Trials and tribulations
Every once in a while I become quite puzzled by some function of Christian orthodoxy that I just don't quite get. Note, I am a Christian so this isn't the deep cynicism of the atheist, but something else (possibly deeper).
Okay, so, here's what's got me thus far. According to the things Christians tell each other (this is not Biblical, by the way), God never sends you a trial that you can't handle. The point behind this statement is ultimately that God is benevolent and that, therefore, nothing's coming down the pike that is going to be too much for you.
I don't think that's right. Stuff comes down the pike that's too much for people all the time. Horrible things happen in the world. To ignore that is to get the nature of God wrong and if we're talking about people who are attempting to enter into a relationship with their creator, I think it's bad to start the whole thing off on illusions.
Besides, why is the onus on the person? This is really the crux of the problem for me. Why is it how much YOU can handle? What kind of BS is that?
By the way, I'm not in a huge life trial or anything. I am going through some trouble at my church but I'm certainly not on the receiving end of it. It's just got me thinking.
You see, the onus--if you believe in God--should be on God. Putting yourself before God is a sin. It's breaking the first two commandments and the fall of Lucifer. So, basing your survivability of a crisis on your own abilities is essentially pride. The answer should be that God never sends anything at you that you can't handle...with his/her/its help (though if gender designation is a problem for you than you are already probably well aquainted with the foibles of pride). But since with God all things should be possible, you can expect damn near anything to show up on your doorstep come tomorrow and without the divine bearing any of the responsibility of dropping something in your lap. After all, you should be asking for help.
It's this last part that I think is what's getting me. Religions (all religions) tend to rephrase scripture so that the worshipper is celebrated (I'm saved, I'm born again, What would Jesus do...if he were me). This is actually a worse sin than not believing at all. In almost any religion, it is putting other gods first that's the problem--total atheism is covered generally but not in the first words of the law. What's interesting is that this turn in religion is so...I don't know...powerful.
I mean, if there's this idea that you are going to tap into this thing that's bigger than you, and when you do, you are instead with some kind of self-infation, imagine how uncomfortable or even unfulfilling that could make someone. So what do they do? They try their best to use the religion to get what they're looking for, but the religion has this flaw and it just gets worse. So they become fanatical about it, hoping that if they apply the religious philosophy correctly, somehow they will eventually feel humble, but humility is the diametrical opposite of a religion that teaches you that God will never send you something that you can't handle (it sounds like God needs permission, doesn't it?). So what do you get? Both the death of the church and a move towards dogmatic fanaticism for those who remain.
Sorry, maybe this is kind of cynical.
Okay, so, here's what's got me thus far. According to the things Christians tell each other (this is not Biblical, by the way), God never sends you a trial that you can't handle. The point behind this statement is ultimately that God is benevolent and that, therefore, nothing's coming down the pike that is going to be too much for you.
I don't think that's right. Stuff comes down the pike that's too much for people all the time. Horrible things happen in the world. To ignore that is to get the nature of God wrong and if we're talking about people who are attempting to enter into a relationship with their creator, I think it's bad to start the whole thing off on illusions.
Besides, why is the onus on the person? This is really the crux of the problem for me. Why is it how much YOU can handle? What kind of BS is that?
By the way, I'm not in a huge life trial or anything. I am going through some trouble at my church but I'm certainly not on the receiving end of it. It's just got me thinking.
You see, the onus--if you believe in God--should be on God. Putting yourself before God is a sin. It's breaking the first two commandments and the fall of Lucifer. So, basing your survivability of a crisis on your own abilities is essentially pride. The answer should be that God never sends anything at you that you can't handle...with his/her/its help (though if gender designation is a problem for you than you are already probably well aquainted with the foibles of pride). But since with God all things should be possible, you can expect damn near anything to show up on your doorstep come tomorrow and without the divine bearing any of the responsibility of dropping something in your lap. After all, you should be asking for help.
It's this last part that I think is what's getting me. Religions (all religions) tend to rephrase scripture so that the worshipper is celebrated (I'm saved, I'm born again, What would Jesus do...if he were me). This is actually a worse sin than not believing at all. In almost any religion, it is putting other gods first that's the problem--total atheism is covered generally but not in the first words of the law. What's interesting is that this turn in religion is so...I don't know...powerful.
I mean, if there's this idea that you are going to tap into this thing that's bigger than you, and when you do, you are instead with some kind of self-infation, imagine how uncomfortable or even unfulfilling that could make someone. So what do they do? They try their best to use the religion to get what they're looking for, but the religion has this flaw and it just gets worse. So they become fanatical about it, hoping that if they apply the religious philosophy correctly, somehow they will eventually feel humble, but humility is the diametrical opposite of a religion that teaches you that God will never send you something that you can't handle (it sounds like God needs permission, doesn't it?). So what do you get? Both the death of the church and a move towards dogmatic fanaticism for those who remain.
Sorry, maybe this is kind of cynical.
posted by Monstro D. Whale at
7:14 AM
1 Comments:
Sometimes I can't help but wonder if God simply wants certain results. If God wants you broken for some inscrutable purpose, he'll break you. Perhaps he's teaching you humility. Perhaps he's teaching you something else. Perhaps, for his Plan to work, he simply needs you broken. It really doesn't matter when it comes down to it, because the nature of a God is that they are omniscient.
We cannot even begin to fathom their mind. We cannot know what they want, or whether they want anything at all. If God's mind is truly alien, we have no way of judging what motivates God's mind. Perhaps God doesn't feel pain, and thus doesn't understand it. How do we know?
This is why we have to have faith, hope, and pray.
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