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 A man pauses at a memorial of crosses near the movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, the scene of last week's mass shooting.
July 26th, 2012
02:49 PM ET
My Take: CNN readers' 7 answers to 'Where was God in Aurora?'
By Stephen Prothero, Special to CNN Over the last few days, CNN’s Belief Blog has received more than 10,000 responses to its question, “Where was God in Aurora?” The underlying concern here has vexed theologians for centuries: How can evil happen in a world that is lorded over by a good and all-powerful God? As CNN's readers struggled to make sense of God's presence (or absence) in the Aurora, Colorado, massacre, I counted seven different answers to this question: 1. There is no God. Self-professed atheists may make up only 2% of the U.S. population, but they are extraordinarily active online, and on CNN's Belief Blog. A commenter who identified as Jason spoke for them when he wrote, “Where was God? He was where he has always been. Nowhere because God does not exist.” Bob Dobbs agreed: “God is imaginary. The question is moot.” Many in this camp also quoted the ancient Greek philosopher (and skeptic) Epicurus:
2. Don’t blame God, blame Satan. Many theists on the site described the world as a battleground between God, who is working for good, and Satan, who is working for evil. “As long as Satan is loose to promote evil, bad things will happen to good people,” wrote kat. 3. Don’t blame God, blame us. Probably the most common response from Christian commenters was that evil is a result of free will. Do we really want to be “puppets” or “robots"? Of course not. So God has given us the will to choose either evil or good. Watch: Survivor of massacre says he forgives gunman Believer summed up this position well:
Here Deborah also chimed in: “This act of violence was not God's will. I get so tried of people blaming God for evil acts. Humans of their own free will do evil things.” 4. God was behind the massacre, and it was just. Some believers saw God’s righteous hand in the Aurora massacre, inflicting a just punishment on a wayward nation now run by secular liberals rather than conservative Christians. Lenny wrote:
Read: The man who made Aurora’s iconic crosses Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, took a similar tack in an appearance on the Heritage Foundation's "Istook Live" radio show, laying the blame at the feet of a nation that has turned away from its God:
5. God was present at the massacre but with the victims, not the perpetrator One classic claim in the Abrahamic tradition of Jews, Christians and Muslims is that God is with those who suffer - the poor and the oppressed. Some commenters saw God’s miraculous hand in the midst of this suffering, not causing it to happen but bringing it to an end. “This may sound crazy,” wrote Diana, “but I believe God had a hand in that the gun jammed so that more people weren’t killed.” CNN’s Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories The most common claim in this category came from peacemaker, who wrote, “God is and was with the victims and s/he is weeping.” In a more explicitly Christian vein, Lauren wrote: “He was there in the theater, pierced by bullets with the victims. He was scarred by the shrapnel. His eyes were scorched with gas and then burned with tears as He mourned alongside the broken.” 6. Which God? Some commenters interrogated the question itself, arguing that the knots it twists us into are rooted in what commenter Ego_Death called “a false idea of what God is.” After all, the problem of evil in a world ruled by a sovereign and good God only presents itself if you posit one personal God who is both good and all-powerful. Follow the CNN Belief Blog on Twitter Referring to "our idea of a human-like personal God" as "an ancient myth," Northstar56 wrote:
Evoking something more akin to the “watchmaker” God of the deists, who makes the world and its laws and then refuses to intervene in its operation, Norm wrote: “God is not involved in our everyday mundane activities. How arrogant of man to think he’s the center of the universe and has God’s constant attention and every action is ‘God’s will.’” Taking a different tack, "varun" invoked the teachings of the beloved Hindu scripture the Bhagavad Gita:
7. Who knows? It’s a mystery Agnosticism is a rare virtue in the United States nowadays, but there were a few commenters who admitted to something less than the absolute certainty exhibited by atheists and evangelicals alike. "The answer," wrote Terry, "is we don't know where he was." Fluffy the Gerbil of Doom saw this "God works in mysterious ways" move as “ultimate cop-out/rationalization,” but I am not so sure. In September 1862, in the midst of a much greater American tragedy, Abraham Lincoln wrote a private “Meditation on the Divine Will” in which he struggled to make sense of what God was doing in the Civil War. He later reworked those reflections into his second inaugural address, one of the greatest speeches in American history. Surveying the corpse-ridden landscape of North and South, Lincoln observed, “Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes His aid against the other.” Clearly there was little good in slavery, he reasoned, yet equally clearly God was not giving a swift and sure victory to the Union. So what was God up to? In the end, Lincoln had to admit he did not know. Or, as he put it, “The Almighty has His own purposes.” I suppose this is in a sense a “cop-out,” but it is a humble one, uninfected by the absolute certainties (either pro- or anti-God) that have shed more blood on earth than agnosticism ever will. It is also a classic example of answering a question with a question: What is God doing with this war? Who knows? “Josephpusateri” also answered our question with a question. His comment was in my view the best of the hundreds I read, so I will end with it here:
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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Editor's Note: Stephen Prothero, a Boston University religion scholar and author of 
I wonder where God will be when the medical bills start coming into the none and under insured. Estimates for those still in hospital exceed a million dollars each then rehab on to of that.
