me to no end. I can say that because I've been debating that point for years, and the extreme gymnastics used to pin the blame on God can actually get pretty funny. But what makes it funny of course is my perspective. I take 100% responsibility for every bad thing that has ever happened to me. I can tell you some really bad sh!t, but in the end, it was either my fault (cause-effect) or it was my dear friend Karma. Have you ever met her? At first I thought she was a pretty mean bitch, but when I took the time to know her, she turned out to be pretty cool. As long as I treated her with respect.
Now I'm amazed my life is so good. Don't have a fancy car; Don't own a house; Don't have many posessions at all in fact, but I actually get to be used by God to help others. A dumb stone like me, imagine that! Luke 19:40
Peace and Love,
Ali's Zay (LoversA.blogspot.com)
this is interesting as well as relative. God did create all things right? He is responsible for setting the world in motion and controls how fast or slow that motion moves, right? So...is he responsible? We will never be able to figure it out. Like who came first...the chicken or the egg? Yes all this coming from a devout Christian and a guy with his undergrad degree in biblical studies. But I love this post!
yea, most folks look at god like a cosmic policeman.....and u get books at http://bbotw.com/author.asp?FirstName=Torrance&LastName=Stephens
Zay - first you already know my thoughts on you referring to yourself as a "dumb rock", so let's rephrase that okay? Kay! I had feeling this would stir something in you because I know you've faced the demons and managed to rise above the flames. It's always easier to blame someone/thing else when they're at fault and God is no acception.
Darius - always a pleasure to have you grace my page. Yes, you're right, God did set things in motion, but as you know He gave us a choice. In fact, he advised against the evil and the evil was chosen anyway, which is why I say, we choose the direction in which we head. I appreciate your comment and insight.
Torrence - what a concise and true to light comment. Thanks for the link.
I know they say that a person should never question God, but for a person who isn't as well-versed on the Word, I fall under the category of people who, in fact, do pretty much question each and everything concerning God.
I guess the biggest question I often ask myself is, "Exactly what role does God play in the ways of the world?" I understand how it's not God's "fault" how disturbed the direction of this world has become, but it doesn't speak of being forgiving? It does but it doesn't.
Of course if the world followed the path set by His Word, then we would live in a much better place. But since society wasn't built like that...what are the chances of that EVER happening?
And that answer always causes me to fall back into that same line of thought I have concerning the woes of the world. Which is, "they could stop it if they really wanted to."
Maybe the world is a result of some form of punishment.
Enlightening girl!
You're doing a great work here.
OK, so If God can't take all the flak for when things go wrong, should he be able to take all the credit when things go right? he is the creator of all, good and evil, right? since he is the absolute originator, all roads lead back to him. So, since He can't be blamed for letting Bush knock down the towers, can He really be praised for doing something like freeing the slaves? I believe in God, I don't often question the bible, but facts are facts. If, indeed god created all, he has to be held responsible for the actions of all. I thought that's what Jesus' story was about... taking the burden for mankind (taking the flak off the man in charge). IDK, I'm tired right now.
I like Don question things too. God made us and knew we would fail him. As he said he knew us before we were in our mother's womb. There are just some answers we won't know. Because if God knew we would sin before we sinned and God made EVERYTHING then how can we compete against that?
I mean I know we have minds of our own yet we all fall short. So our Maker know this and knew ahead. It seems it was designed this way.
I know this will cause many to trip on by own observations and questions. I know I am not the one that wonders though.
Don, Ceasar, and Shai - i appreciate the challenging questions as I know this topic is a hard one to discuss without controversy. As I said, I'm a true believer; howver, there are and have been times where I too questioned God and His role in the world as well as my own life. After doing that, I referred to other religions and other philosophical teachings in order to quell my doubts. Each has their own order; however, they do still refer to a higher order as well as our being accountable for our wrong doings.
This subject will always spark debate and I respect the thoughts and opinions of others. I am not and will not force feed my views on others. I strive to make the best decisions I can for myself and my life and believing in God helps me to do that.
debo - i'm happy you stopped by and shared your thoughts.
Blu, i had left this long comment on your post...but somehow it disappeared. Great post and God IS and will heal, you have to have faith, he didn't create your problems, but he will heal you.
"I think it's easy for us to doubt God's role and intention for us if we do not have faith in His direction and doctrine."
I heard this today at service [paraphrasing]. "If you think you’re nothing, and that you're life is going nowhere, that's exactly how you'll live. However, if you believe that you’re born for greatness you'll live with purpose and intentionally for the Kingdom of God."
God gave us all free will.
Matthew 5:45 "…for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
Even those in despair and/or witnessing the chaos of the world cannot deny God's blessings.
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