My mind is in turmoil about God and creation

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angell1

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last thread on this, I promise. but I just can’t seem to find any peace and consolation. the thought in my mind are just screaming at me, I try to sleep and my nights are filled with bad dreams, being awake is an actual nightmare.

I just lost my young guide dog to cancer, she was much more than just a pet, I am certainly not trying to minimize anyone’s losses, the death of an animal is hard, but there are elements to a guide dog and handler relationship that are just not really explainable to anyone who has not experienced it, it goes beyond ordinary trust and loyalty and honestly, even out of all the guide dogs, including my first one, she was somehitng different. She had such strong devotion and loyalty, up until the end, even when she was sufferening from her horrible tumor

I just keep asking myself, why did this have to happen to her? I never imagined I would lose her first. I thought it was going to be my old boy to go, at which point I would probably be asking these same questions. and this is actually worse than I imagined.

was it something I did? did I have too many sins? maybe I wasn’t grateful enough to God while she was around?

I know God doesn’t let senseless things happen, so I am trying to find the greater good at the end of all this, so far, nothing.

I prayed for her to be healed, I wanted a miracle very much. nothing happened. I flip open my bible to try and find some wise words in scripture, no luck. I had prayed so hard to God to have mercy on her and spare her if this was the oly life she was getting.

I know animals don’t have immortal souls, I know theydon’t “go to heaven” per say, in the way that we understand it. I know they don’t “become angels” like some people have tried to suggest out of being kind. Other people act like it’s just a dumb animal and what’s the big deal, just get over it. and it’s extremely difficult to think that she just doesn’t exist amnymore, she was the lord’s beautiful creature that glorified him.

but I just need something to hold on to, I need something that can be theologically sound and believable. is there a way that God could potentially give her back? I have noticed a few priests and apologists/theologians saying that God might be able to raise them at the second coming, or recreate them. but how could he raise them if they had ceased to exist? and if he recreated them, would it still be the same one that we knew? is God able to restore something that previously existed to exactly what it was even if it had stopped existing? does he have that ability? I just need some possibilities to put my mind at ease. we don’t have to debate whether or not it will actually happen, but I just really need some hope in the midst of all my dark despair
 
angell1 said:
no, but I don’t believe he lets things happen for no reason
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Why not? Do you believe that if there is a tornado, and Billy Bob prays really hard, the tornado will swerve away from his trailer? But if it swerves away from Billy Bob’s trailer, it’s going to hit Suzy Q’s. She’s praying hard too. Or do you believe God is a football fan, and if the Falcons play the Jets, and fans on both sides are praying for victory, that God has some “plan” that involves the Falcons winning? This line of thinking is not logical. You would have God swooping down billions of times an hour to adjust how the world works. Did God make mistakes in creation he has to “fix”? Does he listen to some prayers and not others?

Why isn’t it reasonable to assume (because we can see it all around us) that God created the universe and he also created all the physical laws that make the universe run. God may know what will happen in the future, but that doesn’t mean he WANTS it to happen–of course he could have created the universe differently, and we’re back to Voltaire’s question: “Is this the best of all possible worlds”? But to answer that assumes we know the mind of God, which we don’t.
 
that wasn’t really the point of my thread, I’m sorry but I just don’t have the emotional energy to get in to this right now. I prefer to see God’s hand in my life rather than not and that everything works out for good. no, he does not cause or will evil, but he does permit it when a greater good can be drawn from it. He does have a plan for all of humanity and everything fits in to it somehow
 
I don’t know the answers. Why did my own mother suffer and die from cancer? Perhaps we are to learn a certain sense of detachment from the physical, the flesh, and the material- to make us stronger and more spiritual for whatever is to come. Keep in mind that no one lives forever-not in this life. Life is full of losses and as you are young you may not have had many or any losses yet. I don’t know. Perhaps you are ‘in training’ for future heartbreaks or losses and how to handle the reality of really painful happenings. Again I don’t know but at least there is the promise for salvation. Be at peace. I apologize for not being a spiritual brainiac but will pray for you.
 
I am praying for you. There is nothing you did to cause your dog to get cancer. I think you know this but you are having such a difficult time right now. You are correct that we cannot know what this is like for you. God is not punishing you by taking Macy. I can’t offer you anything theological to support that God is able to do whatever He wants (to possibly re-create an exact Macy), but I do think that the God who created the universe, raised His Son from the dead, can do all things. When my Hershey died, I went to the Humane Society looking for a dog just like her; I came home with a different breed/dog all together. He was so unique and I was able to love him for only 8 years. I still miss him. I pray that you will sleep well tonight.
 
Can He make Himself not exist because that’s been bothering me lately?
 
