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Our actions caused these things. Why do people have cancer, things we consumed, things we actively did over the years, caused mutations in cells.
All of these diseases exist because we did things that caused them to exist.
I am glad personally I am not a puppet.
MBG
Some people are genetically predisposed to getting cancer. It's not all environment.
And what about animals? They get cancer too! What are they eating that's different?
And what about the influenza, locusts, and biting insects?
God says, "I'm going to make something. And I'm going to tell it that it can do WHATEVER it wants to! As long as what it wants to do, is exactly what I want it to do.
"...Otherwise, oh, I don't know...I'll throw it into a fiery pit. I am so good to give choices this way."
So he makes the toys and he figures he'll also throw in a few stumbling blocks. He'll make them so seriously imperfect that they are killing, raping, lying to and stealing from one another. He'll make certain desires nearly overwhelming. Then he says, "Okay! Now DON'T do any of those things that I instilled in you."
And he sits back and watches what will happen.
If that isn't manipulating one's toys just to make things interesting, I don't know what is.
That's why I just don't believe the whole "We should have been perfect, except that God in his mercy made us totally imperfect and capable of royally screwing up...and we choose to! So the blame is ours" idea.
That doesn't mean my idea is right. I actually want to believe this way because the alternative (as outlined above) is just way too terrible and too sad. I could easily be wrong. But I can't stand the thought of a god that would willfully, knowingly create me in order to watch what I did when stumbling blocks were thrown in front of me, and call that love; and call it "obedience" if I managed to chose what HE would have chosen. How is that free choice? One is oh-so-right and one is burning-for-a-gazillion-years worthy. The catch being that the burning-for-a-gazillion-years option will invariably involve needs, wants, desires or instincts that gnaw at my cerebral cortex 24/7 by design of the person now sitting back and watching. That's too hard a thought for me so I guess I choose to not believe in it.
Actually it was only one thing that He said not to do, so now all of us have to suffer increasingly worse consequences. I didn't eat the forbidden fruit and yet I get to partake of the fall. How fair is that? We don't go to heaven or hell because we're perfect or imperfect, but because of whether we trust in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ to pay our sin debt in the sight of God. How fair is that? The just son of God dying for the unjust. Now, instead of telling us what not to do, He writes in our hearts a new law that we may freely and willingly obey( the law of love). There is no other law above this. Only the choice to be made moment by moment and circumstance by circumstance.
Some people are genetically predisposed to getting cancer. It's not all environment.
And what about animals? They get cancer too! What are they eating that's different?
And what about the influenza, locusts, and biting insects?
It is genetic because of what we have done to ourselves over the years, it did not one day spontaneously happen out of nowhere. Cell mutate because something made them mutate.
Same thing with animals, we live in a dirty disease infested world that we polluted and contaminated, nothing escapes it, nothing that lives here can escape what we have done to it ourselves and everything in it.
Influenza happens for the same reason.
All the insects were in Eden, but did not attack man until they had the fear of man placed in them by man. That is why animals in general attack man.
MBG
God says, "I'm going to make something. And I'm going to tell it that it can do WHATEVER it wants to! As long as what it wants to do, is exactly what I want it to do.
"...Otherwise, oh, I don't know...I'll throw it into a fiery pit. I am so good to give choices this way."
So he makes the toys and he figures he'll also throw in a few stumbling blocks. He'll make them so seriously imperfect that they are killing, raping, lying to and stealing from one another. He'll make certain desires nearly overwhelming. Then he says, "Okay! Now DON'T do any of those things that I instilled in you."
And he sits back and watches what will happen.
If that isn't manipulating one's toys just to make things interesting, I don't know what is.
That's why I just don't believe the whole "We should have been perfect, except that God in his mercy made us totally imperfect and capable of royally screwing up...and we choose to! So the blame is ours" idea.
That doesn't mean my idea is right. I actually want to believe this way because the alternative (as outlined above) is just way too terrible and too sad. I could easily be wrong. But I can't stand the thought of a god that would willfully, knowingly create me in order to watch what I did when stumbling blocks were thrown in front of me, and call that love; and call it "obedience" if I managed to chose what HE would have chosen. How is that free choice? One is oh-so-right and one is burning-for-a-gazillion-years worthy. The catch being that the burning-for-a-gazillion-years option will invariably involve needs, wants, desires or instincts that gnaw at my cerebral cortex 24/7 by design of the person now sitting back and watching. That's too hard a thought for me so I guess I choose to not believe in it.
Are your children like action figures to you? It is the very same relationship, He is our Father. He created us out of love just like when we have children.
If you see your children as toys or things you want to control, I don't know what to tell you. He created us to love and to if you choose to love Him back, I would not want my kids to automatically love me, then it really is not love, love is voluntary, and must be to have meaning. Do you want your kids to disobey? No, but to you allow them to stumble. You are stern when they disobey their are consequences, sometimes as they mature the consequences can be dire even grave. Do you lock them up? Tie them down choreograph every move? To grow they must make their own way, he allow us to make our own way. That is what any selfless parent does.
He loves you so much, that He died for you, died and all you have to do is choose Him. That is it, love Him as He loves you. You want to deny Him, hate Him and have Him give you the same reward as He does His children? Would you give your sworn enemy, the same reward as your own loving child?
He would, but only if that enemy turns from sin and turns to Him.
MBG
But I don't sit my preschooler on the floor, put a bag of Doritos, a bag of M&M's, a Coke, some Nerds, some french fries and an apple in front of him and then say, "Here you go! Free choice. Eat whatever you want! But by the way, if it isn't the apple, I'm going to destroy your body and throw it into a lake of fire."
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