Posted on 05/19/2013 12:21:32 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck
Edited on 05/25/2013 2:44:13 PM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]
"Where were You, God?" The question arises daily as news of tragedies abound, and even from time to time as the tragedy involves ourselves. Servicemen die in a bungled military defense operation that should have been a cake walk, and no government official has credible answers. A son is shot dead in his prime by a wanton criminal. A wife dies decades too soon from a deadly disease. A busy mother dies unexpectedly from a sudden heart attack. Maybe you were emotionally abused when a child and have been saddled with a destructive habit that you acquired in an effort to escape from the torment by the only means you knew, and prayer -- once you realized you were in a trap -- seemed scant help or comfort. In these myriad situations the bitter questions often arise: "Oh Lord, where were You? Dear God, why did You roll over for this? Almighty Father, I've always heard that you are righteous and omnipotent, so why did You not act when it would have been so simple for You to stop it from happening? Oh, the heart-rending woe! Why did You lose, God?"
This is not a modern question, and it was not discovered by modern atheists, agnostics, or freethinkers. It arose many thousands of years ago to a man named Job (pronounced with a long "o") who kept a tender conscience towards God about what he did, and as a result displayed a very upright life, and was blessed with a large, loving family and many earthly riches. And yet without warning this man's world came crashing down upon him. It began with the destruction and theft of his great riches, and was topped by the loss of most of the lives of his dear family. Then, the trouble soon escalated with an inexplicable illness that covered him with sores. His wife, in an apparent hint that God was fickle and undeserving of love, in great disgust told him to curse God and die. His friends, who initially wisely comforted him in silence, then began to lecture him sarcastically about how he must have done something terribly wrong to provoke God's wrath, and his agony grew as a heated argument erupted and Job insisted he had done nothing to deserve the tragedy. Finally a wiser friend suggested that Job look to God's sovereignty, and then God answered Job from a whirlwind, challenging the limitations of Job's knowledge about what God can do. With a deeper appreciation of God's capabilities, Job stopped complaining, and soon God blessed Job twice as much as he had been blessed before.
There is a simple enough answer to the question, at least to the mind: by allowing the world and even our selves to fail so dramatically at times, God highlights His capacity to save, a faith in which we sometimes are sorely lacking, and even if we know it in our heads, our hearts are slower and lag behind that and need to be taught. For God is not merely solving complex intellectual problems. He is solving problems that encompass our entire beings that He has created and bestowed with capabilities that are an image of His own.
I am sorry but that is exampling more ignorance. God did not change His mind, but foretold "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: " (Jeremiah 31:31-32)
And in Scripture there are different covenants and a manifest distinction between purely moral laws, which are transcendentally directly applicable to all cultures (no idolatry, adultery, etc.), as well as culturally applied laws (fence around your roof) which are based on them and are applicable to different cultures by adaptation based on principal, and then there are typological/ceremonial laws, which relate to ritual observance of "days, and months, and times, and years. " (Galatians 4:10) and "in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation," (Hebrews 9:10) "Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ." (Colossians 2:17)
The requirement of a sacrificial lamb for instance was a type foreshadowing of Christ who made the shadow, and laws against unclean foods typified the Gentile who are made clean by Christ. While the holy intent of all the laws are to be fulfilled by Christians, and which requires the literal keeping of moral laws beyond just the letter, the literal observance of ceremonial laws are not, but such things as the principal of separation from defilement is, and looking to Christ as the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world. (Jn. 1:29)
While relativists seek to dispense with transcendent moral laws based on the abrogation of ceremonial laws, this is contrary to "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. " (2 Timothy 2:15)
The polite thing to do, once the moderator has told someone they are not to be on this thread, is to stop pinging them.
This "Life" experience we were born into, the physical world and its rules, the unseen world and its rules, the on going story we have to figure out, along with a body and inner experience that is totally unique to each of us, is such an interesting set of challenges.
It feels like logging in to the most advanced and amazing role playing beyond 3D/total immersion video game, with a storyline/theme, multi-levels and challenges, various skills and things to acquire, damage, stories within stories, traps, consequences, you name it, including an ultimate prize to win the game.
The catch is, you have to figure it out all by your self, and you only get to play one time.
And, not everyone starts at the same place. You could start with all the advantages or none at all or with some major handicaps that put you well behind everyone around you.
It's a very interesting challenge, not a game at all.
And, with the dark side working against your every step, it's just hard to know for sure what is going on and what things really mean until "GAME OVER", when you sit down with the Programmer and go over how you played the game and where you go for the next level.
Yup. 'Thy will, not mine'... a very important point.
You keep hunting the snark but all you find are boojums
Oh?
Where did this happen?
All I saw was: #312
This thread is posted in the Religion Forum. And Free Republic is pro-God, in particular the Judeo/Christian understanding of God.
Roosting in the tumtum tree no doubt.
I’m not sure if you do know the Apostles Creed, becuase it all came from Scripture.
I believe in God, (in Scripture)
the Father almighty, (in Scripture)
Creator of heaven and earth (in Scripture)
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, (in Scripture)
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit (in Scripture)
born of the Virgin Mary, (in Scripture)
suddered under Pontius Pilate, (in Scripture)
was crucified, died and was buried; (in Scripture)
he descended into hell; (in Scripture)
on the third day he rose again from the dead; (in Scripture)
he ascended into Heaven (in Scripture)
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty, (in Scripture)
deom there he will come to judge the living and the dead. (in Scripture)
I blieve in the Holy Spirit (in Scripture)
the holy catholic Church, (in Scripture)
the communion of saints, (in Scripture)
the forgiveness of sins, (in Scripture)
the resurrection of the body. (in Scripture)
and life everlasting. Amen (in Scripture)
These exact words may not all be in Scripture but references to them are — such as Christ speaking to the Good Thief, and the souls of the just arising from their tombs and wandering around Jerusalem, visible only to the believers.
So believe!
the
I checked the wording in that Religion Moderator post. It does not say the person is suspended from the thread. It just talks about FR being pro-God.
The Mod and I have head-butted before. I am not to express atheist views on this forum. I usually don’t, but I didn’t notice it was in the Religious forum when I first posted. They all show up in the newsfeed and I forget they are categorized.
Show me verse and chapter in scripture where it says holy Catholic church?
Sorry, but I never was a fan of crib notes. nor am I a fan of creeds whose purpose turns out to be exclusionary... Especially creeds that were accepted by use of the sword. The blood spilled in order to enforce the nicene creed is enough in and of itself to make it's use wholly repugnant.
And it still does not answer the basic question: 'Believe what?'
I will stand very firmly upon the Word on that one.
“Many are called but few are chosen.” You are familiar with that verse aren’t you?
You do remember that catholic with a little c means universal — for all?? I thought you knew that! Thanks.
So glad that you agree that Scripture is the source of the Creed and that you stand on that.
God bless!
Riight. That is every bit as disingenuous as the Mormons. I stand upon the scriptures, not your creeds.
You said:
**I will stand very firmly upon the Word on that one.**
Each line of the Creed is from Scripture — the Word.
So I am not being disingenous at all. Every line of the creed is supported in Scripture and you say you stand firmly on Scripture.
Congratulations! You do believe — you just didn’t know it.
Now — if there is a line there that you think is not supported in Scripture, please let me know.
Please do not post to me again.
Thank you.
No,You said Holy catholic church was in scripture.Im asking you again to show me verse and chapter where it states the words “holy catholic church”
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