I have been informed by many of your Christians that you frequently grant magic wishes. Well then, here is my request. There seems to be a never-ending controversy over your presence and how or if you go out of your way to micromanage human affairs. Perhaps it is less important to concern ourselves over whether or not you exist, and more important to learn how to coexist. Until we discover other planets to defile we are just going to have to learn how to share this one. Also, if you can manage to fit it into your busy schedule, I believe that I would someday like to
Sincerely,
Hi Nowhere Man,
ReplyDeleteInteresting points - from my reading (please correct me if this is not accurate), it seems as though you are pondering on how, in the Christian view, Jesus' sovereignty (i.e. what you said about 'micro-managing'!) can co-exist with humanity and humanity's freedom. Is God's work in the world, in the Christian view, somehow imposing? I would certainly disagree - in my view, God gave humanity free will for a reason, and evidently allows us to express it (otherwise all people would automatically just be robotic machines). God preserves free will, but still is able to guide the path of the human world for the best in the long run, by placing free agents in circumstances (e.g. by their place of birth and their experiences in life) where God knows that their potential will (in the truly long run) be fulfilled. In loose other words, they make the decisions of their own accord, but God gives them the opportunities to decide between.
As a Christian myself, I would argue that your request about co-existence is indeed very at home in Jesus' teaching about God's love for humanity, and the idea that humanity ought to love God and one another - He sought the ultimate co-existence between God and humanity, by seeking a relationship that far exceeds mere tolerance and moves into the realms of powerful love and compassion. In fact, one could argue that the very idea that Jesus was both fully God and fully human (just as a person can be (to use a very loose analogy) both fully President of the USA and fully human - a person can have two natures at once, as long as they are not in conflict, and, God's nature and humanity's nature, are certainly not in conflict) supports the idea that God wishes for Himself and humanity to live in mutual love and compassion to one another... Hence, I wouldn't worry - in the Christian view, grace, harmony, reconciliation and forgiveness (all entailing perfect co-existence) are central aspects of Jesus' will as well... :)
Anyway, I hope that this gives a perspective on this issue that is at least slightly interesting... Keep blogging and making the thought-provoking posts that you have been doing! :)
Kindest wishes,
Elliot :)
I just believe that all of the energy that we spend on the polemics of this issue could be spent on something a little more worthy. Like learning to work together. To me that's more important than whether or not there is a God, and would already solve half the problems.
ReplyDeleteHi NM,
ReplyDeleteGlad to see you have resurrected this blog and are still writing quality posts and stimulating great discussion and food for thought...you know my thought is that your co-exist request is much harder than the find inner peace one, lol!
Basically through prayer and offering up your burdens to God, he will *magically* give you inner peace...the trick then is about being able to maintain it. Your side of the deal is also that you cannot be holding onto unforgiveness or resentment, etc...if there is something like that you are still holding onto...he won't grant you that peace that transcends all understanding (and whatever crappy life circumstances you have that irks you).
God bless and wish you well on your "journey"!
Does it really magically give you inner peace? Sometimes I wonder about that. Christians always look so damn happy and for no reason at all. But you're right I do have a few things holding me back. I guess some wounds cut too deep to heal. Always a pleasure to see you again, z.
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