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I remember in abortion threads all you right wings Christian nuts quoted:
Jeremiah 1:5
5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
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So it seems a Judaic God decides your lot in life and :
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
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If only you fundamentalist would decide what the bible means, one day the Father knew us in the womb, the next we have free will. LOL you guys have no clue to what the scripture says.
It says what they want it to say at the time.
OH is that how books work?
They're written in invisible ink now or something? Wow
Oh be careful, sue will just start calling you juvenile names and claim you are 12 because you don't believe her brand of religion.I remember in abortion threads all you right wings Christian nuts quoted:
Jeremiah 1:5
5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
So it seems a Judaic God decides your lot in life and :
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
---------------------------------------------
If only you fundamentalist would decide what the bible means, one day the Father knew us in the womb, the next we have free will. LOL you guys have no clue to what the scripture says.
It says what they want it to say at the time.
OH is that how books work?
They're written in invisible ink now or something? Wow
Well, no. They just pick out the parts that they think justifies their wants, and ignore the rest. If the part they choose doesn't completely justify their wants, then they have to twist it, or just make up some shit to go with it. We've both seen that lots of times.
Oh be careful, sue will just start calling you juvenile names and claim you are 12 because you don't believe her brand of religion.I remember in abortion threads all you right wings Christian nuts quoted:
Jeremiah 1:5
5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
So it seems a Judaic God decides your lot in life and :
Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
---------------------------------------------
If only you fundamentalist would decide what the bible means, one day the Father knew us in the womb, the next we have free will. LOL you guys have no clue to what the scripture says.
It says what they want it to say at the time.
OH is that how books work?
They're written in invisible ink now or something? Wow
Well, no. They just pick out the parts that they think justifies their wants, and ignore the rest. If the part they choose doesn't completely justify their wants, then they have to twist it, or just make up some shit to go with it. We've both seen that lots of times.
And you are correct.
.I am no on a path of misgivings, I simply do not understand why when we have a free choice we are punished for choices that do not agree.Dear Mr. MikeTX, God lets man determine his destiny, because He is the author of freedom. If a man kills his brother, God didn't make him do that. The man who killed his brother did that by direct influence of only his own free will, and God is not inside that man making him kill his mother's other son, breaking her heart and devastating his father.
The son of a man in our Congregation committed suicide, and I held this man in my arms during our Passing of the Peace in church today. I could feel his sorrow. His skin was hot like high blood pressure hot. Tears were in his eyes. I could feel his broken heart, Mike. His heart was broken in every way. But God didn't put the gun to his son's head. That son was no kid, either. he was mid-thirties, a grown man, and nobody even knew he had troubles. My friend was in no way to blame. Yet I could see the coulda-woulda-shoulda look as he shook with sorrow. I'm going to be there for that friend if he ever calls, and I am going to be praying for him and his big family until they understand that men have free will, and sometimes the self-pity bubble hides the love others have for him. I comforted him as best I could. And I asked God to please help him understand he is not at fault and figure it out sooner so it doesn't kill his inner man. I asked God to ease his mind. I asked God to help him. And I know God will, because I believe in God, and I believe that he can heal a broken heart and dismiss the angst of a tortured mind. And right now, I'm crying, because I love the people in my church, and it feels like a brother lost the best thing in his life, so I will keep on with my petitions to God to heal this man and show him he is not to blame, because he isn't. He loves his son, and he knows what death is, because a few years ago he lost his wife, and they say she was one of the sweetest human beings on earth, so I know exactly how he must feel now. But he also knows he has a friend, and he will probably never call at me, but he will see my smiling face in the choir loft when he comes to church and he will remember me sharing his sorrow, which believe it or not, lightens that sorrow little by little as other friends and family share with each other their love and affection for each other, in a way a mere friend like me can just lighten a little of the storm for the flicker of a moment.
