Don: Are you a bit concerned that it's only July and already two major hurricanes in about two weeks have come pass J'ca?The conversation goes on, but it's too much to post. In the end, I ask him a question whose answer he's still working on: "I grew up in a Christian family. I wasn't given the religious options. The same happens for most Islamic and Hindus. Are they automatically condemned because they were born into different cultures?
Me: Yeah I am. But I'm no psychic so we'll just have to wait and see what transpires. All I can say is that for the past 2 season (this one included) we've been fortunate here. Charley, Ivan and Dennis were all coming directly to us, and veered at the last moment.
Don: That's true. Very interesting.
Me: God be praised. But they won't all follow suit.
Don: You shouldn't speak that.
Me: Don, I'm a realistic person... Some say that God is protecting us because He knows we can't manage the devastation and I ask them, what do you say to the 200,000 people that got killed in Asia, that they didn't need protection too? Or the thousands in Iraq? I'm very much a Christian person but I know that God doesn't work on our time table so bad things happen for reasons that only He knows, and so we need to be prepared for them anyway, and at the same time thank Him when we're spared, like we have been for the last 2 years.
Don: What are the predominant religions in Asia and Iraq? Jamaica has a good many Christians who pray for the nation. Most of those places in Asia were Buddhists or something and in Iraq, Muslims.
Me: So?
Don: I'm not saying that y'all won't get a direct hit, but... God is more likely to answer the prayer of one of His own rather than someone else, don't you agree?
Me: Are you saying that Asian people aren't His own?
Don: If a person has not accepted Christ as Lord and Saviour then truth be told, they are not God's children.
Me: Hmmm... Well by that theory, He should just be weedin' them all out, don't you think? And then how do you explain to me why Christians get killed and put in harms way?
The fundamental point of my last post, 'Insignificantly... Significant' was not an issue of how I felt about myself. The point lies in the last line: Maybe I'm not so unimportant after all. None of us are, we were made equal. I refuse to believe that God has pre-selected some of us as 'chosen', based on our religion or denomination. And if by some chance He has, I don't think it's our earthly responsibility to separate the diamonds from the trash. It's an issue I've had for ages, but was compounded in High school when a Jehovah's Witness friend of mine told me that Witnesses shall reign as God's chosen 'kings and queens' to help him manage his Kingdom... Last I checked he was managing His Kingdom just fine.
Neither the day nor the hour of His arrival do we know. Why then would we ever know which of our religions or denominations believe the 'right' thing? I think what's important is that we all agree that some Divine Power exists and we give that Power the deserved respect. Only then will we truly be 'His own'.
5 comments:
yeah i've never accepted the one way to get to heaven thing which is y i have a problem with Chritians tryin to convert ppl from other religoins and vice versa. if somebody is happy with they're religion leave them alone.
Amen, guys. This is one of my biggest problems with organized religions that produce worshippers that believe their way is THE way. It is ridiculous to think that people are damned because they were born into another culture that follows a particular religous tradition. More important is the way the lives are led as most religions share some basic fundamentals, it is the practical application that differs.
Packaging the belief of a higher power (otherwise called denominations and religions) causes what all other 'packagables' cause - hate, intolerance, fanatics. Just because each group believes in a wonderous thing don't mean they won't kill over it or get stupid when talking about it.
I don't get the 'my way is the only way and everyone must come to it' speech. Even when given by my pastor. I find it hard to believe that the God that made so many different creatures, plants and gave men so many different faces, personalities and (good) ideas will turn back ppl who have been good and caring and loving all their lives because....they were'nt ----cans or ----ics or -----ists.
No sah. He doesn't like taking lives - but when done in mass some will question. Just as ppl are now questioning if New Orleans wasn't so devasted because they have a huge homosexual festival there every year. Was it God's wrath? We don't need to know everything. But we ought to know that God loves us, that he alone knows all, that his way (though sometimes hard to understand and get over) is the REAL only way.
The same way you can't see God being unjust enough to turn people away from heaven because they weren't the 'right thing', is the same way I don't see Him putting something in his word that He didn't actually want us to follow.
I don't care about religion and tradition really, but if God says you need to believe his son died and rose again as payment for our sin debt, then why should I believe he's bluffing.
All we do is guess work when it comes to these things. I try not to guess what God intended because at the end of the day the victims were ppl and we are called to love our neighbour as ourself. The bible tells us that our thinking is not God's and so I don't try to understand that which I'll have no answer to at this point.
But if you love the debate... rock on!
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