God is not a good Samaritan (page 3)

peacedog

BurnTheShips:

You're breathing, aren't you?

I wonder if the priest and the Levite said the same thing to the man lying at the side of the road as they strolled on by.....

EndofMysteries

Wait until your before the judgement throne to make any assumptions.

Some bible verses speak of Jesus for example, being 'made' perfect by the things he suffered.

Has your viewpoint on anybody ever changed after experiencing something unpleasant?

For example.....have you ever judged someone, and then when you experienced what you judged them on, you found yourself a better person, having understood why they may have done something?

If God has eternal plans for some or all of us, the suffering may have more reasons then him just sitting back for no reason letting things happen for no reason.

snowbird

If God has eternal plans for some or all of us, the suffering may have more reasons then him just sitting back for no reason letting things happen for no reason.

Agreed.

Syl

PSacramento

If one has the power to prevent or remove suffering and yet he does not, I think it can be said that one is ALLOWING suffering.

A very valid question.

Some have presupposed that God doesn't stop certain things because he doesn't alow himself to override the very laws of nature he created.

If that works for you, great.

Others will say that NO ONE is good and as such, all deserve to suffer.

If that workd for you, great.

Neither works for me by the way.

MAYBE it is like the parable of the fisherman - give someone a fish and they are not hungry for a couple of hourse, teach them to fish and they will never go hungry.

God can fix these things but then where would we be?

Again, deep down we know that the vast majority of suffering is self inflected in the sense that we as a people can put an end to it, why don't we?

God has given us all the tools we need AND he is there for us to strenghten us to do what is needed, what more do we want for God?

The easy way out, for God to do it.

You know what? deep down I want that too because Iknwo that I am too lazy and selfish to be that good Samaritan that Jesus spoke about, but you know what? since I have accepted God and Jesus, I have been BETTER.

Maybe that means something...

tec

Has your viewpoint on anybody ever changed after experiencing something unpleasant? For example.....have you ever judged someone, and then when you experienced what you judged them on, you found yourself a better person, having understood why they may have done something?

Yes. I found it very humbling, and I'm glad I experienced it.

Which is one of the reasons I believe God, who reads hearts and minds of all, is the only one qualified to know what we all need and when we all need it.

Tammy

tec

Maybe that means something...

I think it does.

Tammy

EndofMysteries

PSSacremento -

That's a very good point you bring up as well!

Some people want God to fix everything, but they don't wanna listen to him either!

As humans, 'most' of our suffering IS self inflicted.

Lets check how much is due to US humans vs nature...

1. War 2. murder 3. theft. 4. famine (due to greed, etc, the entire world can easily eat full meal everyday, its politics, etc that make it otherwise) 5. Disease (though some natural, what we eat, how we eat, all the CHEMICALS and preservatives, etc) 6. greed 7. Natural disasters (most 'harm' is due to 'how' we build things. Homes and cities can be made to withstand most natural disasters, yet back to greed, etc, make it cheapest way possible and sell for highest price possible. 8. pollution

Things beyond human control............1. Eventual physical death 2. natural disease not influenced by what we eat or how we live 3. mosquitos

PSacramento

Things beyond human control............1. Eventual physical death 2. natural disease not influenced by what we eat or how we live 3. mosquitos

We are not immortal so death sucks !

;)

The world evolved over 100's of millions of years and so did many things such as the natural "population control" that is needed to maintain a balanced habitat and viruses serve that purpose, don't like them? don't live near them, know what I mean?

tec

Mosquitoes :)

peacedog

Good comments, thanks.

I said in a previous post that I wish I could consider suffering as beneficial in some way (PSac) or that in the future it would all make sense (EndOfMysteries). Problem is, neither of these views does anything to alleviate our suffering. Perhaps the priest and the Levite held these views. So what was the point of holding them out as inferior to the Samaritan in Jesus' parable?

PSac:

God can fix these things but then where would we be?

Happy, maybe? Not suffering, at least.

Again, deep down we know that the vast majority of suffering is self inflected in the sense that we as a people can put an end to it, why don't we?

Tell that to the cancer patient. Or the alzheimer's sufferer. Or the person suffering from anxiety disorders or depression. Or the child born with fetal alcohol syndrome. Is their suffering self-inflicted? God walks past these people every day....

God is not a good Samaritan

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