The amazing and marvelous thing about God is that He is everywhere all one need do is look around them and they can see Him in the heaven's on the earth and in the bowels of the earth as well as the seas. He has created this world for man (male & female) and given all things to man to preside over so that he might teach all, the difference between good and evil. He even came to earth took upon himself a body of flesh bone and blood and died for each creature to save us from the wrong choices we make as we learn these thing. Having died for our agency to choose for ourselves whether that choice is good or evil that we may receive a just reward. God teaches us the difference between the two by permitting us to make our own choices such as the individual in Aurora. The actions of each is for the purpose of our choosing our own reward for our actions if those actions are good we will reap the reward of eternal joy and bliss. If those actions are evil we will reap the reward of eternal misery, in other words God permits these things that a righteous judgement may come upon each of His children whether they be good or whether they be evil. After all speaking of (Adam & Eve, the man, male & female) Genesis 3:22 the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: I am certain that the gun man at the theater in Aurora knew he was perfoming evil actions aginst mankind and justice will prevail under the direction of God as sure as we live and breath. I am not one to second guess the God of all creation or try to tell Him what to do. He does communicate with His children in their own langugae unto their own understanding if we reach out to Him. He does communicate through His WORD.
You are a fool if you believe that bull.
You have zero proof of any of the drivel you just wrote.
You believe in a fairy tale.
It is cute when little children believe in Santa Clause, but creepy when adults do.
my TRUTH and reality is that this is GOD's world because eveyone on this third rock from the sun is GOD in different disguises. as hard as it is to realize and admit GOD was there at Aurora being shot and shooting.the other thing that is difficult to realize is that the people that were there had to experience what happened because if they didn't have to experience what happened they would have been doing something else. this is the land of Karma, when our karma is done this vehicle that we are in expires and our soul goes back to where we came from so don't be so selfish and quick to blame. who can judge so quickly lest ye be judged. we must go INTERNALLY to find ETERNITY. the people that went through the final cycle are in a much better place than we are in. we should celebrate thier lives and pray for the survivors, trying to find forgiveness in our hearts where GOD dwells in all of us. most people on this planet believe that they are human beings that occasionally have a spiritual experience. my TRUTH and reality is that i KNOW i am a spiritual being that occasionally has a human experience and this is one of those time that i am having a human experience. that's my true nature. what's yours? where is heaven and hell? they are within each of us and we make our own heaven and hell right here on this earth. Does anyone remember those two words called "free will"? who is GOD? GOD is the witness of the mind. GOD isn't out there somewhere. GOD is within each of us. and that's all i have to say about that.
More unproveable useless drivel spoken by yet another closed minded sheep.
You have zero proof of any of that. It is only what you "think," and I use that work liberally with you as I doubt you have ever had an original thought in your life. You parrot crap you have heard from others at your sheep worship house.
But keep believing in your magic man in the sky, and rehersing all those magic spells in your book of drivel. I am sure they will protect you from whatever evil forces are out to get you.
God is coming back soon. See Revelation 19:11 &ff. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords will send strong warrior angels, well armed and equipped, to prevent something like the Aurora massacre or Columbine massacre from happening during his reign. Until then, we will have to live with the consequences of Adam's fall and our subsequent separation from God.
