You don't make someone love you. You earn their love by example and respect. Love will grow from that if it is to grow at all.

That is not rocket science - so I am also confused why God's very existence should be such a big mystery if indeed he does exist in the "biblical" context.

 

Fuzzy, sorry I missed it. While I often appreciate your quick wit and your sense of humor, sometimes it isn't obvious to me when you are just jokin. Maybe I am getting a little punchy here, been taking a couple a good ones on the chin not to mention the annoying jabs from some who are not really well equipped to run with the big dogs. That doesn't mean you.

 

(Presumptuous) Woof.

BTW WB3 your opinion on my question from 7:06 this morning would be aprreciated.

 

(translated: "Meow")

you ain't foolin anyone, Sinjin. Yer just a big 'ol puddy cat.

. . with a wicked avatar

 

Yea, I know willowbilly3. I think I may have landed one or two myself. . . but you managed a formidable and respectful rebuke!

Anyway, that is why I jumped the fence and threw a fit when you got "attacked". You clearly didn't -and don't - deserve it.

Sincerely,
Fuzzy.

 

Is this the one sinjin? I couldn't find one from 7:06, must be the time difference.
Well first of all I would have to say that I don't think God really wants you to doubt His existance so I can't honestly answer that question.
He gave us free will, I think hoping that you would choose to not only believe but seek Him. Free will is a key element of a working relationship. How would He know your heart if you never had to choose. I just don't think that he wants a bunch of mindless zombies that all follow Him without choosing to or even knowing why. Now that doesn't mean there aren't some(humor intended)
I think He was hoping that you would use your free will to make a different choice.
The last part of your question is a lot tougher and I will be stretching a little here but I will try. You don't know how many times I have put the same question in His face. In many of those instances the answer did come later and made perfect sense. Some I am still waiting on. In part I can say that most of my experience would point to God not just bailing in everytime you are in trouble because there would be no strengthening or lesson learned. Sometimes the best long term answer is for you to muck through it and come out the other end, not only strenghthened, bit much better equipped to minister to someone else that is going through a similiar situation. An example of that is a Christian man who suffered debilitating depression for over three years. He continued to cry out to God and found no relief. In fact it seemed God had turned away from him. When he finally did get set free from it, quickly and most miraculously, he decided to counsel other people with depression. Only later did he realize that it was the only way God could equip him with the compassion and understanding he needed to answer his call. I know this doesn't totally adress the questions that you raised but for now it is the best I can come up with. I am not always real quick and sometimes I have to ponder a spell to get it. And at the risk of just throwing a blanket over the whole thing I sometimes just have to back off and tell myself:God is God and I am not, His wisdom is infinitly greater than my own and I just have to trust that what he is doing is for the best somehow, even if I don't understand or agree. I think even most Christians at some time or another wondered why a child had to die or someone had to suffer. We don't always have an answer.

 

Fuzzy, I didn't wan't my expression of appreciation to you to get buried in that last post. You grew about a foot back there when you jumped the fence for me. As the Texans here say"Preesheeateya"

 

Sinjin, in rebute to your last quistion posed. Has your Father never let you take a small fall to learn a lesson? Let you buy that old car/truck he knew was a money pit and a basket case, but it eventually taught you to look a little deeper. Did he not let you fight in that childhood squable? So you could learn from the little stuff before you got to the big problems? In which case if you truly needed him he would jump in and help you out? You obviously have yet to make it to the big stuff. Perhaps I shouls be quistioning God? In the past week my truck has been hit twice, I have run into other problems, and as a slap in the face my Headlight bulb burned out yesterday morning on my way to work. (I am just pointing out the truck because other examples are more personel) Do I ask God why this crap happens everytime I have money and make plans? no, I try to work past it. I know that He will make sure I make it through, but He wants me to make it through this part alone, to learn. While He will willingly help me out when the need arises, He has alot of otehr people to take care of also, and therefore, I feel I should be able to try and make it through as much as I can without Him helping directly, (I just ask for His strength to make it). I hope this helps out Sinjin.

Jimmy Dean

 

Awwww - shucks, Willowbilly3, it was just the right thing to do. 'simple as that.

. . besides, they ticked me off. I was having a ton of fun arguing with you, and they came in and screwed it all up!!

 

Okay..go outside in the morning and look around..could anyone but God offer the panorama that you see, or give you sight so that you are able to see...the monkey maybe? Could anyone but God give you the ability to even cypher the magnitude of this question? As you are lying on your death bed, and that will happen, who are you going to ask for...anything? Only a fool would dispute the fact there is a supreme being, and only someone who has no idea would suggest that his name is anything but God.

 

Seabisquit, The first part of you post I am in total agreement with and actually all of it, but with the choice of words in your last sentence you better get your flak-jacket on. I have a feeling they are in load and lock mode right now. I'm getting outa here before I get caught in the cross fire. If you get too wounded to crawl off the battle field I will try to come drag you out. I gotta go get some smoke bombs ready.

 

Consider the hammer dropped.

Seabisquit,

as you have just called me DIRECTLY a fool, and told me I have "no idea".

I will ask you politely out of respect for this forum to simply . . .

justify your statement, or retract it formally.

Respectfully.
(feeling the select fire option set, and clicking the safety off)

 

Go get 'em, Captain!

Waxy

 

hm......can I help him, I would like to, but umm...I feel like living to argue another day.

 

I am familiar with the reasoning but it is flawed.

Beauty is subjective. What about "ugly" panoramas?

The impression of seamless order in the natural world is subjective. Chaos is just as easy to see as "order" if you look.

Fruit taste sweet to your tongue not because the fruit was "designed" to taste that way, your tongue has "acquired" a taste for it. Very different.

As far as your mind seeking the "cause" of all effects, your mind
has developed that way to solve the little problems of survival and now applies the same reasoning to the larger questions.
The fact that it even asks the larger questions is folly since it cannot take into account all variables but it believes it can.