Has God had Enough?

[Marie5890]

Well, oddly enough I’ve thought at times along the same lines as the OP. Many times in the Bible, God allows Isreal to suffer the consequences of rebelling against his guidance, ceases to protect them. And I’ve also thought- will God do the same now?

Ultimately though, I try not to lose sight of the good along with the bad and realize I can’t control anything but my corner of the world, how I act in it, how I treat others.

I hear what you are saying.

I guess I just have never see God as ever having totally protecting His people, anciently (OT), early church (NT) or modern day. Or anywhere in between. Even today Christians, good God fearing people, are persecuted. And to the point of spilling their blood as we a know…

I think of the Church in the early days. God completely allowed the persecution and it wasnt taken as a punishment or whatever.

I am like you. I look at the corner of my world, and ask, how have I served Christ today? Or have I not served Him?..

 

[Marie5890]

This is kind of where I’m at too. I think of the Holocaust and the other times in history where people were just mass murdered and persecuted and I don’t necessarily think we are any more or less sinful today. We just hear about it more often because it’s everywhere in the media. While I think God might be frustrated, He also knows that ever since Adam and Eve, mankind has been capable of serious sin.

Agreed.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

that would be your “take” on the world - we see things differently - one thing I will dispute is you say we are the most generous nation on earth - that has something to do with the population but what you cannot dispute are the statistics which reveal that Americans give less than 2% of their disposable income to charity. Do you think God would say Americans are generous?

Don’t know where you got your numbers, but just googled and found two articles which refute your claim.

Americans are the most generous, global poll finds

Americans give more to help others than the residents of 152 other countries, according to a new global survey. That’s a big change from last year, when the United States ranked No. 5.

The poll, conducted last year with about 1,000 residents in each of 153 countries, asked people whether they had donated money to a charity, volunteered their time, or helped a stranger in the previous month. csmonitor.com/World/Making-a-difference/Change-Agent/2011/1221/Americans-are-the-most-generous-global-poll-finds

America the generous

(CNN) – As we approach the Christmas and Hanukkah season, we should remember that the American commercial republic, too often criticized for greed and excess, is unparalleled in generosity.

Canadian radio commentator Gordon Sinclair said in the 1970s, at the height of American criticism abroad, that the United States is the “most generous and possibly the least appreciated people on all the Earth.” We are still the most generous people in the world today.

Often the benefactors of American generosity capture it best. “There is a reason the world always looks to America,” Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard said in an address to Congress this year. “Your city on a hill cannot be hidden. Your brave and free people have made you the masters of recovery and reinvention.” cnn.com/2011/12/15/opinion/bennett-generosity/

Jim

 

[oppositeman]

I saw it reported on ABC world news that Americans give 2% of their disposable income to charity - when I looked further into it I could not find anywhere any other report that said we gave more - of course we are the most charitable country in the world because we are a very large country - if you are just looking at dollars - In my book 2% is still 2% and there is no way around that figure.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

I saw it reported on ABC world news that Americans give 2% of their disposable income to charity - when I looked further into it I could not find anywhere any other report that said we gave more - of course we are the most charitable country in the world because we are a very large country - if you are just looking at dollars - In my book 2% is still 2% and there is no way around that figure.

You may have misunderstood the report.

One ABC article breaks down charitable giving by state, according to tax returns.

This article Five Most Generous States

Links to this,

How American Gives and has New Hampshire as the lowest, at 2.5%.

It goes along with polls of the past that showed that Religious Conservatives gave the most, followed by Religious Liberals, and then non-Religious Liberals. The cheapest were non-religious conservatives, which explains New Hampshire’s 2.5%.

Jim

 

[oppositeman]

well Jim the problem with this is that giving to your church is not charity - it is stewardship - you are caretakers of the church and more importantly you receive many things in return. Charity is when you give knowing you will receive nothing in return. Mother Theresa of Calcutta said that it’s not charity until it hurts - ie do without - eat nothing but oatmeal for a month and send the money you save to a charity.