Christians have been claiming that it's the end times for about 2000 years. Heck, even Christ said that some of the people he was talking to would still be alive when he came back. I guess they'll keep on claiming it until we run out of christians.
The consequences of "Adams fall"...
I thought Eve took the first bite of the apple (or whatever fruit it was from the tree of knowledge).
Where was God??? He wasnt there. This country continues to fight against morality and God. We threw him out of our schools, government, etc because we want to do our own thing and dont want anyone telling us what to do, and oh, we definitely dont want to offend anyone. But let something as horrible as this happen and one of the first things we ask is why and where was God. The only time we want anything to do with him is when we need something then all of a sudden we now believe. Its pathetic. God wasnt there because we told him to stay out.
No-one is fighting against "Morality". It's the delusions, and insanity we have the problem with.
You dont have to be religious to be a good person, or to know right from wrong. But you have to be delusional, or insane to believe that there is a man in the sky listening to your whispers, and making sure your favorite sports team wins!
Amazingly enough, it's only believers who ask were god was. The rest of us know that there isn't a shred of evidence to support the existence of any god. In truth god wasn't there, because god doesn't exist.
judge, no satan is not scary to me, for I have enough demons as yourself to look out for walking around making trouble, also not to worry about. It is within the hearts of folks, the evil, the wickedness, that they carry around all day, again taught to us in Jeremiah 17:1-10. One either has the spirit of YHWH, and His righteousness within them, or they continue to choose to just be plain low down, simply put no good.
It is human that we all make mistakes at times, but some folk are just out right doggie dog no good, many are here on this site too, just full of it, wicked, unhappy people.
I'm trying to figure out what you're trying to say here, Lorraine. Do you honestly think that people who don't believe exactly what you do are evil? Just because a book told you so? Perhaps you should get out in the world more, because most people are good and kind, despite their religion or lack thereof. Try opening your mind a little.
Lorraine your gods name is "Jealous", right?
If he created all, what could he possibly be "jealous" of?
".. out right doggie dog"
doggie dog? did you say, "doggie dog"?! ahahahahahahahahahaha!
It's, "dog eat dog".
http://www.goenglish.com/DogEatDog.asp
Re: "doggie dog"
Just goes to show how easily things can be misunderstood and passed along so widely.
"YHWH" was probably just some pompous old Hebrew guy clearing the phlegm from his throat (that dry air can sometimes cause lots of post-nasal drip!).
Religion has prayed upon the ignorant like you Lorraine since the scurge of religion first reared it's ugly head.
Really, "doggie dog?!?"
It think you meant dog EAT dog.
But I am not surprised, the stupid are the only ones who fall for the great fairy tale.
There has been no larger or better scam perpetuated on humanity then that of religion.
niknak,
You make some sense, but, ahem, you have a few errors too:
*prayed = preyed
*scurge = scourge
*it's = its
*then = than
sitter, seyidabar, and blistered, oppression does not have to mean being deprived, or the lack of, it can also mean – oppression = the feeling of being heavily burdened, mentally or physically, by troubles, adverse conditions, anxiety, etc.
And, I wasn't referring to this particular situation of Holmes, I was referring to any future occurrences, or some people in general, that may happen, because people are so weighed down with situations today. dang...I just posted that we all are responsible for our actions here.
Just keeping a broad view on things, there are conditions to the state of a person's mind in some cases. Not necessary to this one in Aurora in particular.
Personally, I think the creep in Aurora is nothing more than a sociopath who wanted to see how much he could get away with. I think he wants media attention, and now he's getting exactly what he wants.
I believe in God. He has shown himself to me. Before you all decide he does not exist why dont you attempt to study everything and put yourself and God to the test?
There is no evidence to support the existence of any god. None whatsoever. Why not put Zeus to the test and see if he's real or not? It makes just as much sense.
co_daybyday,
"Before you all decide he does not exist why dont you attempt to study everything and put yourself and God to the test?"
You think we haven't? I was a believer for well over 40 years. There is no-one there.
Prayer changes things .
Religious parents take their children to church and "pray" again and again for their safety.
yet they were not protected from the perversions of the church elders. We all know what happened, I don't need to go into detail.
Yet atheist parents never once exposed their children to these perversion. They knew better than to take them to church. They also knew "prayer" will not protect their children. And that if they wanted to protect their children they would have to take care of that themselves. And not rely on whispering to the almighty sky daddy to their job for them.
