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auntieannie68: there are many reasons for suffering th in this evil world. I'd say Satan is behind the majority of it. When he corrupted our nature our selfishness, greed, lust and the evil in our hearts went unchecked. Satan delights in seeing mankind suffer and when we don't fully understand some of us tend to blame God. You could say that suffering is caused by our rebellion to God so in a way we brought it on ourselves. In a twisted way some suffering is caused by the total freedom that God gave to each of us. We are all "free agents" so to speak and therefor are free to do as we please. The biggest culprit is sin. There was no sickness of disease mentioned in the Bible until after man sinned. Many denominations directly attribute sickness and disease to man's sin and that sounds logical to me.
Technology and advancements in knowledge add to suffering sometimes as careless drivers hit pedestrians and drunk drivers kill innocent people daily. Industrial pollution, asbestos, chemicals you name it. Poor eating habits and nutrition cause diseases and suffering. Suffering is almost unavoidable in a wicked world of hatred and evil.
As Christians we are not to be jealous or envious of the unsaved who prosper and don't seem to be affected by suffering so much as the rest of us. Ps. 73:1 is a verse telling us not to envy the prosperity of the wicked- "Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart." Do you have a clean heart? I think you do. Ps. 37:1 says, "Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity. Verse 2 tells us why- For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and whither as the green herb." Their easy life is only a wisp of smoke which the wind will soon blow away. You have some things that they don't have: hope and eternal life. Their good fortune will not last forever. Be sad for them and thank God for the blessings that you do have.
Pray for prosperity: financial, emotional, physical, mental and spiritual. It is your right as a child of God to have these things. We can know from 3 John 2- "Beloved I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in (good) health, even as thy soul prospereth" that it is God's will for us to prosper. Seek it in prayer.
augiedogie: 1. Webster's dictionary defines predestination as: doctrine that man's fate us is unalterably fixed and can not be changed. We can know from God's Word that man's ETERNAL fate is certainly not fixed. Every human being has the choice of where he/she wants to spend eternity after hearing the options. Agnostics and atheists choose not to believe God's Word and will not go to heaven. For man to assume that God would predestinate SOME to be saved and others not to goes directly against His nature of fairness and equal treatment for all. That would make God a monster. We are all free to choose. God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34)
2. Couldn't tell ya- too much water I guess. How much would it affect the world's climate and weather if 1/2 the oceans dried up? Would there be enough fresh water then to live? Beats me!
3. Cardinals are my favorite baseball team! Don't know that either. I guess brown birds hide easier in the trees and bushes.
If you mean why is there no absolute proof, my answer would be that God wants our hearts to respond to His heart. If knowing what God cares about as far as our spiritual development and response to people who need His love doesn't work, I doubt that proof would be all that effective.
augiedogie: 1. Webster's dictionary defines predestination as: doctrine that man's fate us is unalterably fixed and can not be changed. We can know from God's Word that man's ETERNAL fate is certainly not fixed. Every human being has the choice of where he/she wants to spend eternity after hearing the options. Agnostics and atheists choose not to believe God's Word and will not go to heaven. For man to assume that God would predestinate SOME to be saved and others not to goes directly against His nature of fairness and equal treatment for all. That would make God a monster. We are all free to choose. God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34)
Note that the definition given for the use of the word "predestinated" in the Bible is taken from the developed theology rather than contemporary Greek usage. Where you see it, substitute "planned" and consider whether that planning was general or individuated. I can't see it as individual.
It seems that I am asking God stuff all the time, the answers relivant to my own situation.
Jesus provided the Holy Spirit to teach in his place no one else.
The whole issue of salvation, is this personal relationship,because it is how we are identified before God.
Matthew 7;21,22,23,
God prefirs to be our teacher, and is, to those that love him.
Jesus spoke many things , but much of it was misunderstood by folks that had a different agenda.
Untill your live is in alignment with God; Obedient to Him , you will only have the limited measure of mens inturpretation for things.
David said ," delight your self in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart ".
It isn't that God aligns with your desires, but that you align with His.
Inherently people are selfish, see to my needs agenda.
When a man chooses to Love God ahead of himself , God knows the heart , changes do occur and life changes meaning.
Thinking to manipulate God is a serious mistake .
If you want to be taught of God, start with obeying Jesus. and leave every one else out of it. Every one else.
