Why are people so offended by this?

desib77

I've been doing a lot of thinking and have been leaning toward a new conclusion about God. I'm thinking that I believe in his existance but think that he does not play an active role in our lives. Everything that happens just happens. He does not cause evil but also does not bless...... What do you think?

Why do you think people are so offended by this idea? I've told several of my non-jw friends and they all get very defensive about it. They say they know they have been "blessed"......... but, they can't say why they have been blessed while some poor innocent child is beaten.

Most of them say that things happen for a reason in our lives. Even if it seems horrible that it will make us stronger. I disagree with that reasoning. I see no reason that a child or anyone for that matter would suffer through some of the awful things they do "for a reason"........

To me, this is kind of a relief. It means to me that he is not picking certain people over others and "blessing" them. To others, this seems like I'm insulting them......why do you think this is?

Desi

Farkel

desib,

: I'm thinking that I believe in his existance but think that he does not play an active role in our lives. Everything that happens just happens. He does not cause evil but also does not bless...... What do you think?

Those are my thoughts, too. It is a philosophy called "Deism" and was a common thought of Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine and other founding fathers of the USA. Deism basically states a Creator exists, but does not take a hand in human affairs. Most Christians (including dubs if you want to call them "Christians") are Thesists: God exists and he is actively involved in human affairs.

:Why do you think people are so offended by this idea? I've told several of my non-jw friends and they all get very defensive about it.

Because they think their lives are actually more important than they really are. It's a sort of supreme selfishness, I think.

:Most of them say that things happen for a reason in our lives.

If that were the case, then one would have to believe in predestination. One cannot deny predestination and then claim things happen for a "reason" in their lives. If one truly did not believe in predestination, then one would have to admit that things happen in their lives because things happen in their lives.

Farkel

Big Tex

I've been doing a lot of thinking and have been leaning toward a new conclusion about God. I'm thinking that I believe in his existance but think that he does not play an active role in our lives. Everything that happens just happens. He does not cause evil but also does not bless...... What do you think?

I could go along with this idea. Frankly it's more comforting, and less confusing, than a god who plays favourites.

Why save one child from dying of cancer and let another be beaten to death? Why bless some American to win millions in a lottery and yet leave others in poverty or starving? That's never made sense to me.

I don't know. Sometimes I wonder if there is something to destiny. Maybe someone could be slotted and whatever happens in that slot just happens. Dunno.

jookbeard

I just wish he would say "hi" a little bit more, take the Islamic example who think we have to be tested by bad shite to be strong, yet their Muslim brothers are constantly being persecuted in Palestine, yet their oil rich Billionaire Sheiks live in repulsive splendor , doing what appears to be nothing while they are being murdered and persecuted by their Israeli oppressors, I cant work it out.

desib77

Farkel,

Thanks for putting a name to my thoughts... I'm going to research that more.......

Tex,

I agree... to me it seems so much better. It means that he doesn't think I'm better than someone else and to me that makes him a better God. I still have a problem with the whole create and then neglect and allow suffering but it seems better to me to think that he hasn't actually chosen certain people to do better than others.

LouBelle

because they want to feel that they matter, even to a god. they can justify everything or let go of responsibilty when the situation lends itself to either or. Got a promotion - god blessed you. Got retrenched - god is testing your faith. Sin - you lay them at the foot of the cross and are washed anew. Don't sin - it's god that's working through you.

I'm more of the : .... actually it's too much to explain in a way that I'll be understood

desib77

Oh, and Tex......... the "slot" idea is interesting.. gonna have to think some more about that......

cantleave

Look at our planet in the scale of things. Less than a spec of dust in a galaxy comprising billions of stars. That Galaxy is a spec compared to the billions of galaxies in the universe. Millions of stars, most most larger than our own are being destroyed every minute due to balck hole activity, and natural death, as many are being formed. How much interest due you show a spec of dust floating in your house- even if that spec of dust is comprised of skin cells from your own body? I don't see why people get offended by what is in the end a logical conclusion.

desib77

Cantleave..

I don't either. That is why I've been openly discussing it with people. I was really kind of surprised at the reactions I've gotten. They were so defensive about it. Even one person that I really didn't expect to be.

WTWizard

I don't get offended when people make their own observations about God and post them. That way, if God wants praise, He had better start doing things to deserve it--otherwise, He is getting nothing but what He has coming. If He does nothing, He gets nothing. If He continually gets in the way of my fulfillment of personal needs so He can exploit me, He gets nothing but scathing denounciations. If He sets me up to be recaptured by the witlesses so they can use me to plunge the whole world into the Second Dark Ages, He gets even worse denounciations--and hopefully others will be p***ed at God when the Second Dark Ages breaks out.

Perhaps, if God is offended when people start observing Him doing nothing or worse and basing their attitudes toward Him accordingly, He should start doing things to bless us instead of relying on stock examples that were written up thousands of years ago (and may even be false or embellished). Otherwise, He has no one but His Almighty Fat Self to blame when the praise goes kaput.

Why are people so offended by this?

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