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Originally Posted by redivivus The pastor at the church i attend just attributes this to "God's plan" and nobody seems to doubt it except me. |
I have to think that if you sat down with him that he would be willing to try to explain it further to your satisfaction.
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For example, a few months ago a really active member of our church died in a motorcycle accident. It was sad and all, but there was really no explanation for it other than 'she has gone to a better place' and that it was 'part of God's plan.' Is death a good thing then?
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Physical death is inevitable. Let me ask ya...do you feel that the only understandable way to die is through old age? And if someone dies in their old age does it then have to be in their sleep so there is no pain or fear involved? I mean, how far do you need to go to accept that death is a part of life? Is death a good thing, you ask? It is for me. If I die tomorrow, i'll be pretty happy about it, lol. That means I get to see my Maker's face.
Now i'm not saying that I want to leave before I see my children grown and with children of their own...i'm just saying that IF it did happen tomorrow, i'm ok with it. There is incredible joy in worshipping God once you've realized Who He is and what He has done for mankind. So how can I fear death when I anticipate that I will get to be with Him afterwards?
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Look at the history of any older Christian. They will have a whole resume of good 'purposes' that they have completed. After any one of these they could be cut off, but they werent, and they continued to follow the religion and do good things. You can be pretty much guaranteed that if the Christian didnt die they would continue to do good on earth - how, then, is their purpose complete?  (note, this might be a deviation from topic)
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Yes, I believe that everything has a purpose. I also believe that there is no way to fully understand why everything in life happens. But other times, it is easy to see what a person's purpose is. Just look at the thief on the cross. He lived but for a short time after Christ saved him. His purpose? It was to show that we are saved by grace and that you dont have to "do" anytihng to earn your salvation. You only have to believe the gospel of Christ. His example gives hope to many who have been falsely taught that they must perform all of the sacraments, do a certian number of good works, etc..to earn their salvation. The thief certainly is evidence to the contrary, isnt he?
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Just wondering what exactly adds up? If im correct...
- Equal proportion of 'miracles' to Christians and non-Christians.
- Equal proportion of deaths to Christians and non-Christians.
- Equal proportion of pretty much everything between Christians and non-Christians.
- Lack of any evidence that missionaries or highly involved chuch members are favored in any way, or have a better chance of suriviving or being healthy.
- Good things in the world happen to both good and bad people.
- Bad things in the world happen to both good and bad people.
- Religious satisfaction comes from the [illusion?] of your existance having some meaning.
- Non-religious normal feeling comes from no hope beyond death.
- God has not been revealled through large-scale miracles (easy to detect) that are supposedly capable by the Bible for 2000 years.
This is an example of the logical observations one can make IMO. Is this what adds up to your conclusion that their is a God, and how so? I know there are a few pro-Christianity points that i am neglecting to post.
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I dont have the time to address everything in this quote.
It wouls take us into a whole new direction again, involving the bible's inerrancy and whatnot. I dont think I have the energy for it on top of everything else here, lol.
