By "my own origin" I mean just that. I needn't plagarize another's work, something you seem to have insinuated. Rather, off the top of my head I answered of my own origin. Of course, we all believe what we believe based on what we have learned and experieced, by which we construct an individual belief system. Much as what you have written can be compared to what others have written and coincidentally found very similar if not identical.
I did not mean to insinuate that you had plagarized anything. Only that your claim that God did not mean "I test" when he said "I test" but he meant something else such as "allowed" is a very old and very often repeated argument. I agree with you, some of what we learn and believe has been taught to us by someone else and to them by someone else and some of it comes from our direct experience. Belief in God is obtained by the first method.
The difference is that God has the power to resurrect, and most tests do not come from Him, but from Satan and/or our fallen human state. God does not, and has not, psychologically and physically torture anyone. As for hell, I am one Christian among many who does not belive hell is literally a burniing fire, rather, the fire of hell is symbolic of destruction.
Well, since there is no direct evidence of any ressurected persons and it is a very extraordinary claim that is contrary to all of my direct experience, then I am going to have to see some proof myself before I accept this belief.
I have experienced becoming stronger. If one exercises (repeated traumas to) their body, it becomes stronger. If one exercises their reasoning ability, it becomes stronger. If one is tested and overcomes, they become stronger. I'm surprised you question such a truism. Although I'm not a big believer in Nietsche, his statement that "that which does not kill us makes us stronger", is generally felt to be true by many, if not most. My experience in life has taught me it is true. If you disagree, so be it.
Moderate exercise is not traumatic to the body. It is a beneficial stress. A traumatic stress is one that overwhelms psychologically and physically. Natural disasters, mass murders, any murders, death, disease, loss of limb, traumatic injuries, torture, rape, child abuse, are of these nature. You know, think of all the horrible things that devastate people physically and mentally, that sometimes cause people to wish for death for a release of their suffering, that cause even true believers to say "why me?" and cause other believers to say "God is allowing you to be tested" or "God is testing you". Come on! When have you ever heard any believer claiming exercise as a test from God? The comparison is meaningless.
The statement, "that which does not kill us makes us stronger" may generally be believed to be true. So was the belief that the earth was flat at one time. It has since been proved false and so has that first statement, by modern medical studies on traumatic stress. So, it is not a truism. If by "your experience" you mean your experiences excercising then you are really stretching for an argument. Still, if you insist on using that example, extreme exercise can injure and weaken the body permanently and does not make one stronger! Very much like God's supposed testing of humans!
Cog