Life is a gift, and we have the choice on how to live it. I chose to give my life to making little quilt blankets for fatherless newborns who will be born into a single-parent family where the parent is recuperating from giving birth which takes a few weeks, and then she will have to bring home the bacon all by herself until the father provides her with enough to care for herself and the newborn. For some reason, in this country, people have lost their faith in God. The man and his family think they are doing him a favor by separating him from his girlfriend they now judge as a cheap money grubber. People are cold about children in their own families born out of wedlock. And we can't change that, nor point any fingers because frankly, that is not our job. All judgment belongs to God, not ourselves. As the Psalm 100 verse 3 says, "Know that the Lord, He is God. It is he that has made us and not we ourselves." And the 5th verse says "Know that the Lord is good, his mercy is everlasting, and his truth endures to all generations."
I'm sorry you're on a path of misgivings, my good friend Mike. If I could give you my complete trust and faith in God, I totally would. But all I have is the hope you will learn faith in God, because I promise you, his love never ends for those who put their trust in him.
I hope I have not offended you, Mr. Mike. i've come to liking you as a friend, even if I might never influence you one way or the other. I can only hope you gain peace of heart when you find that God loves you like as a father, filled with compassion and wants for you to have the best of his good gifts.
Good night. I have to pray for my friend who lost his dear son and feels a little in limbo right now. I hope you will put him on your prayer list too, so his blood pressure will go down and peace will be restored in his soul when he accepts his loss and trusts God to forgive his son if he will ask him to. God is pretty compliant that way. And if you ask God to help and bless those in the throes of a great loss, know in your heart he will.I hope others will pray for those who have such family losses. There's an island that can't account for 6000 people who need our prayers for the survivors on the Bahama Island chain. Pray sincerely for them, too. There is endless sorrow there and your prayers are appreciated.
I am no on a path of misgivings, I simply do not understand why when we have a free choice we are punished for choices that do not agree.
We have free will, but if we choose to kill someone with that free will, we have a bible to read that enlightens us as to what we can expect. The first killer, Cain, was cast out of his family for killing his brother and destined to never see what was left of his family again plus remain a wanderer in strange lands for the duration of his sorrowful life. Even so, God made it clear no one should harm him.I am no on a path of misgivings, I simply do not understand why when we have a free choice we are punished for choices that do not agree.Dear Mr. MikeTX, God lets man determine his destiny, because He is the author of freedom. If a man kills his brother, God didn't make him do that. The man who killed his brother did that by direct influence of only his own free will, and God is not inside that man making him kill his mother's other son, breaking her heart and devastating his father.
The son of a man in our Congregation committed suicide, and I held this man in my arms during our Passing of the Peace in church today. I could feel his sorrow. His skin was hot like high blood pressure hot. Tears were in his eyes. I could feel his broken heart, Mike. His heart was broken in every way. But God didn't put the gun to his son's head. That son was no kid, either. he was mid-thirties, a grown man, and nobody even knew he had troubles. My friend was in no way to blame. Yet I could see the coulda-woulda-shoulda look as he shook with sorrow. I'm going to be there for that friend if he ever calls, and I am going to be praying for him and his big family until they understand that men have free will, and sometimes the self-pity bubble hides the love others have for him. I comforted him as best I could. And I asked God to please help him understand he is not at fault and figure it out sooner so it doesn't kill his inner man. I asked God to ease his mind. I asked God to help him. And I know God will, because I believe in God, and I believe that he can heal a broken heart and dismiss the angst of a tortured mind. And right now, I'm crying, because I love the people in my church, and it feels like a brother lost the best thing in his life, so I will keep on with my petitions to God to heal this man and show him he is not to blame, because he isn't. He loves his son, and he knows what death is, because a few years ago he lost his wife, and they say she was one of the sweetest human beings on earth, so I know exactly how he must feel now. But he also knows he has a friend, and he will probably never call at me, but he will see my smiling face in the choir loft when he comes to church and he will remember me sharing his sorrow, which believe it or not, lightens that sorrow little by little as other friends and family share with each other their love and affection for each other, in a way a mere friend like me can just lighten a little of the storm for the flicker of a moment.
Life is a gift, and we have the choice on how to live it. I chose to give my life to making little quilt blankets for fatherless newborns who will be born into a single-parent family where the parent is recuperating from giving birth which takes a few weeks, and then she will have to bring home the bacon all by herself until the father provides her with enough to care for herself and the newborn. For some reason, in this country, people have lost their faith in God. The man and his family think they are doing him a favor by separating him from his girlfriend they now judge as a cheap money grubber. People are cold about children in their own families born out of wedlock. And we can't change that, nor point any fingers because frankly, that is not our job. All judgment belongs to God, not ourselves. As the Psalm 100 verse 3 says, "Know that the Lord, He is God. It is he that has made us and not we ourselves." And the 5th verse says "Know that the Lord is good, his mercy is everlasting, and his truth endures to all generations."
