Quote:
Originally posted by John D Harris:
Why does he create the world? I plan on asking Him that too. I suspect it is because He has love to give.
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I just had to jump back in here with this one. I SO agree that, just perhaps, he created us just because he has love to give. It trickles down into those of us who serve Him, too. For small instance, I have this recurring masochistic tendency to adopt animals. I love them, give them a good home - all the best. Then they die and I am hurt to the depths of my soul. I have cried many times over the loss of a beloved pet. I asked my Mom once, why I keep doing this to myself. She told me that I have so much love to give and God knows that I will provide the best, loving environment for that pet so he gives me the strength to keep loving even when my heart is broken. (And I keep right on adopting more and loving the new ones just as much.)
We do the same to God sometimes. He takes us all in and loves us. He nurtures us. But there are those who completely reject Him and it breaks His heart. But He is strong enough to keep loving and keep trying. It's beautiful. I rejected Him for so many years. I was so mean and ugly to people. But once I got so down and couldn't see up, I heard this very soft "voice" and got this wonderful feeling of peace, so I went and questioned some Christian friends of mine (much like 250 is doing here) and they were able to explain things to me in a way I could finally understand.
Until you are truly ready to hear it, we can talk all day about God, but, 250, you may not understand until you really want to. Not knocking questioning things. I still do that. But now, when I try to say "Well, maybe there isn't a God after all" I just know in my heart that it's wrong. That presence is still there assuring me that He does exist. That he does love us.
I don't think anyone is asking you to go on "blind faith". Just really take a good look around. Look at it from an atomic level on up. I did. It's really neat. I can see why scientists try to disprove God in the mechanics of the Universe, but no matter how statistics may show that eventually it would happen - happen, yes; but to continue??? I don't think it could. Even if the Big Bang occurred, IMHO, that was God. But from an atomic level up, things revolve around other things. Circles - like the circle of life, planets circling a sun, etc. Beginning to end, I can see nothing BUT God's hand in it. Things are entirely too similar and structured. Sure, randomly, things could have eventually combined to create life, but I don't think it could continue to survive without someOne guiding it.
Ultimately, it seems as though you don't so much want to know why God loves "man", but why He should love YOU. If this is correct, you aren't alone there. Some of your earlier statements sound like you were a bit depressed - like why SHOULD he love us. I wondered that for years because I grew up with a very unpredictable father who didn't know how to show affection. I felt like I must be unlovable. That translated over to my relationship with God. I didn't want Him, because I didn't feel that he could love me. But love me, He does. And love YOU, he does. He's infinite and has no limit in His capacity to love. We don't have to be perfect for Him to love us, we just have to believe and trust.
I, too, have had prayers answered. There is no way that it was just "luck" or "random chance" that all of the things that I have prayed to happen have. I've prayed for things from the very personal to things worldwide - and had it happen. From cure from illness to rain to end the drought here. It's MARVELOUS! And I'm by no means perfect, yet He loves me enough to answer those prayers faithfully. Yes, I believe that, just a we have faith in Him, He has faith in us. He knows our hearts and our intentions and answers prayers accordingly. I try never to be selfish in what I ask. And I always ask much more frequently for others than for myself.
Oh, and to the original thread of this: I think everyone has some really interesting views of the Garden of Eden. I also feel that we may ALL be right. I think each example in the Bible may very well mean something different for all of us and to us. We are all different personalities and have had different life experiences, so we will all take a different meaning from this Book. As long as we don't try to change the inherent meaning, I don't think God minds. Just as 250 has to reword his sentences sometimes for clarification of his meaning, so, too, are we allowed to take different views of the same passage. There is no "wrong" or "right" meaning so long as you question the verse with the intention of understanding God and ourselves better.
P.S. 250 - keep right on questioning. That is the best way to grow. Grab on to that question and worry it like a Terrier might (Grrrr) until you throttle the question into submission. Doing this irritates my husband sometimes, but look at the last line of my signature and you'll see why I do it. God, I believe wants us to question everything. Not to disprove His existence, but so we will make sure we are serious in our faith. Without questions, we do not grow.
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"Allright! We'll call it a draw."
"I'm INVINCIBLE! ... You're a LOONEY!"
Dare to dream. Be bold enough to try.
The day we stop learning is the day we start dying!(c)
[This message has been edited by DragonMage (edited 09-09-2001).]