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Let me share a revelation I had during my time on this planet.
I was brought up a Christian. My mother was a firm believer and took me to church every week without fault. I used to be as firm in my beliefs as her. I prayed and prayed and prayed.
One day my best friend got leukemia. He was a good kid. His parents were good people who sent to church and prayed.
I prayed even more. I got my parents to pray with me, my grandparents, my classmates. We prayed our asses off.
It didn't work. 8 months later I attended his funeral. When I asked the pastor why God allowed it, he said to me that "God worked in mysterious ways" and that Lucas "Had been called to sit next to Jesus".
Strike one. I thought Jesus was an egomaniac.
Sometimes later, Luke's parents lost their business. Then they separated. Then Luke's father got in an accident.
As time went by, I saw more and more good people have all the rotten luck in the world. Bad people got rich, got married, had kids and nothing happened to them.
I prayed and prayed and prayed. It did nothing. Bad luck kept coming to good people.
So I had a revelation. God is either a real dirtbag, seeing his people squirm and enjoying it. Or impotent to stop even the smallest evil.
Not really the type of guy I want to have as a friend.
My conclusion: there is no god. And if there is a god, I don't want anything to do with him.
Since that day, my life has been much easier.
The real revelation should be that you think all the people you don't like are "bad people" even though they have stable families, and that all the people you liked ended up not being able to handle some of the harder things that life threw at them (but doesn't throw at everyone).
For me I live a life of faith and not by sight. Yes in my life i have suffered tribulations and downturns, and due to that I lost my faith in God. But one day I went to a church and I experienced such inner peace and hope I have not felt in a long, long time and since then my life has not been the same.
I feel so much more peace of mind with Jesus Christ in my life. yes my life is not perfect and i have problems but i fully trust the lord to guide and help me. I do not understand why hardships happen, but one thing I failed to do is loose the trust in the Lord.
Yes the Lord will wipe tears from peoples eyes.
Revelation 21:4
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."
You sound like a Muslim, or Hindu.
"I can just see my troubles in a better light, using my imagination that everything is under the control of someone benevolent to me that I'm aligned with."
Let me share a revelation I had during my time on this planet.
I was brought up a Christian. My mother was a firm believer and took me to church every week without fault. I used to be as firm in my beliefs as her. I prayed and prayed and prayed.
One day my best friend got leukemia. He was a good kid. His parents were good people who sent to church and prayed.
I prayed even more. I got my parents to pray with me, my grandparents, my classmates. We prayed our asses off.
It didn't work. 8 months later I attended his funeral. When I asked the pastor why God allowed it, he said to me that "God worked in mysterious ways" and that Lucas "Had been called to sit next to Jesus".
Strike one. I thought Jesus was an egomaniac.
Sometimes later, Luke's parents lost their business. Then they separated. Then Luke's father got in an accident.
As time went by, I saw more and more good people have all the rotten luck in the world. Bad people got rich, got married, had kids and nothing happened to them.
I prayed and prayed and prayed. It did nothing. Bad luck kept coming to good people.
So I had a revelation. God is either a real dirtbag, seeing his people squirm and enjoying it. Or impotent to stop even the smallest evil.
Not really the type of guy I want to have as a friend.
My conclusion: there is no god. And if there is a god, I don't want anything to do with him.
Since that day, my life has been much easier.
You know it all depends on what kind of God you want to believe in, as the saying goes God created us then we created God.
I don't believe in a magical God the kind that turns red lights to green when I am in a hurry nor do I believe in a God that I can bargain and make deals with.
Similar to the last part of the Wiccan Rede:
To me, that is only ONE Commandment.
Cat
It's deficiency is that it leaves no place for love of others, just concern that you not cause harm. My God IS agape love and we are to reproduce as much of it as we can in our brief lives. That is why Christ's two commands are superior, IMO.
Let me share a revelation I had during my time on this planet.
I was brought up a Christian. My mother was a firm believer and took me to church every week without fault. I used to be as firm in my beliefs as her. I prayed and prayed and prayed.
One day my best friend got leukemia. He was a good kid. His parents were good people who sent to church and prayed.
I prayed even more. I got my parents to pray with me, my grandparents, my classmates. We prayed our asses off.
It didn't work. 8 months later I attended his funeral. When I asked the pastor why God allowed it, he said to me that "God worked in mysterious ways" and that Lucas "Had been called to sit next to Jesus".
Strike one. I thought Jesus was an egomaniac.
Sometimes later, Luke's parents lost their business. Then they separated. Then Luke's father got in an accident.
As time went by, I saw more and more good people have all the rotten luck in the world. Bad people got rich, got married, had kids and nothing happened to them.
I prayed and prayed and prayed. It did nothing. Bad luck kept coming to good people.
So I had a revelation. God is either a real dirtbag, seeing his people squirm and enjoying it. Or impotent to stop even the smallest evil.
Not really the type of guy I want to have as a friend.
My conclusion: there is no god. And if there is a god, I don't want anything to do with him.
Since that day, my life has been much easier.
Because when you are poor it makes the pain go away...
It's deficiency is that it leaves no place for love of others, just concern that you not cause harm. My God IS agape love and we are to reproduce as much of it as we can in our brief lives. That is why Christ's two commands are superior, IMO.
This brings up a question, first you speak of your God, then you speak of Christ's two commands being superior. Now Christ stated quite clearly that he was the son of God. He never as far as I know (and I'm not about to read the new testament to confirm) stated that he was God. Now I know about the trilogy and all that, I had religion shoved down my throat as a kid, having been born into a religious family (two uncles being ministers/missionaries and a grand father being a minister/missionary and so on - I'm the black sheep of the family) but I don't see it being claimed by Christ himself. By the way, my two uncles were great guys! The ministry actually suited them. They were not fundamentalists.
Assuming there is no god/creator, why do children suffer painful deaths? Is it easier to take if there's no god?
Let's assume there is your god.
It's been stated here that the poor long-suffering child was made to do so, so that the Greater GOOD could come about. That obviously implies that the afterlife is preferable and worth suffering for.
OK...so another child gets killed immediately, without suffering, in an auto accident.
Why was the one poor kid made to suffer while the other was not? Was his death 'wasted' because he didn't suffer? Did he earn fewer points or something?
Did the first child deserve the pain?
You bet your ass it's all easier to understand without a god but if you or Eusie or Vizio would like to explain this, we're ready to listen.
So 'omnipotence' has led to a sort of bemused and fallible (not to mention fickle) only too human tyranny. As Epicurus rightly implied, nothing special.
So anyone in any level of authority has to above characteristics?
Let's assume there is your god.
It's been stated here that the poor long-suffering child was made to do so, so that the Greater GOOD could come about. That obviously implies that the afterlife is preferable and worth suffering for.
OK...so another child gets killed immediately, without suffering, in an auto accident.
Why was the one poor kid made to suffer while the other was not? Was his death 'wasted' because he didn't suffer? Did he earn fewer points or something?
Did the first child deserve the pain?
You bet your ass it's all easier to understand without a god but if you or Eusie or Vizio would like to explain this, we're ready to listen.
Obviously you wouldn't believe me if I explained it to you perfectly.
You know it all depends on what kind of God you want to believe in, as the saying goes God created us then we created God.
I don't believe in a magical God the kind that turns red lights to green when I am in a hurry nor do I believe in a God that I can bargain and make deals with.
There actually is no proof the Israelites created the God of the Bible. So why say it? If anything, the Israelites originally took on the false religions and then the one true God had to reveal Himself to them.
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