Having said that you have to conclude that "ATHEISM" was indeed healthy for children.
And "PRAYER" offered no protection!
becomes atheism, totally flawed argument . The worst form of child abuse is to deny a child eternal life
@stupid
"becomes atheism" have you any idea what youre talking about?
and brianwahing children is the worst form of child abuse. Only you can't see that because you have been brainwashed since you were a child. Its left you without any sense of reasoning..
you can't even put a sentence together. A mind is a terrible thing to waste. and believing in imaginary superman, is delusional!
You're just upset that you have no counter argument to "father toldyaso's" post.
WAKE UP ZOMBIE! DEPROGRAM YOURSELF, AND HELP PROTECT OUR CHILDREN!
CNN, you guys over exaggerate. Stop it already its pathetic and annoying. Everyone blames God but which God are you blaming. If you blame the one true God which is in heaven then your crazy. There is a devil too. In John10:10 it says the "Devil comes to KILL, steal and Destroy but GOD came to give LIFE & give it abundantly.
But who supposedly created the devil, and allows him to stir up evil for awhile until being taken out? Why not take him out sooner, and limit the evil?
Lexy what proof do you have of any god, or devil? And where is "heaven"? In a cloud above the flat earth of corners, and edges?
Your bible is just a fable, your god a myth, and your devil is your own willingness to believe In magical things without facts, proof, or even a smidgen of scientific data!
Peteyroo, LOL, go on now, you're just as silly. I'm glad you are having fun, I like the fun type to keep em smiling, especially when we have tragic things like this in Aurora happening.
And these kinds of things are occurring more often these days. Be careful out there, this oppression, whether people have financial means, or not is driving folks mad.
Lorraine, are you even aware of your surroundings? The Holmes guy that shot people at the theater... He's not part of an oppressed group. Your a dolt! Does your mummy know your on her computer?
What oppression? from the college for flunking him over failing grades?
Lorraine,
have you ever considered that the religious groups are responsible for more oppression throughout history than any other group?
if ignorance is bliss, you must be the most blissful person ever! You're certainly the most ignorant!
when I was a 21yr.old pro athlete a young girl with your name taught me about "YHWH" "Jehovah" but basically that GOD has a name and unless you use it you may be missing out on his blessings, if not you are really serving the god of this system of things,2 cor.4:4 the ruler of this world, Jo.12:31,14:30,16:11 also see Rev.12:9-12:12 and Jesus made it clear who that is so be careful and if you are or if not that girl, keep up the good work.
Atheism should be taught in schools!!
Oh wait.. It is! Only its called science class.
The bible teaches us to believe in magic, science teaches us to believe in reality.
Atheism isn't taught. Every baby ever born started off not believing in gods, because there's nothing intuitive about believing in them. The ones who ended up believing in them were taught to.
Hambone,
The point is science is taught, and if one follows science, they eventually conclude there is no proof in the existence of any god. Stop splitting hairs already!!
If you are brainwashed into believing mythical creatures and magic, science is your way out.
If you study science you come to the reasonable deduction that there is no god. Hence science leads to atheism. Sorry that my point was lost on you. I should have been more clear. Initially I didnt think it was that far of a stretch.
Summarizing for the those interested in an update on their god(s) and as-sociated religions:
1. origin: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20E1EFE35540C7A8CDDAA0894DA404482
“New Torah For Modern Minds
Abraham, the Jewish patriarch, probably never existed. Nor did Moses. The entire Exodus story as recounted in the Bible probably never occurred. The same is true of the tumbling of the walls of Jericho. And David, far from being the fearless king who built Jerusalem into a mighty capital, was more likely a provincial leader whose reputation was later magnified to provide a rallying point for a fledgling nation.
Such startling propositions – the product of findings by archaeologists digging in Israel and its environs over the last 25 years – have gained wide acceptance among non-Orthodox rabbis. But there has been no attempt to disseminate these ideas or to discuss them with the laity – until now.