I'm sorry you're on a path of misgivings, my good friend Mike. If I could give you my complete trust and faith in God, I totally would. But all I have is the hope you will learn faith in God, because I promise you, his love never ends for those who put their trust in him.
I hope I have not offended you, Mr. Mike. i've come to liking you as a friend, even if I might never influence you one way or the other. I can only hope you gain peace of heart when you find that God loves you like as a father, filled with compassion and wants for you to have the best of his good gifts.
Good night. I have to pray for my friend who lost his dear son and feels a little in limbo right now. I hope you will put him on your prayer list too, so his blood pressure will go down and peace will be restored in his soul when he accepts his loss and trusts God to forgive his son if he will ask him to. God is pretty compliant that way. And if you ask God to help and bless those in the throes of a great loss, know in your heart he will.
My life is hell.God, if real, and maybe he or she is, must be a democrat. Why else would he or she give us all freedom of choice and then kill us all when we make choices he or she does not agree with?
Not only does He not kill you, He forgives you while you are in the act of making decisions He doesn't agree with. He puts your bad choices behind Him and remembers them no more. He died in your place and paid the consequences of your bad decisions so that you can live an eternity as the child and heir of the Most High. And offered you a perfect record to enter Heaven with, as a gift, to you, His boy. What else is it you think He should be doing for you?
Your fault.My life is hell.God, if real, and maybe he or she is, must be a democrat. Why else would he or she give us all freedom of choice and then kill us all when we make choices he or she does not agree with?
Not only does He not kill you, He forgives you while you are in the act of making decisions He doesn't agree with. He puts your bad choices behind Him and remembers them no more. He died in your place and paid the consequences of your bad decisions so that you can live an eternity as the child and heir of the Most High. And offered you a perfect record to enter Heaven with, as a gift, to you, His boy. What else is it you think He should be doing for you?
Why? And is it God's fault?
I am no on a path of misgivings said:God, if such exists, does not punish you for your bad decisions. You are merely required to deal with the consequences of your choices. Seems fair to me."
Ouch. Because there's a lot to you, Mr. Mike, on a hunch I listened the majority of the book of Ezekiel. Somewhere in the middle of the first half I realized that could be a book that could speak to you. I've read the Bible at least 2 times on the year-long basis where someone in a Church we attended in Albany, Oregon had a read-it-in-a-year program printout, and I did then, then repeated the reading program 4 or 5 years later. The second time, I realized how little I remembered from the first time. I couldn't believe it. Of course I remembered snoring through the "and so (father's name) begat (son's name)," some where in the Chronicles, and possibly reiterated somewhere in the New Testament (short version), knowing that those scriptures mean something who is a family history buff and has a good idea of every generation from Adam on of his family. Most of us, even if we had an ancestor in the lineup, wouldn't know which tribe they are related to. But Ezekiel is a book like no other. It's interesting, but I got the impression it would have more to do with a man's interests than a woman who is more interested in clothing construction, crochet lace, and quiltmaking than the big picture, which may be what you were driving at. All I can say is I recommend you read Ezekiel that might help you get out of feeling that your life is hell, or give you a staircase to a higher level than that. It's like deciding to go on an exercise program when 1 out of 4 sessions end in 5 minutes due to a sports injury or a fall. It's still worth the 3 times you can work on physical weaknesses you have that make sense to you. I can't lift with ease a 28 pound box of cat litter, which isn't the largest size, but I have to get cat litter several times every month to keep my cat healthy and with a fresh box. So I went after increasing upper arm strength, which I never had much of even when I was running 6 minute miles every day back when.My life is hell.God, if real, and maybe he or she is, must be a democrat. Why else would he or she give us all freedom of choice and then kill us all when we make choices he or she does not agree with?
