A post of mine from another thread....thx!
Man of Steel on July 08, 2011, 07:59:55 AM
For me, the hardest aspects of "evil" pertain to natural disasters and the divine purpose(s) for them. People's ability to choose good or evil is not in question for me....maybe the article will give more perspective on that. Again, it's the necessity for calamity, destruction outside the scope of free will that leaves many flat. I've read some great perspectives, but the simplist explanation for me resides in the timelessness of God, the brevity of human life in comparison to eternity and the idea that natural disasters ("evil") often bring out the best in others ("good"). The potential for goodness is often more clearly evident through the shroud of evil, the brightest light is most distinguishable in the depths of darkness, genuine love is often found as a result of the greatest evil. I also look at the timelessness of God and realize that his perspective is infinite while our is finite. God can perceive past, present and future in one state eliminating the element of time while we can only review the past, live in the present and imagine the future. In the face of natural disasters we only see the present calamity, but what about the unity of people, the colloboration of neighbors, the union of community and other aspects of goodness we can't see but that do arise out of natural "evil" that God has clearly scoped out. Will this notion comfort those left behind that have lost loved ones in the face of natural disaster? Unfortunately for some it won't, but for other that know the love of God it does. I also consider the brevity of human life....the fact that death as perceived by us is simply not the same perception as defined by God. For unbelievers death is the end, but for believers human lives are a vapor, a blink of eye in comparison to eternity. If a man took a single grain of sand from one side of the world to the other every 100,000 years and repeated this process until every grain of sand was transported eternity would have only just begun. Our lives are merely a preparation for what is to come (if you belief). If you don't belief then the natural disasters and other evils of the world appear illogical if the existance of an all-powerful, all-loving, all-knowing God is real. Why can't he simply snuff them out? He doesn't snuff them out because he can't....those types of ideas. I have experienced the love of God, I have experienced firsthand the miracles in my own life. I'm covered by the Holy Spirit everyday and have not a single reservation about God's existance or love. Sure I wish I had all the answers and could comprehend the full scope of God's plan, but I can't. We all make some grand assumptions and try and eliminate or put God in a box and there are some brilliant minds out there that can blend together words and erase the need for God. For me the greatest answers lie in the personal relationship I have with Christ. The aspect that unbelievers miss is the genuine, open-hearted, humble pursuit of a relationship with God. He knows the contents of our hearts and will respond accordingly. I dare nonbelievers to pursue a genuine relationship with God and see if he doesn't respond. That's all I want for others.....to know the love of God.
Wow! Heartfelt post friend! Enjoyed the read.
In regard to the highlighted, whats your thought on this view. In the book
Natural Disasters—Acts of God or Acts of Man? it had this to say: "There is no evidence that the climatological mechanisms associated with droughts, floods and cyclones are changing. And no geologist is claiming that the earth movements associated with earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunami (earthquake waves) are becoming more violent." Also, the book
Earthshock eluded to the same observation by saying: "The rocks of every continent contain a record of innumerable major and minor geological events, every one of which would be a catastrophic disaster to mankind if they occurred today—and it is scientifically certain that such events will occur again and again in the future." In other words, the earth and its dynamic forces have more or less remained the same throughout the ages.
Of course there does have to be reason for the seemly increase in these natural disasters, eh? My personal opinion is that mankind ourselves are guilty of this. Look at what Ecclesiastes has to say:
Ecclesiastes 8:9
"I observed all of this as I paid attention to all that happens under the sun. Sometimes people exercise power over each other to their detriment."
Also note what Jesus said to some of his disciples when he was teaching them about how a person's heart condition is what is important to God:
Luke 13:1-5
"(1) Some who were present on that occasion told Jesus about the Galileans whom Pilate had killed while they were offering sacrifices. (2) He replied, 'Do you think the suffering of these Galileans proves that they were more sinful than all the other Galileans? (3) No, I tell you, but unless you change your hearts and lives, you will die just as they did. (4) What about those twelve people who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them? Do you think that they were more guilty of wrongdoing than everyone else who lives in Jerusalem? (5) No, I tell you, but unless you change your hearts and lives, you will die just as they did'".
Take a look at the scripture I quoted earlier in this thread:
Ecclesiastes 9:11,12
"I also observed under the sun that the race doesn't always go to the swift, nor the battle to the mighty, nor food to the wise, nor wealth to the intelligent, nor favor to the knowledgeable,
because accidents can happen to anyone. People most definitely don't know when their time will come. Like fish tragically caught in a net or like birds trapped in a snare, so are human beings caught in a time of tragedy that suddenly falls to them."
Not to leave out the true cluprit of most of mankinds sufferings:
2 Corinthians 4:4
"The
devil who rules this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe. They cannot see the light of the Good News—the Good News about the glory of Christ, who is exactly like God."
2 Corinthians 11:14,15
"(14) This does not surprise us. Even
Satan changes himself to look like an angel of light. (15) So it does not surprise us if
Satan's servants also make themselves look like servants who work for what is right".
1 John 5:18,19
"(18) We know that those who are God's children do not continue to sin. The Son of God keeps them safe, and the Evil One cannot touch them. (19) We know that we belong to God,
but the Evil One controls the whole world."Notice who is in control of the whole world? Again, whats your thoughts on this, MOS?