 

[Joy2day]

In all things we must remember to ‘pray, hope & dont worry’. Further quoting St Padre Pio - the spirit of the devil is one of stress & anxiety & despair, whereas the spirit of God is one of peace & reassurance. Its a constant battle. However science with its God given ability is now using the HIV virus to kill certain cancers, that were previously incurable! God moves in mysterious ways & will bring good out of evil for those who pray. Nothing is impossible to God.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

well Jim the problem with this is that giving to your church is not charity - it is stewardship - you are caretakers of the church and more importantly you receive many things in return. Charity is when you give knowing you will receive nothing in return. Mother Theresa of Calcutta said that it’s not charity until it hurts - ie do without - eat nothing but oatmeal for a month and send the money you save to a charity.

That depends.

When you give to your church and the church uses the funds for helping people, then it’s still charity.

Either way, Americans are still the most generous. As one the article I posted stated, when the world has a disaster, who do they turn to for help ? The United States.

So, between what our government gives and what our private charities provide through our donations, we are very generous.

Jim

 

[Luigi_Daniele]

The way I see it, it isn’t God punishing us, but the world moving away from God’s protection and the consequence is what we see happening.

Jim

Jim,

This is how I see it, as well. He will not force Himself upon us. If we move away from under His loving arms, we shouldn’t be surprised if bad things happen.

 

[oppositeman]

OK Jim - let’s get to the bottom line as I see it - yes - Americans are the most generous because they make a lot of money and there are a lot of us - so relative to other nations you are correct - but that is not what I am talking about - the question remains the same - we give 2% of our disposable income to charity - Do you think God’s see’s Americans as a generous people? - please don’t answer - I have had enough **

 

[JimR-OCDS]

OK Jim - let’s get to the bottom line as I see it - yes - Americans are the most generous because they make a lot of money and there are a lot of us - so relative to other nations you are correct - but that is not what I am talking about - the question remains the same - we give 2% of our disposable income to charity - Do you think God’s see’s Americans as a generous people? - please don’t answer - I have had enough **

You keep posting 2%, but have yet to post a source to the information.

Keep trying though.

Jim

 

[KimberlyCat]

No. He has not had enough.

 

[oppositeman]

You keep posting 2%, but have yet to post a source to the information.

Keep trying though.

Jim

I told you where I got it from - ABC world new reported on TV that number - if you take what you posted - 2 to 7 % and subtract the money that represents what they give to their church it’s easy to see where 2% comes from.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

I told you where I got it from - ABC world new reported on TV that number - if you take what you posted - 2 to 7 % and subtract the money that represents what they give to their church it’s easy to see where 2% comes from.

Uhm, if you say so.

Jim

 

[OraLabora]

Im a lover of history. And I dont just mean the past 50-100 years. Global history too, not just USA/western history

The technology is different, but man is no more or less sinful now as in the past.

Sometimes we tend to romanticize the past and think that mankind was more moral “back then”…(Nothing wonderful about the morals of the Roman Empire…)

Not really.

Has God had enough? is the wrong question, IMO.

“We” may have had enough. God is much bigger than our broken natures…and shouldnt be compared to our broken nature

I agree completely.

God is infinitely patient. If we read St. Paul:

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of those who by their wickedness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse; 21 for though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools; 23 and they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human being or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles.

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the degrading of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

26 For this reason God gave them up to degrading passions. Their women exchanged natural intercourse for unnatural, 27 and in the same way also the men, giving up natural intercourse with women, were consumed with passion for one another. Men committed shameless acts with men and received in their own persons the due penalty for their error.

28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind and to things that should not be done. 29 They were filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, craftiness, they are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters,[f] insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, rebellious toward parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 They know God’s decree, that those who practice such things deserve to die—yet they not only do them but even applaud others who practice them.

(Romans 1:18-32)

How is any of this really different than our current era? Two thousand years ago we were just as fallen as we are now. Maybe today our technology makes us more efficient in sin, but the basic lusts remain the same.

 

[Diana_Catherine]

When was the “good” time when those things weren’t happening?

You are right that there has always been sin and there isn’t any time in history where these things didn’t happen but as a world we are pushing God farther and farther away and allowing more and more evil in and from what I understand God’s word to say and Our Lady’s messages there will come a time when God will say “enough” and there will be chastisement. There are always consequences to what we do, whether someday it will be our own individual judgement or the world’s judgment but it is to come.

The things I see happening in our world today that I think should give us all cause for concern are abortion, materialism (greed and selfishness), do whatever you want kind of sexual society and the horrible break down of the family both causing extreme and serious confusion among our youth which can’t help but to make you wonder what the future holds.