The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, which represents the 1.5 million Conservative Jews in the United States, has just issued a new Torah and commentary, the first for Conservatives in more than 60 years. Called "Etz Hayim" ("Tree of Life" in Hebrew), it offers an interpretation that incorporates the latest findings from archaeology, philology, anthropology and the study of ancient cultures. To the editors who worked on the book, it represents one of the boldest efforts ever to introduce into the religious mainstream a view of the Bible as a human rather than divine docu-ment. “
prob•a•bly
Adverb: Almost certainly; as far as one knows or can tell.
2. Jesus was an illiterate Jewish peasant/carpenter/simple preacher man who suffered from hallucinations (or “mythicizing” from P, M, M, L and J) and who has been characterized anywhere from the Messiah from Nazareth to a mythical character from mythical Nazareth to a ma-mzer from Nazareth (Professor Bruce Chilton, in his book Rabbi Jesus). An-alyses of Jesus’ life by many contemporary NT scholars (e.g. Professors Ludemann, Crossan, Borg and Fredriksen, ) via the NT and related doc-uments have concluded that only about 30% of Jesus' sayings and ways noted in the NT were authentic. The rest being embellishments (e.g. miracles)/hallucinations made/had by the NT authors to impress various Christian, Jewish and Pagan sects.
The 30% of the NT that is "authentic Jesus" like everything in life was borrowed/plagiarized and/or improved from those who came before. In Jesus' case, it was the ways and sayings of the Babylonians, Greeks, Persians, Egyptians, Hitt-ites, Canaanites, OT, John the Baptizer and possibly the ways and sayings of traveling Greek Cynics.
earlychristianwritings.com/theories.html
For added "pizzazz", Catholic theologians divided god the singularity into three persons and invented atonement as an added guilt trip for the "pew people" to go along with this trinity of overseers. By doing so, they made god the padre into god the "filicider".
Current RCC problems:
Pedophiliac priests, an all-male, mostly white hierarchy, atonement theology and original sin!!!!
2 b., Luther, Calvin, Joe Smith, Henry VIII, Wesley, Roger Williams, the Great “Babs” et al, founders of Christian-based religions or combination religions also suffered from the belief in/hallucinations of "pretty wingie thingie" visits and "prophecies" for profits analogous to the myths of Catholicism (resurrections, apparitions, ascensions and immacu-late co-nceptions).
Current problems:
Adulterous preachers, pedophiliac clerics, "propheteering/ profiteering" evangelicals and atonement theology,
3. Mohammed was an illiterate, womanizing, lust and greed-driven, warmongering, hallucinating Arab, who also had embellishing/hallucinating/plagiarizing scribal biographers who not only added "angels" and flying chariots to the koran but also a militaristic agenda to support the plundering and looting of the lands of non-believers.
This agenda continues as shown by the ma-ssacre in Mumbai, the as-sas-sinations of Bhutto and Theo Van Gogh, the conduct of the seven Muslim doctors in the UK, the 9/11 terrorists, the 24/7 Sunni suicide/roadside/market/mosque bombers, the 24/7 Shiite suicide/roadside/market/mosque bombers, the Islamic bombers of the trains in the UK and Spain, the Bali crazies, the Kenya crazies, the Pakistani “koranics”, the Palestine suicide bombers/rocketeers, the Lebanese nutcases, the Taliban nut jobs, the Ft. Hood follower of the koran, and the Filipino “koranics”.
And who funds this muck and stench of terror? The warmongering, Islamic, Shiite terror and torture theocracy of Iran aka the Third Axis of Evil and also the Sunni "Wannabees" of Saudi Arabia.
Current crises:
The Sunni-Shiite blood feud and the warmongering, womanizing (11 wives), hallucinating founder.
4. Hinduism (from an online Hindu site) – "Hinduism cannot be described as an organized religion. It is not founded by any individual. Hinduism is God centered and therefore one can call Hinduism as founded by God, because the answer to the question ‘Who is behind the eternal principles and who makes them work?’ will have to be ‘Cosmic power, Divine power, God’."
The caste/laborer system, reincarnation and cow worship/reverence are problems when saying a fair and rational God founded Hinduism."
Current problems:
The caste system, reincarnation and cow worship/reverence.
5. Buddhism- "Buddhism began in India about 500 years before the birth of Christ. The people living at that time had become disillusioned with certain beliefs of Hinduism including the caste system, which had grown extremely complex. The number of outcasts (those who did not belong to any particular caste) was continuing to grow."