Get desperate before God .Jesus said
"Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness(obedience) they shall be filled."
Djuna, somebodynew: what is it specifically that leads you to believe that there is no God?
It's pretty simple, really. There exists no evidence, in combination with any chain of logical reasoning, that would be sufficient to lead a rational person to believe in the existence of any god that has ever been imagined.
I don't expect you to understand this comment, given your later post that the universe itself is the proof of god's existence, so I'll elucidate this just a little bit.
Every supposed proof of the existence of a god that takes as its foundation that we can conclude the existence of god from the existence is based on the belief that the existence, as it exists now, could not exist without god. There is, however, no evidence or logic that supports this proposition. What we usually hear is that every effect must have a cause, and since the universe is an effect it must have a cause, and that cause must be god. Nothing could be a sillier claim, because there is no reason to believe that your supposed god can exist without having a cause. You respond that the nature of god is that he is uncaused, and has existed independent of anything else, but in making such an argument you are committing the fallacy of begging the question: you assume the truth of your argument about the nature and existence of god in order to prove the nature and existence of god.
It should be noted that no-one can truly speak for God and we should all take the answers provide with a grain of salt, as people's interpretation of God's Word varies from individual to individual. There are going to be a great many issues we will just not know the truth about until we leave this physical life and see God face to face.
I believe that the above ↑ is truly all that needs to be said about your question. But, since I stuck my foot in another one of your posts and then it was closed, I will stick my foot into this one also.
As someone else stated, I ask God questions all the time. A couple of times, He has blessed me with a very direct response, but generally, that is not the case and I must discern for myself what/where he is leading me. I also believe that when I am standing in the presence of God, the questions that seem so important now, will no longer matter.
That being said...I miscarried in 2001, I have always wondered what happened to the soul of that child. Somewhere on this forum I posted a testimony to my story...my own personal miracle that begs the question, "what happened to the soul of my baby?".
Many blessings to you, Joint heir with jesus. I hope that your time on this forum brings you what it is that you seek.
If you mean why is there no absolute proof, my answer would be that God wants our hearts to respond to His heart. If knowing what God cares about as far as our spiritual development and response to people who need His love doesn't work, I doubt that proof would be all that effective.
So it's God whose asking that we have blind faith in him?..How do you respond to a heart you don't know of?...Believe me...for a compassionate, and kind person who has a lot of love for those around them, especially for those in need...proof would ABSOLUTELY WITHOUT A DOUBT be effective.
You are quite right to invoke the Law of Cause and Effect as it is the dominant principal of modern physics. The universe and all life operate within the Law of Cause and effect. Scientists, physicists and astronomers- some of the most brilliant minds, clear thinkers and with some of the highest IQ's in the world all subscribe to the Law of cause and effect. There's a very good reason: it's sound, intelligent and logical! If you pursue a "cause" of the creation of the universe outside this law only random chance is available. To conclude that the universe, with it's infinite complexity came into existence by random chance is not only unscientific, its just plain ludicris. It's like pointing to a space rocket and saying, "Isn't it amazing that all the parts of that rocket just happened to fall into the right place at the right time?" For decades the non-believers desparately clung to and pushed the big bang theory as the only possible explanation of the creation of the universe. Now that it has taken itself off the table and been downgraded to an explanation of the EXPANSION of the universe after the unknown initial first cause there's nowhere to turn to.
As you to how God a can exist without a cause it's the very thing that makes God God: a supreme deity like none other.
If random chance created the universe, are you worried that another one might suddenly appear and crush us all into non-existence? I doubt it very much. If it can happen once why hasn't it happened again? It's been 14 billion years now...
My friend PLEASE, take one minute to STOP and reason. You reject God as the cause of the universe. You reject the Law of cause and effect as the cause of the universe. I don't have any figures but I'm guessing you reject what over 90% of the world's population believes in. What is your explanation? How did the universe first materialize?
I know many people go into "automatic response " mode when discussing the same topics over and over again. I know I do sometimes. "Come now and let us reason together" Isa. 1:8. Truly, your response (#16) is a classic case of over thinking. It's not that hard.
Without believing in God you are literally throwing your eternal soul away. Let's talk.
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Don't know that either. I guess brown birds hide easier in the trees and bushes.