I also heard someone say once on Catholic Answers LIve that just before the holocaust many printed media had cartoons about the Jewish people showing them that something was coming and if you look at the media today you will see many cartoons and ridiculing of Jesus and the Catholic faith unlike any other time before.

 

[oppositeman]

Let’s take a look at these 3 sins I spoke of - Abortion - since 1980 statistics say we have murdered 1.3 BILLION unborn babies - here - numberofabortions.com/

Immorality - did woman dress the way they dress now even 50 years ago? - look at pornography - videos - online - Look at casual sex - how it exploded after the pill

Materialism - people accumulate so much stuff - look in your closets - in the basement - in the garage - in the attic - in storage - my goodness - people want the latest this or that gadget - wealth has given us a choice on how to spend all this extra money you make - of course people don’t see it that way because it a relative thing - the more we have the more we want - more and more people in the past 50 years have become pretty well off - what do people do with all this money - insecure people save it - others spend it on themselves and their families - buy a bigger house - get a new car

 

[oppositeman]

You are right that there has always been sin and there isn’t any time in history where these things didn’t happen but as a world we are pushing God farther and farther away and allowing more and more evil in and from what I understand God’s word to say and Our Lady’s messages there will come a time when God will say “enough” and there will be chastisement. There are always consequences to what we do, whether someday it will be our own individual judgement or the world’s judgment but it is to come.

The things I see happening in our world today that I think should give us all cause for concern are abortion, materialism (greed and selfishness), do whatever you want kind of sexual society and the horrible break down of the family both causing extreme and serious confusion among our youth which can’t help but to make you wonder what the future holds.

I also heard someone say once on Catholic Answers LIve that just before the holocaust many printed media had cartoons about the Jewish people showing them that something was coming and if you look at the media today you will see many cartoons and ridiculing of Jesus and the Catholic faith unlike any other time before.

I agree with you so I followed your blog and I like “Father Knows Best” - you may enjoy “The Association of Catholic Women Bloggers” - here - associationofcatholicwomenbloggers.blogspot.com/

 

[silver2soul]

When was the “good” time when those things weren’t happening?

In the US there was a time when gambling was prohibited across the whole, so was prostitution and alcohol. Porn was non-existant in the form it is now flourishing with. Freedom of religion was defined more clearly in it’s context and others were considered NOT religion.

Censorship was maintained and highly regarded in the public eye and view; TV was heavily moderated and screened.

Those time were better for our health and welfare, but if it was considered good it could be misconstrued.

Praise be to GOD the heavenly father and his son lord JESUS CHRIST forever>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

[mikekle]

Any good parent occasionally has to put their “foot down”.

Take an honest look at the world; peoples and their governments divided and distrusting one another; and the weather around the world becoming increasingly severe. In the past several years “superbugs” have appeared; and are resistant to all known antibiotics. The world is full of people who don’t care as long as it doesn’t affect them; the vast majority of us think nothing of it. How the world has changed for the worse in the past 50 years.

How long do you think it will be until God punishes us for our 3 great sins – abortion, immorality, and materialism?

The Blessed Mother of Jesus Christ spoke to 4 children at Garabandal, Spain [unapproved apparition – Mother Theresa of Calcutta and Padre Pio both believed it to be authentic] in 1961 of a time in the near future when God would chastise His children and give them a warning [also known as the illumination of conscience where God would force us to “see” our sins] if they did not change their sinful behavior.

Does is seem to you that God’s has begun putting His “Foot Down”?

I have been wondering the same thing. The world is in terrible shape (spiritually, morally etc), and it just gets worse and worse each year, yet, God still takes no action, not even a ‘mass warning’ that everyone would see, this makes no sense to me and I will be honest, it is really making me wonder about Gods existence and his agenda.

I realize I mention this alot, but God destroyed Sodom and Gomarrah for their sins, yet many cities today, are much worse than those 2 cities were, some of the crazy things people do and believe in today are shocking to me, yet God has not destroyed any cities lately. I am curious how long Sodom and Gomarrah went down this path before God destroyed them…anyone know? I dont think it was hundreds of years though.

All of this makes me wonder what God is waiting for. He has not even sent a warning yet!!. It is very clear people are not going to change their ways and are actually getting worse and worse.

I know you mentioned weather, but if you look back thru history, our weather today is really not anything to get excited about, it is on par and normal, when looking at the big picture.