Posted by James 5:16 on September 14, 2001 at 20:39:55:
In Reply to: Forsaken posted by ezekiel 25:17 on September 14, 2001 at 07:36:53:
: Truly at times the gift of prophecy would be useful, yet all I can see in the future is pain, suffering, misery and the deaths of innocents.
: If God did create man, after all our history, I wouldn't blame him for forsaking us.
Ezekiel,
I too wish for the gift of prophecy some days. I don't know what the ultimate outcome of this action may be. I do know that the future will tell us.
I do believe that God created man, and due to the sin of Adam, became separate from us. No longer could we be in His presence directly. Due to this sin, we are separate from Him until the end of time.
Because of this we, as finite humans, cannot always know why what has happened did happen. Each person turns to the strength that he or she knows will enable that person to survive the crisis that has occured.
Some people turn inward, because they have nowhere else to turn.
Some turn to the god that aids them. That god can vary so much, as from the Christian God to a god derived from their own definition of what a savior might be.
The definion varies, but ultimately we all desire a better life for us all. I have perhaps an innocent perspective of the human condition that we begin bad and work our way towards our definition of goodness. That definition varies, of course, based on our choice of religion. We all work to that definition of goodness. Even these men and women that I find as deplorable as the terrorists that commited Tuesday's atrocities.
I find it difficult to forgive such people.
I want justice.
I want destruction.
I want death for them all.
However, what good does that do me? Or them?
In truth, it does nothing. I cannot change the universe in a way that will give me and my fellow Americans justice for what has happened. I can only do two things from my perspective (and for those of you that have read my previous postings, this will be nothing new).
1) Forgiveness for myself for sinfully wishing death and torure and like for the monsterous humans that performed this abominable action. It isn't right that I feel so vindictive for what has happened. It's sinful. So, I ask my Lord for forgiveness.
2) That the Lord will punish these men and women for what they have done. Not just on this plane, but on the Eternal one as well. I can only believe that the criminals that planned and performed this dreadful deed are not believers in Christ and will indeed find their way to Hell. However, that is not my choice to make. God sets the rules and makes the choice of where each soul spends eternity. By the rules of my religion, I can feel confident that it will not be shared with me. Again, not my choice to make. I trust God in His judgement.
I hope some of this has provided some consolation to those that have lost family members, friends, and associates. To these people and to a truly grieving nation, I offer my sorrow and prayers.
My hopes and love go out to a grieving planet.
To Ezekiel, yes, this is why God has forsaken our planet. However, this is also why He sent His son, Jesus Christ, so that there is potential to rectify this situation. We can look to that Son and find a solution to the evil of our world.
Again, despite the losing hand I've been given in this life, I do love it because I love and belong to God. I cannot make any other man or woman believe that or in the Lord as I do.
There will always be that division. Forever. Nothing I can say or do will change that.
I as a Christian know that the division is an eternal one. One that I cannot have a hand in defining. One only where I simply belong.
God is watching us. And them. How we react shall be a definition of ourselves and our beliefs.
Dealing with terrorists is very different then with a nation-state. They have no rules.
How we behave now will impact the future for decades and centuries to come. Let's look for guidance in all of this.
That's all I have to say I suppose.
Thanks for reading and again my condolences to you all,
James 5:16