Loving God [Part 1]
September 12, 2008
God is often referred to as a loving God. Atheists and Agnostics alike often like to use this ideal against the Christian community. They stipulate that if our God is so loving, how can He allow for pain and suffering? How can He allow babies to die or be killed. How can He allow women to be raped and abused? How can He allow others not to love? Moreover, it is not just that He is a loving God, it is that He is Omnipotent; therefore, God should be able to stop this.
Dissenters say that because the world as we know contradicts a loving, all-powerful God, that God cannot exist. After all, He would do something, right? Loving us means protecting us, right?
Let’s examine each argument fully for a minute.
If God was so loving, why would he allow babies to be killed and people to be hurt?
I was raped awhile back, and I felt disgusting. I felt horrible, wrong, invaded, and even invaluable. My friends urged me to file a report and get a rape kit done. I did. It did not make things any better, but I did it.
In college, I met a chick who’s sister had been killed when she was younger. She said her sister was an overall great person: moral Christian, pretty, had everything going for her. Some druggie shot her and took her away from her family. My friend still grieved her loss even 8 years later.
I do not have parents, but my friend does. And if anyone knows anything about being a parent, they know that they would do anything and everything in their power to protect their children. It is because of this fact that dissenters say that God cannot possibly be the loving God we claim him to be and still be able to allow his children to suffer. Yet what do parents do when their kids are wronged? Even though they would like to take away the pain, take away the wronged incident, or avenge the wrongdoer, they know that nothing they do or say will take away the pain. They cannot prevent wrongs at all times. But this does not make them any less loving of a parent, right? You would not say that my friends were not good friends in telling me to get a rape kit and file charges as this would be the ‘right thing’ to do. You would not say that my friend’s parents were not loving, good parents because their child was murdered either.
So why do the rules of man not apply to God if we are trying to box God into man’s thinking? I mean we are trying to compare the spiritual with the natural and somehow justify our complete lack of infinite knowledge [that God has]. So why are we holding God responsible for the wrongdoings of others to His children when we do not hold our own parents accountable [on most bad things]? Oh that’s right, because while the parents are not able to control another man’s actions, God is, right? Ok…let’s look at that.
Since God is Omnipotent, He should be able to stop bad things from happening.
1. Nowhere in the Bible does it say he can’t. Let me just first put that out there because what confuses me about this statement is that somehow someone is getting the idea from somewhere that God cannot stop bad things from happening. As a matter of fact, the Bible tells us that we will have troubles, we will have afflictions, and we will suffer. God does not say that life will be sunshine and daisies all the time so why should He make it so? [and of course if He did, you certainly would not be complaining about Him contradicting what He said because this is really all about making life easier for you isn't it?]
2. I suppose you want Him to intervene while at the same time keeping your free will in tact? You know– that thing that allows you to do what you want, think what you want, say what you want, and be want you want… Oh…..that’s right….God can do the impossible! Well then let’s examine that for a second.
God is Omnipotent so He should be able to do the impossible including intervening on our free will without it intervening on our free will…
Sure. God can make the world a pretty pretty world with everyone happy. You will not know it, but you will not have the ability to do what you want because He is going to do that for you. Or perhaps He will give you the knowledge of what you could have. Now you are stuck complaining that God will not let you do what you want. What a mean God to control your every move. He should be able to do both. Really??? HOW?
I’m sick of seeing people tell me what God should be able to do without telling me how. Obviously you say He should be able to do it so you should know how, right? Oh that’s right… He’s all-powerful so he can do it [love how all your work is done merely by using that excuse rather than actually answering my questions--as I am doing for you--but oh well, guess ya'll are under even different rules than we are].
Ok guys. We are about to enter a cluster fuck. It will all make sense if you think about it clearly enough, but it is indeed a cluster fuck. Only created because we as finite humans just have to understand an infinite God [Whom by the way states in the Bible that no man can understand His ways]. I mean, God tells us everything we need to know, want to know, and should expect out of life, but we still insist on dissecting Him. I don’t know why, but I will still continue to try and help others understand as best as I can express in words [finite as I am].
Moving forward…
I assure you I will address the rest of this post in my next post, but for right now, I wanted to get this post posted because it has been in my drafts for months now. I have much more to write, but not the time right now. If you would like me to address other issues in other posts, I certainly will, but as far as this post is concerned, do remember that it is not complete. I cannot say when my next post will be [as tomorrow is my only off day], but I will try and get it completed soon.
Tags: God, Atheists, Agnostics, allow, Omnipotent, pain, Bible, troubles, intervene, free will
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