Not only does He not kill you, He forgives you while you are in the act of making decisions He doesn't agree with. He puts your bad choices behind Him and remembers them no more. He died in your place and paid the consequences of your bad decisions so that you can live an eternity as the child and heir of the Most High. And offered you a perfect record to enter Heaven with, as a gift, to you, His boy. What else is it you think He should be doing for you?
Ezekiel is a wonderful book. Much of the imagery is impossible for me to understand even after reading it many times. The concept of "Son of Man" is more thoroughly explained in Ezekiel than any other book. Chapter 16 v1-6 finally allowed me to understand the inequity of the Amorites described in Gen. 15 v16 and how it lead directly to the Lord bringing Israel into existence. It seems that God is very serious when it comes to how protective he is of women and mans proper way of treating them.Ouch. Because there's a lot to you, Mr. Mike, on a hunch I listened the majority of the book of Ezekiel. Somewhere in the middle of the first half I realized that could be a book that could speak to you. I've read the Bible at least 2 times on the year-long basis where someone in a Church we attended in Albany, Oregon had a read-it-in-a-year program printout, and I did then, then repeated the reading program 4 or 5 years later. The second time, I realized how little I remembered from the first time. I couldn't believe it. Of course I remembered snoring through the "and so (father's name) begat (son's name)," some where in the Chronicles, and possibly reiterated somewhere in the New Testament (short version), knowing that those scriptures mean something who is a family history buff and has a good idea of every generation from Adam on of his family. Most of us, even if we had an ancestor in the lineup, wouldn't know which tribe they are related to. But Ezekiel is a book like no other. It's interesting, but I got the impression it would have more to do with a man's interests than a woman who is more interested in clothing construction, crochet lace, and quiltmaking than the big picture, which may be what you were driving at. All I can say is I recommend you read Ezekiel that might help you get out of feeling that your life is hell, or give you a staircase to a higher level than that. It's like deciding to go on an exercise program when 1 out of 4 sessions end in 5 minutes due to a sports injury or a fall. It's still worth the 3 times you can work on physical weaknesses you have that make sense to you. I can't lift with ease a 28 pound box of cat litter, which isn't the largest size, but I have to get cat litter several times every month to keep my cat healthy and with a fresh box. So I went after increasing upper arm strength, which I never had much of even when I was running 6 minute miles every day back when.My life is hell.God, if real, and maybe he or she is, must be a democrat. Why else would he or she give us all freedom of choice and then kill us all when we make choices he or she does not agree with?
Not only does He not kill you, He forgives you while you are in the act of making decisions He doesn't agree with. He puts your bad choices behind Him and remembers them no more. He died in your place and paid the consequences of your bad decisions so that you can live an eternity as the child and heir of the Most High. And offered you a perfect record to enter Heaven with, as a gift, to you, His boy. What else is it you think He should be doing for you?
I had to read it twice. My listening skills are not near as good as my literary reading skills, so the second time through, I was pretty sure I understood what was being said, and it seemed to be talking in manly-interest terms, which is not my forte. I just thought you might get some kind of insight into what is making your life feel like hell when I see a courage in some of the things you say few people have. Happy reading. (or not) Sometimes when we're feeling bad, it could be we need to talk to someone who unconditionally is on our side. That's God for you. He has a way of listening to you we humans do not have, and you'll know it when you perceive that he is the best listener you will ever have on your side. We humans can disappoint or not understand you. We may fail to understand God. God doesn't ever fail us.
