This is something I struggle with. I have for many many years, and one of the reasons I don't believe that God (god, gods) are involved in individual personal lives.
When something nice, fun, helpful, positive happens, certain people credit God for it. "God is good." "God is good!!!!!" "God answered my prayers."
But when something wrong, evil, negative happens, I don't see those people saying, "God is bad." "God didn't answer my prayers."
When a football player who just scored a winning touchdown says, "God was on my side," does that mean God wasn't on the side of the defensive player who failed to stop the touchdown? So God plays favorites? He likes the orange team better than the green team?
This week a semi-tragedy with my grandson turned into a massive relief when he walked out of the hospital 2 days after being struck by a car and sent into ICU in seemingly critical condition. My husband posted about it on FB and he got many nice responses. I shook my head over the ones that were along the lines of "God is good."
Because, what if he hadn't survived, or had been brain damaged, or lost a leg, or something else bad had happened? What would the FB posts have said then?
If someone credits God with a good thing, shouldn't that person also blame God when a bad thing occurs?
I guess that's why the notion of the devil came into play. He's the one to blame for bad stuff - but still, if God is considered the ultimate power, he should be able to stop the devil - if he wanted to, which apparently he didn't, so then God's playing favorites again.
I really, really don't understand this thinking. When I question my husband about it, he says it doesn't make sense either, but then he makes comments about God being good ... he attends a Christian church and I don't.
Can someone talk me through this? Explain the reasoning?
I hope this doesn't sound confrontational. I don't mean it that way - I'm just confused by this and have been for a long time. The incident with my grandson this week brought it back into my thoughts.
When something nice, fun, helpful, positive happens, certain people credit God for it. "God is good." "God is good!!!!!" "God answered my prayers."
But when something wrong, evil, negative happens, I don't see those people saying, "God is bad." "God didn't answer my prayers."
When a football player who just scored a winning touchdown says, "God was on my side," does that mean God wasn't on the side of the defensive player who failed to stop the touchdown? So God plays favorites? He likes the orange team better than the green team?
This week a semi-tragedy with my grandson turned into a massive relief when he walked out of the hospital 2 days after being struck by a car and sent into ICU in seemingly critical condition. My husband posted about it on FB and he got many nice responses. I shook my head over the ones that were along the lines of "God is good."
Because, what if he hadn't survived, or had been brain damaged, or lost a leg, or something else bad had happened? What would the FB posts have said then?
If someone credits God with a good thing, shouldn't that person also blame God when a bad thing occurs?
I guess that's why the notion of the devil came into play. He's the one to blame for bad stuff - but still, if God is considered the ultimate power, he should be able to stop the devil - if he wanted to, which apparently he didn't, so then God's playing favorites again.
I really, really don't understand this thinking. When I question my husband about it, he says it doesn't make sense either, but then he makes comments about God being good ... he attends a Christian church and I don't.
Can someone talk me through this? Explain the reasoning?
I hope this doesn't sound confrontational. I don't mean it that way - I'm just confused by this and have been for a long time. The incident with my grandson this week brought it back into my thoughts.