jcaz:
Dear Sainted,
I’m sorry, but perhaps because you typed your reply so fast, I was unable to understand several portions of it. You obviously have certain perceptions of things and how they work based on your Catholic faith, and I will respect your beliefs. I cannot, however, mandate that you respect the beliefs of others.
Your right sometimes I leave it to the imagination to work it out but still I’m sorry for submitting fast. I just want to reiterate that I represented none of the Catholic faith in my post. I tried to use common sense and discern what God might be helping me with. You might have noticed that I rarely quote the Scriptures as you guys don’t believe in it rather I try to discern in light of its message. With regards to respect of belief, I don’t respect something that does not conform to the Truth. Tell me how respectful muslims are in this respect when there are continuing persecutions of christians.
Confusing to you perhaps. But they are very clear to me, to all other Muslims, and frankly, to many Christians, and even to my family of Catholics who I have had this discussion with
What’s the use of saying so many reasons,explanations, interpretations and whatnot why something happens when in the end you say who knows only God knows and or rather ‘Maybe.’ Why the heck go through all the explanations when in the end you simply conclude with a big open uncertainty???
They dont hold true for any single disaster and its interpretations. Those same verses have led many of your Imams confused what they are saying. During the onset of Katrina the muslim world said it was God’s punishment for Iraq and shortly after in the same week a stampede killed many in Iraq. How do your verses explain that coincidence. How do they justify what the imams were preaching at that time which made many believe as so only after they can’t explain the stampede?
God controls everything. He allows everything to happen, and he can stop anything from happening.
Who doesn’t believe this?
However, it seems amazing audacious to state what God is and is not doing and how He runs and controls His universe.
Where in my post did I say something about this?
and these disasters would caused by God to punish people, such as during the time of Lot, of Noah, of Pharoh, and of many others.
That’s why I said I wouldn’t go there because understandably God
would degree anything to guide His people. For the new era in Christ, Jesus only said that there would still be natural disasters, there would still be famine, wars just as in the old days. I could imagine Him saying these so as to tell people, … ‘well don’t think that now I’ve come and you have seen me that you think you are going to live in paradise, with no more wars no earthquake … etc … etc.’ No not even did He offer an explanation similar as what could be said in the koran.
Infact he went as far to the opposite end, far from paradise, freedom and peace the Jews had hoped for. To the extreme he foretold His followers that they will be prosecuted for His name. The only hint then He offered is when the magnitude and frequeny of these events are on the rise then know ‘my return is at the door.’
If someone comes forward and says that “such and such” disaster happened because of “such and such” reason, … but these guesses are merely what they are: guesses.
Isn’t this what your imams do which has confused alot of people?
General interpretations based on past examples and based on verses in one’s religious Holy Book are not futile, but rather, are very important.
How important if they cause confusion amonst the followers?