"However, in Buddhism, like so many other religions, fanciful stories arose concerning events in the life of the founder, Siddhartha Gautama (fifth century B.C.):"
Archaeological discoveries have proved, beyond a doubt, his historical character, but apart from the legends we know very little about the circu-mstances of his life. e.g. Buddha by one legend was supposedly talking when he came out of his mother's womb.
Bottom line: There are many good ways of living but be aware of the hallucinations, embellishments, lies, and myths surrounding the founders and foundations of said rules of life.
Then, apply the Five F rule: "First Find the Flaws, then Fix the Foundations". And finally there will be religious peace and religious awareness in the world!!!!!
Thanks for the info, but it was a tad long-winded.
The short version:
• There probably was no Abraham i.e. the foundations of Judaism, Christianity and Islam are non-existent.
• There probably was no Moses i.e the pillars of Judaism, Christianity and Islam have no strength of purpose.
prob•a•bly
Adverb: Almost certainly; as far as one knows or can tell.
• There was no Gabriel i.e. Islam fails as a religion. Christianity partially fails.
• There was no Easter i.e. Christianity completely fails as a religion.
• There was no Moroni i.e. Mormonism is nothing more than a business cult.
• Sacred/revered cows, monkey gods, castes, reincarnations and therefore Hinduism fails as a religion.
• Fat Buddhas here, skinny Buddhas there, reincarnated Buddhas everywhere makes for a no on Buddhism.
Seek truth through science, trial, and error.
you will never find truth in a book of FAIRY TALES!
If there is a god, he made sure all of us can learn his laws through trial, error and science..
just remember that no god ever wrote a book. Nor did he whisper to men through burning bushes. We are not descendants of Adam and eve. Adam and eve never existed!
Its all BS.
Stop the madness, get yourself educated, and educate others about these 5000 year old fables!!
peepo pleez, not only does your knowledge pervert you, you are full of pride, as taught in Isaiah 47:10, also taught to us of the proud, and haughty, in Malachi 2:10-12, and in Daniel 12:7-10.
Because of your knowledge, you will never understand. YHWH ways are not our ways, said in Isaiah 55:6-13, and one will learn this in just a little while, as prophesied in Isaiah 10:25.
Aww! Lorraine,
. I feel sorry for you and what your ignorance has made you into. Its not your fault, I blame your parents for brainwashing you at such a young age. Now youre so full of fear you can't think for yourself.
I love that you're psychotic it tickles me. in your world you must think you're possessed by some demon or maybe even Satan himself.
Maybe you should have your church elders cast out your demons through exorcism. careful though, the leaders of your gods churches have been known to kill people during exorcisms. Not to mention what they've been doing to little boys, throughout the centuries. you must find peace in those perversions, huh?
I would recommend a good psychiatrist. But admittedly, I like to see you walking into the same wall over and over again!
@judge,
She's not a Christian. She's from some little whacked-out sect in South Chicago. But, yes, the seeds of delusion may have been planted in her by her early-life Christian exposure.
A Frayed Knot
Christianity is a COLLECTION of sects, with the more popular ones taking it upon themselves to label the smaller ones "whacked-out" and the smaller ones feeling basically the same way about the bigger ones. Remember also that Christianity itself started off as a small, "whacked-out" sect of Judaism, so there really isn't any basis for seeing the size, or peculiarity of a religious group as a negative.
listen to lorrie guys, i did and it made all the difference.
justme
Made all the difference? You use to be sane then?
jt; just pagan believer in evolution, the biggest scam ever to blind the eyes of the unbelievers
Hambone Jones,
I hear ya'... and I'm with ya'. I was just pointing out that she does not believe in the NT or traditional Christian dogma, since @judge seemed to be unaware of it.
I'm willing to wager that during the Aurora shootings God was in the same place he was during the Holocaust–in a bar drinking beer and shooting pool.
More like he was sleeping it off at home after a night like that, with the prayer phone off the hook.
hello! my regards to you all – soad from libya .
soad, hello, how is it the weather there in Libya? Fine I hope.
When something good happens, why don't we ask "Where was God?".
Maybe people should ask where the Devil was during those times? You'd think the master of evil wouldn't allow many good times to occur, but plenty do. It's almost as though he's equally as absent from reality as God is during the bad times. Funny how that works, eh?
