forgive any lack of caps and such as i pick type with broken wrist. this is pg 28 of joyce rupp’s book (see other entries under tag:inviting god in)
The lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces. Isiah 25:8
I listen to a lot of podcasts and am going through eps of one from BBC World Service called History Hour. not sure what ep it was in and it was actually from a story about Muslims in Afghanistan, i think — the presenter showcases old BBC interviews in each ep with many focused on past middle east conflicts — but i recall something from the interview with a man and wife who’d lost everything but how everything that ever happened in their lives was part of god’s plan.
What the man said after all that was that the local gov’t made some radical changes to laws after whatever happened (details have been forgotten) to make sure the people would hopefully never again experience the same trouble. I got to thinking that god made all the crap happen before the gov’t could “decide” to change the laws.
I was reminded of the disconnect that happens when you pit predestination against prayer, as no doubt people were praying for some changes then. If everything happens for a reason and god is infallable then losing all your belongings and livelihood in war .. If it’s all going according to some divine plan, nobody’s really thinking for themselves and god’s just a bit of a dick for letting all these wars play out and then changing the rules after.
Rupp’s point with her entry is this:
This particular passage…expresses the belief that no matter what happens to us, God will be there to comfort and support us. To maintain hope in our world is sometimes difficult when numerous countries are currently at war and throngs of refugees search for new homes.
But, who causes the fucking problems in the first place? Is it God? If so, why seek comfort from the perpetrator?
Or, if we’re giving the people agency instead of gods, it’s still partially the fault of belief in gods that feed a lot of these conflicts. Minorities feel pressure by being surrounded by a conflicting belief system. Politicians the world over use religious fervour and fundamentalism to justify the most heinous crimes against humanity. Yet we’re told time and time again to take solace in the arms of the very same gods that seem hell bent on killing everyone in the most bloodiest ways possible.
I don’t get and i will never get it.
One Minion's Opinion 