Thank you for a great, uplifting post, foggedinn. I've been wanting to do an in-depth reading of Ezekiel for almost 18 months, but decided to start with Genesis and finish with Revelations on my Bible series cd set. And my reason was quite vapid. My dad said his grandfather on his father's side was named Ezekiel, and he allegedly rode with the "Rough Riders". I'm not much of a family historian, but I just wondered who his parents were who'd name their son "Ezekiel," obviously a very long book in the Bible that starts with a dream about a wheel in a wheel in a wheel and the rainbow colors associated with God, and somewhere toward the end there is a vision of dry bones dancing. (I think, but can't be for sure). I know I've read the book several times, but it's never sunk in, I noticed in the parts I both heard and followed up with reading covered some things about how some men feel that escaped me when I read it earlier, and thought I'd see if MikeTX could make heads or tails of it, because he has a way of sloughing through very complicated material and picking out what's really important, and he does it even when he's playing around in the FZ. I see that you've been here since 2008, but have posted occasionally. I'm honored you'd find something in one of my posts and enjoyed your post and reading what you think about the book of Ezekiel that probably flew right over my head. Thanks for your generous sharing of something I missed.Ezekiel is a wonderful book. Much of the imagery is impossible for me to understand even after reading it many times. The concept of "Son of Man" is more thoroughly explained in Ezekiel than any other book. Chapter 16 v1-6 finally allowed me to understand the inequity of the Amorites described in Gen. 15 v16 and how it lead directly to the Lord bringing Israel into existence. It seems that God is very serious when it comes to how protective he is of women and mans proper way of treating them.Ouch. Because there's a lot to you, Mr. Mike, on a hunch I listened the majority of the book of Ezekiel. Somewhere in the middle of the first half I realized that could be a book that could speak to you. I've read the Bible at least 2 times on the year-long basis where someone in a Church we attended in Albany, Oregon had a read-it-in-a-year program printout, and I did then, then repeated the reading program 4 or 5 years later. The second time, I realized how little I remembered from the first time. I couldn't believe it. Of course I remembered snoring through the "and so (father's name) begat (son's name)," some where in the Chronicles, and possibly reiterated somewhere in the New Testament (short version), knowing that those scriptures mean something who is a family history buff and has a good idea of every generation from Adam on of his family. Most of us, even if we had an ancestor in the lineup, wouldn't know which tribe they are related to. But Ezekiel is a book like no other. It's interesting, but I got the impression it would have more to do with a man's interests than a woman who is more interested in clothing construction, crochet lace, and quiltmaking than the big picture, which may be what you were driving at. All I can say is I recommend you read Ezekiel that might help you get out of feeling that your life is hell, or give you a staircase to a higher level than that. It's like deciding to go on an exercise program when 1 out of 4 sessions end in 5 minutes due to a sports injury or a fall. It's still worth the 3 times you can work on physical weaknesses you have that make sense to you. I can't lift with ease a 28 pound box of cat litter, which isn't the largest size, but I have to get cat litter several times every month to keep my cat healthy and with a fresh box. So I went after increasing upper arm strength, which I never had much of even when I was running 6 minute miles every day back when.My life is hell.God, if real, and maybe he or she is, must be a democrat. Why else would he or she give us all freedom of choice and then kill us all when we make choices he or she does not agree with?
Not only does He not kill you, He forgives you while you are in the act of making decisions He doesn't agree with. He puts your bad choices behind Him and remembers them no more. He died in your place and paid the consequences of your bad decisions so that you can live an eternity as the child and heir of the Most High. And offered you a perfect record to enter Heaven with, as a gift, to you, His boy. What else is it you think He should be doing for you?
I had to read it twice. My listening skills are not near as good as my literary reading skills, so the second time through, I was pretty sure I understood what was being said, and it seemed to be talking in manly-interest terms, which is not my forte. I just thought you might get some kind of insight into what is making your life feel like hell when I see a courage in some of the things you say few people have. Happy reading. (or not) Sometimes when we're feeling bad, it could be we need to talk to someone who unconditionally is on our side. That's God for you. He has a way of listening to you we humans do not have, and you'll know it when you perceive that he is the best listener you will ever have on your side. We humans can disappoint or not understand you. We may fail to understand God. God doesn't ever fail us.
And I noticed on Amazon when I looked to see if anyone had ever filmed the life of Ezekiel, even the high points, and couldn't find a single DVD on it, and the one that said it was an explanation about the book of Ezekiel was way out of my price range for DVDs. So I jumped in today, and realized that parts of the middle of the book are directly connected to the same concerns Mike was concerned about in some matter in his life, which I wouldn't even attempt to guess, because I am flat out the absolutely worst "psychic" in the world!!! I realized this the first time I met my mother-in-law. She was pointing out that she knew my husband was hungry, sleepy, thinking about this or that, to which he smiled because he knew she could read him like a book. For all those things she knew, all I could do was to think "uh, doh!" My gosh, that was over 40 years ago. (my husband passed in 2016, and his mom passed in 2017.) I never, never, could ever have a clue what he was thinking, so I just made sure breakfast was at 6, lunch was at 12, dinner was at 6, etc. /red face.
