Cancer cells, rattlesnakes, and earthquakes

[Filius_Prodigus]

Could a God of love create cancer cells, rattlesnakes, and earthquakes?** Do we want to take the easy copeout and call it a “mystery”?**

I understand where you’re coming from when you say that (so that the message of God makes sense), but I want you to ponder the implications of what you’ve said. You’re asking for no mysteries. In whatever context, anyone who expects/demands this from existence is asking too much. We strive to know, but we cannot demand that all answers must be answered “NOW! -because I say so!”

You wouldn’t go to a phonebook and demand encyclopedia articles. The kerygma is such a phonebook: it has a scope and a purpose.

 

[regreib]

Filius, thank you for your comments. Scripture says

Dn 2:28 “…there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries…”

1 Co 2:10 “God has given revelation through the Spirit, for the Spirit explores the depths of everything, even the depths of God.”

God wants to be known. Love wants to reveal itself to the one loved. My question was more rhetorical. There is an answer. If you are interested.

google Understanding God’s Love

God bless you my good friend in Christ!

 

[regreib]

Because there would be absolutely no freedom in a world without death, pain, decay, laws of physics, etc - there would be no actual love.

Think of just one event in life - sitting in the sunlight. It warms you, and makes you feel good because of the physics involved. Yet, those same processes, after an hour will leave you with a nasty burn. How could it be otherwise?

How could we begin to understand a world where we had free will, but the sun didn’t, or a car didn’t, or your cells didn’t?

Read “The Problem of Pain”, by C.S. Lewis.

Joel thanks for your comments. I read “The Problem of Pain” years ago, found it unsatisfying. Regarding your comments, I don’t believe we need death and pain to have love or the ability to love. These are the result of the opposite of love - sin. I believe a fuller understanding of God’s love expains all!
God bless you.

 

[regreib]

You have to realize.

Our God is an awesome God. He is far beyond any other god.

Our God created a world where he gave creatures (us) the ability to NOT do His will. We can reject what He wants and do what we want. It would be a lessor god who could only create a world that does what god wants.

ALSO, our God has created a world that anticipates our foolish choices wherein we reject His will and He turns these action to an ultimate good.

As a father loves a child who sets out to find their own way in the worlds, so God loves us as we reject his will. He is always calling us back to Him, back to the path of happiness (for true happiness is found only in doing His will). As the prodigal son shows, the father lets us choose wrong but is waiting for our return.

I have heard many great men say they grew in faith only when suffering, never while comfortable. They do not want to suffer any more, but it is the only time of great spiritual growth. What you are proposing is a world where we would never have the opertunity to grow close to God.

Let us suffer that we may love all the more.

Thanks for your comments Evan. If suffering is required in order to have an opportunity to grow close to God, why did Jesus relieve suffering through His healing and deliverance from evil spirits?
May God bless you!

 

[regreib]

If you stop thinking of God as a micromanager, you’ll be fine. God is not the causation of cancer and earthquakes. Those things occur from natural processes. God is the one who comforts and guides us through such ugly times. From Him we learn the skills of coping, forgiving, loving, and being at peace with a world we cannot always control.

Thanks for your comments SpiritMeadow! If God has counted every hair on my head, I would call that micromanaging. Don’t discound the depth and degree of God’s love of every aspect of our life. I would hope I would try to be open to God’s Spirit regarding direction of all my decisions in life.
google Understanding God’s Love
May God bless you!

 

[regreib]

The sun, cars, and cells have free will? I didn’t know they had a will at all .

What in the world are you trying to say?

Pwriftr thank you for your comment. I don’t know the sun and cars reference comes from. You might want to look at some of my other replies.

God bless you.

 

[regreib]

jcrichton;3037050:

hi, jcrichton,

I’m sorry for attacking the way I did and misunderstanding you. I guess I just wanted to say that not all suffering is traced back to some human sin, at least in my opinion. I take the one blind man as an example. He wasn’t born blind because of his sin or of his parents, or even thereby [extrapolating] the sin of any previous community of persons. He was allowed to suffer so as to be redeemed.