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Let me tell you a story:

Saint Francis Paola had a pet fish that lived in a pond. One day, one of the other priests, not knowing it was a pet, cooked it and was getting ready to eat it, when the Saint realized that it was his pet fish. The other priest was angry that he couldn’t have the fish, so he threw it on the ground. He picked up the dead fish, and put the dead fish back into the water, and said “Antonella (the name of his fish), in the name of Charity, return to life.” The fish then became whole and swan around the pool.

A very similar thing happened to a pet lamb of his. It will not go into all the details, however the result was that a dead and cooked animal was brought back to life. These animals were thoroughly dead.

Since God brought these animals back to life on Earth, no doubt he let us see them in heaven some way. If God could not bring them back, the Saints prayer would have been useless.
 
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Your loss is apparent, and I hope you are finding some comfort in prayer and by remembering the times with your guide dog. It seems you had a special relationship with her and she really helped you in life.

But as much as you think they may help, I would be wary of finding comfort in theological “maybes” and “ifs” about getting your dog back. The teaching is that only human have immortal souls, so it is just speculation by many if one may see a beloved pet again. Heaven is described as a place so joyous that one’s past pains, including many types of losses, are eliminated and superseded by the beatific vision.

Perhaps (just offering advice here) instead of focusing on “why did God take?” instead focus on the gratitude you have that God gave her to you in the first place. As painful as the loss is to handle right now, it seems that your guide dog brought you great joy and comfort in life. Would it have been better to have never met her so as to avoid the pain of her loss, or was the gift of her presence while she was here so tremendous that the brief time you had with her actually changed your life for the better? Your deep sense of loss is a testament to the beauty of her life and the wonder of all of God’s creation.
 
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I realize you’re very upset right now, and I’m very sorry about your dog.

But posting essentially the same question in about three different sections of the forum is not going to magically come up with anything different than a whole bunch of us have already told you. You are going to get the same answers over and over.

About the only thing I can add is that this death is NOT your fault. Your dog came down with a disease. You didn’t cause it and did everything you could to care properly for your dog. The dog’s death was beyond the control of you or any other human to prevent.

At this point since you seem to be asking the same question over and over again, and discounting any kind of positive answers you receive while still asking for some kind of “confirmation”, it seems like your asking this over and over again on here is not productive and is just going to result in you getting the same answers over and over. Some people will say the dog is in heaven and some will argue otherwise. “Pets in heaven” is always a controversial topic on these forums because there has been disagreement even at the Papal level about it and many people have a strong opinion one way or the other.

I would strongly urge you to please, please stop posting threads with this question over and over, and go talk to an understanding priest. I do not think getting responses on here is going to set your mind at rest in any way or make you feel any better, in fact it is likely to just create more upset. I know very well how upsetting the loss of a beloved pet can be. PLEASE go talk to a priest, or a deacon, or someone, in person.

God bless.
 
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angell1 said:
I’m sorry but I just don’t have the emotional energy to get in to this right now.
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This is why I’m suggesting that you not post any more threads and please go talk to somebody.

You posted this latest thread in Apologetics. Apologetics is a forum that is meant for discussions like the one Erikaspirit wants to have. I realize you are in grief and just looking for consolation, but Apologetics really isn’t meant for that purpose.
 
i tried to talk to my pastor, he couldn’t offer me much, he just said he was sorry and that “it happens”. I am sorry if this was in the wrong place. and I appreciate everyone’s responses. like I said, it was the last thread. I relize now that we just don’t know the answer, so I will try to hope for something n my own way, and maybe God will give me an answer on his oown time
 
I’m sorry your pastor wasn’t helpful. I think sometimes people who have not themselves had animals that they loved really don’t know how to respond to this situation.

Just remember that God is all-powerful and He loves you and also loves your dog. He created that dog and sent her to you in the world as an expression of His love for you. God’s love doesn’t disappear and we can always have faith and hope that God will take care of a particular situation that is so very important to us.

God bless
 
Angell, I’m sorry for your loss.

I think you know that you did nothing wrong. Things happen that we can’t control and that don’t make sense to us. I remember talking with my spiritual director after a friend of mine died and saying “I’m angry and confused. This shouldn’t have happened.” And his response was that sometimes anger and confusion are all we have and that’s OK. But even in the midst of the anger and confusion, God is with us.

Sometimes we have to remind ourselves that God is still there. We’re ready to cry out the beginning of Psalm 22: My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? But eventually we come around like the psalmist: For he has not spurned or disdained the misery of this poor wretch, did not turn away from me, but heard me when I cried out. God does hear our cries and cries with us.

The Psalms of lament are so honest in speaking of pain and finding God through the pain. Perhaps you will find some comfort in them. This article may give you some ideas: Biblical Laments: Prayer Out of Pain | Franciscan Media
 
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