God has given us all free will. We are free to choose good over evil. We are free to choose right over wrong. It's obvious in this tragic instance where the gunman's free will lies. We've taken God and anything that represents Him out of so many things. Then we try to put Him back where we see fit (even I am guilty of that). God is not a sometimes God. I wouldn't want to be a sometimes girlfriend; only called upon when my boyfriend sees fit. I would feel utterly used. So just imagine how God feels. We don't invite Him in our lives, to our
tables, workplaces, or schools. But when tragedy strikes, we want to drudge Him up from wherever we left Him and ask Him "what in God's name just happened." The bottom line is that God is a just God. It us as people who are unjust. And unfortunately, innocent people suffer as a result of unjust actions. God bless us all!
How do you know that their is a god?
How do you know there is free will?
Atheists always play dumb. Stupid and vicious, yes they are.
Jeremiah 11:9
Jeremiah 11:19
Matthew 12:14
Matthew 21:38-41
Matthew 26:3-4
Matthew 27:1-2
Mark 3:6
Acts 18:12
Acts 23:12-15
1 Samuel 22:8
You Know There Is A Dog, get a grip! For starters, explain why your wonderful God inflicts cancer on little children. Then explain where the old coger was during the Holocaust and Aurora. BTW, I like your Bible. It makes a wonderful coaster when I'm out drinking beer and playing darts with your pastor in seedy bars and cheap taverns.
Dammit Dan, I was thinking just the opposite, my bed-wetting friend. Atheists are kind, good, decent, and intelligent. That's how you can pick us out in a crowd. The evangelicals have truncheons and are beating up all those who are different. When their arms get tired, they push old ladies in front of street cars. When they're feeling their oats, they burn down orphanages. Their all-loving God demands blood sacrifice of those who are different. A good many old-line conservative Christians wield hate and condemnation as a first resort.
Dan,
Truth does not ask to be believed. It asks to be tested. Scientists do not join hands every Saturday and Sunday and sing, “Yes gravity is real! I know gravity is real! I will have faith! I will be strong! I believe in my heart what goes up, up, up, must come down, down, down! Amen!” If they did, we would think they were pretty insecure about the concept.
Who is stupid?
No Truth, Just Claims
I love your post.
I Know There Is A God
We've taken God out of things that everyone shares because not everyone believes in God.
One of the great educational problems of our time is the failure to recognize the vast difference between "to know" and "to believe." Belief is not knowledge, however deeply it may be held. Knowledge requires data, independent confirmation, repeatability. It also can be conveyed factually to another person who doesn't already know the information. Let's get it straight. No one "knows" that there is, or is not, a God. There is no evidence to support either conclusion. Your beliefs are, of course, your privilege until you decide to impose them on another.
As the now-famous blog post says,
"Religion is for the ignorant, the gullible, the cowardly, and the stupid, and for those who would profit from them."
Horrible incident of violence, but as always, there is no god there to help. Nor does religion have anything to offer.
Queen Lorraine intentionally doesn't use the "reply" button (in fact, it's a mistake when she does). She thinks her new threads stand out more; and she thinks that it makes her in charge of what follows.
She's ridiculous, hawking those old fantasy stories. Ignore her (or have fun exposing her nonsense!).
Why should we look at you?, you're just silly. People should just Stop trying to blame everything on YHWH, when we want to do as we please we don't call on him then. According to YHWH, He teaches us in the scripture of Jeremiah 17:1-10, of how a man decides for himself how he will live, and choose in his, or her life.
We are all responsible for our own righteousness, as taught to us in Ezekiel 14-14-21. This is also how we know that there is free will to choose, as also taught in the scripture of Jeremiah 31:30, one has to be accountable for their own actions. In my opinion, those who can discern right from wrong.
Lorraine is confused. She has her head so far up her backside, she can't see or hear anything. I alerted the attendants who are looking for her now. She skipped her medication at breakfast and now she's out of control. The grounds are on lockdown until they find her. She snuck into the doctor's office and used his computer to send incoherent messages to her imaginary friends and to a CNN blog. She was supposed to be at the activities center but she went AWOL on her way over there. We'll keep you updated.