In a similar vein, I don’t believe ALL physical evil is traced back to some sin of man or group of men. I think that God can simply allow some physical evil caused by no one and invite the innocent person to offer it up for others’ sanctification.

But maybe I’m still misunderstanding you?

Spauline, thanks for your interest and comments. Regarding your comment “I take the one blind man as an example. He wasn’t born blind because of his sin or of his parents, or even thereby [extrapolating] the sin of any previous community of persons. He was allowed to suffer so as to be redeemed.” I assume you are referring to John 9:1-5. The oldest New Testament manuscript has no punctuation, so punctuation is a guess. The New American Bible translation (for example) leaves out the word “but” that is in the original Greek and replaces it with “it is so” in my opinion this is a bias and dubious decision reflecting on the group think theology of the translation committee.

John 9:3-5 could be just as easily translated and punctuated:

“'Jesus answered,“Neither he nor his parents sinned. But that the works of God might be made visible through him we have to do the works of the one who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work. While I am in the world I am the light of the world””

This punctuation does not make this poor soul a victim of suffering just so Jesus can come along and heal him! Would that have been loving and fair thing God would do to this poor guy? See my other replies for understanding God’s love in this forum.

God bless you!

 

[regreib]

***Hi, regreib!

Some people do believe that God should control everything and every one… not!

We live in one huge eco system subdivided into thousands… there are creatures living in us and around us… for the most part, it is a benign coexistance… mankind has made terrible changes in the environment which have plagued the planet for years and will do so for decades to come. These alterations we’ve introduced into our bodies and the world at large are largely the cause of much of of our ailments. And instead of coexisting with and learning from nature, we abuse it, exterminate it, and throw it into chaos. By destroying the balance of nature we cut ourselves off from natural wonders (herbal/natural meds; early storm/earthquake warnings from animals, less cellular aberations in our bodies, no greenhouse effect?..) and we constantly poison ourselves.

How can we blame God for our own doing?

Maran atha!

Angel

---

Angel, thanks for your comments!
Regarding your comment “mankind has made terrible changes in the environment which have plagued the planet for years and will do so for decades to come. These alterations we’ve introduced into our bodies and the world at large are largely the cause of much of of our ailments.” What on earth has mankind done to create earthquakes and rattlesnakes?

God bless you!

 

[jcrichton]

Angel, thanks for your comments!
Regarding your comment “mankind has made terrible changes in the environment which have plagued the planet for years and will do so for decades to come. These alterations we’ve introduced into our bodies and the world at large are largely the cause of much of of our ailments.” What on earth has mankind done to create earthquakes and rattlesnakes?

God bless you!

Hi, regreib!

Please understand that I did not say that mankind causes all of the ills in the world…

Earthquakes do kill… sometimes hundreds or even thousands of people may die… I cannot tell you different… but have you noticed how birds and other animals behave when storms approach? Have you ever lived in a farm? Have you ever heard of people whose pets’ behavior changed right before they had an epileptic attack? …even insects seem to have a connection with nature as they react to changes that we do not even perceive…

Though we cannot keep the planet from having spasms (earthquakes, etc.) have you thought about the possibility that nature itself could be our best early warning system, thusly minimizing our exposure to destructive catastrophic events?

Have you also considered the possibility that through our excavation (precious metals, minerals, stones, oil, gas, and other resources) and pollution of the air, ground, and water (as well as the alterations we cause in the various eco systems) we are causing the planet harm and, perhaps, even effecting changes that ultimately augment the devastation caused by nature?

And rattlesnakes… have you heard about a rattler that has ever sought man out as its food source? I’ve learned, from nature programs, that the rattler’s first instinct is to warn us of its location; if that does not work, it seeks an escape route—away from us; when that does not work (or when we surprise it) an attack ensues… to date I’ve not heard of a rattler that has attacked a human being as a food source—ditto for most animals in the wild and the ones we keep as domestic companions or servants!

Maran atha!

Angel