God, if real, and maybe he or she is, must be a democrat. Why else would he or she give us all freedom of choice and then kill us all when we make choices he or she does not agree with?
I believe that God shares in all of our experiences; good and bad. So if you are suffering, He is too.My life is hell.God, if real, and maybe he or she is, must be a democrat. Why else would he or she give us all freedom of choice and then kill us all when we make choices he or she does not agree with?
Not only does He not kill you, He forgives you while you are in the act of making decisions He doesn't agree with. He puts your bad choices behind Him and remembers them no more. He died in your place and paid the consequences of your bad decisions so that you can live an eternity as the child and heir of the Most High. And offered you a perfect record to enter Heaven with, as a gift, to you, His boy. What else is it you think He should be doing for you?
God, if real, and maybe he or she is, must be a democrat. Why else would he or she give us all freedom of choice and then kill us all when we make choices he or she does not agree with?
William James take on belief in God and suffering:
When all is said and done, we are in the end absolutely dependent on the universe; and into sacrifices and surrenders of some sort, deliberately looked at and accepted, we are drawn and pressed as into our only permanent positions of repose. Now in those states of mind which fall short of religion, the surrender is submitted to as an imposition of necessity, and the sacrifice is undergone at the very best without complaint. In the religious life, on the contrary, surrender and sacrifice are positively espoused: even unnecessary givings-up are added in order that the happiness may increase. Religion thus makes easy and felicitous what in any case is necessary; and if it be the only agency that can accomplish this result, its vital importance as a human faculty stands vindicated beyond dispute. It becomes an essential organ of our life, performing a function which no other portion of our nature can so successfully fulfill.
The best you can hope for is to suffer without complaint.View attachment 278824William James take on belief in God and suffering:
When all is said and done, we are in the end absolutely dependent on the universe; and into sacrifices and surrenders of some sort, deliberately looked at and accepted, we are drawn and pressed as into our only permanent positions of repose. Now in those states of mind which fall short of religion, the surrender is submitted to as an imposition of necessity, and the sacrifice is undergone at the very best without complaint. In the religious life, on the contrary, surrender and sacrifice are positively espoused: even unnecessary givings-up are added in order that the happiness may increase. Religion thus makes easy and felicitous what in any case is necessary; and if it be the only agency that can accomplish this result, its vital importance as a human faculty stands vindicated beyond dispute. It becomes an essential organ of our life, performing a function which no other portion of our nature can so successfully fulfill.
How do you know that?The best you can hope for is to suffer without complaint.View attachment 278824William James take on belief in God and suffering:
When all is said and done, we are in the end absolutely dependent on the universe; and into sacrifices and surrenders of some sort, deliberately looked at and accepted, we are drawn and pressed as into our only permanent positions of repose. Now in those states of mind which fall short of religion, the surrender is submitted to as an imposition of necessity, and the sacrifice is undergone at the very best without complaint. In the religious life, on the contrary, surrender and sacrifice are positively espoused: even unnecessary givings-up are added in order that the happiness may increase. Religion thus makes easy and felicitous what in any case is necessary; and if it be the only agency that can accomplish this result, its vital importance as a human faculty stands vindicated beyond dispute. It becomes an essential organ of our life, performing a function which no other portion of our nature can so successfully fulfill.
Because you see no value in suffering or making sacrifices.How do you know that?The best you can hope for is to suffer without complaint.View attachment 278824William James take on belief in God and suffering:
When all is said and done, we are in the end absolutely dependent on the universe; and into sacrifices and surrenders of some sort, deliberately looked at and accepted, we are drawn and pressed as into our only permanent positions of repose. Now in those states of mind which fall short of religion, the surrender is submitted to as an imposition of necessity, and the sacrifice is undergone at the very best without complaint. In the religious life, on the contrary, surrender and sacrifice are positively espoused: even unnecessary givings-up are added in order that the happiness may increase. Religion thus makes easy and felicitous what in any case is necessary; and if it be the only agency that can accomplish this result, its vital importance as a human faculty stands vindicated beyond dispute. It becomes an essential organ of our life, performing a function which no other portion of our nature can so successfully fulfill.
