Two college students from Knoxville were injured in the bomb blasts in London this week. Apparently, according to the KNS, they are GOING TO BE OKAY, and that's very good news.
But I find one quote in the article about their injuries and recovery in a London hospital really offensive:
""They were in the subway car that a bomb was in, so they believe that God spared them," according to the Web site of the family's church, Fellowship Evangelical Free Church in West Knoxville.
Do these folks not recognize that this is just another (in this case, Christian) variation on the religious bigotry and sense of entitlement that is the underpinning of Muslim fanaticism...the type of Muslim fanaticism that leads Islamofascists to, say, blow up subway cars during London rush hour?
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I don't want to sell anything, buy anything, or process anything as a career. I don't want to sell anything bought or processed, or buy anything sold or processed, or process anything sold, bought, or processed, or repair anything sold, bought, or processed. You know, as a career, I don't want to do that.
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13 comments:
oh please. whether you believe in God or not, He is there. and he has probably saved your sorry heinie more times than you would ever know. He spares all of us many many many times over. however these folks in London chose to acknowledge that fact. to compare this with "Muslim jihad" is just about the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard of. it is the mind of someone absolutely groping for anything they can stretch around to dismiss God. God did not "favor" those people...I am sure there are others who died who were just as devout. and I am sure there were many who survived who were not. I do not pretend to know Gods mind and why he spares one and lets another die. it is one of the biggest questions that man will ever ask...just read the book of Job.
you know something..I really want to add that the mature christian does not believe they are "spared" because of some special favor, God spares people or not because it suits his purposes, whatever they may be. if you read the stories of the early martyrs you will see what is in fact biblical truth may be very different what some may say. it is true God spared them, but he did not spare them just because they were christians. do you not remember a few years back when gunfire was opened at a "see you at the pole" rally in Texas? do you not remember that some of the kids shot at columbine were devout christians? whether they were actually singled out because of their christian faith is up for debate but they were not "favored", at least not in this life. the bible itself says something to the effect of rain and sun falling equally on the good and the wicked.
so these peoples simple acknowledgement of thanks that in this case, they were spared simply means they owe it to God rather than chalking it up to mere chance as someone such as you would do. you may think its "chance" that your daughter didnt wind up in a wheelchair like christopher reeve a few weeks ago but God spared her, unbelieving and mocking and scorning of Him as you are, He still spared her.
To the last anonymous poster: You have just hit the nail on the head! We are all here to serve his purpose, even Katie, who doesn't want to admit she needs his love. Try it Katie, God's love is amazing! He gives us the strength to go on when tragedy strikes; he gives us peace when there is none to be found on this earth; he loves us all infinitely!
Just because I do not believe that God is an omniscient (male) puppeteer with a human-like plan for each person's life/death doesn't mean I do not experience God or have a relationship with God.
But thanks for your concern, and I don't mean that in a smartass way. I really mean thanks. I can use all the well wishes I can get.
-Katie
I think there is wisdom to be found in comedy, at least good comedy. Some of my related favorites are:
1) George Carlin imimating a football player's interview after a game. "We were doing great until God made me fumble the ball."
2) One of the South Park kids after his parent's read him the story of Job. (They pointed out that Satin questioned that the reason for Job's devotion was his many blessings.) "You mean God did all that to Job just to make a point to Satin?"
It's wonderful that these students are ok, but I wouldn't chalk it up the righteous living. Unfortunately, I've never seen an indication that random events in the world relate to justice. That's not however to say that their personal lives have not been made better by their beliefs.
I think a lot of people make glib statements to make order of things. idiocy about sports teams praying to God to win (I mean which side gets Gods favor? does he go by head count? fervency of prayers??? somehow I dont think God really cares who wins the superbowl..) aside, God IS omnicient whether Katie wants to admit it or not. and yes, He is male whether she wants to admit it or not (one could get into all kinds of theological discussion about gender and the holy spirit but we wont go there here...)
I mean what is she praying to? a wimp who really has no power over anything but is more than happy to let you cry on his/her gender neutral shoulder??? somehow I think not...
and why the hyporcrisy of being a member of a church whose prayer book claims to uphold this omnicient male God? social standing perhaps?
I could get into all sorts of "why does God allow evil" side trips but I have been going there plenty on my own due to recent events.
you know what I find interesting is that these students didnt say anything about "righteous living". they merely acknowledged it was GOD and not mere chance that protected them. yet all of a sudden a jump is made to "favoritism" and "righteous living" that wasnt even mentioned. I think you have a pre set idea of what you think christians are really thinking and then you run with it.
I dont for a second think that being a christian will protect me from evil. however if God chooses to spare me from a close shave I will make sure I know who to thank. he spares nonbeleivers all the time too..they just cant/wont see it.
Hmmm. Claiming to be saved by God is the same as claiming God tells you to murder innocent people...kind of a stretch.
Let's take a look at it from another angle. According to Christian doctrine, everything that happens occurs through God's will. Therefore, for the girls to say that they are alive because God wanted it that way is axiomatic; it would be equally correct to say that the other who died did so because that was God's will. Admitting that you are powerless before God is hardly what I would call a "sense of entitlement." Instead it was an acknowledgement of a fundamental presumption of their faith.
Now then, had the church made the statement that the girls survived because they were Christians, that would be saying that those who died were less worthy, and that would be offensive, not only to you, but to all true Christians, because another fundamental tenet is that none of us are worthy of salvation; it is only through God's grace that we are saved. Had they claimed that they were saved because of their faith, they would be guilty of pride.
Interestingly, it is this second claim, that the girls did NOT make, that truly lies at the heart of Muslim fanaticism. The terrorists believe that as non-believers, we are not worthy of life, and so must be converted or killed. Christianity left that kind of fanaticism behind 700 years ago. While it seems easy to find a Muslim who still believes that the infidels must be killed, I think you'd be hard pressed to find a Christian who believes similarly today. Even the most evangelical of Christians, who will try to save you by warning you of the fiery pits of hell that await, won't try to accelerate you on your way to the nether regions.
Incidentally, I have a hard time with the concept of all things proceeding from God's Will. It introduces a severe conflict with free will, another vital tenet of Christianity. According to Christians, in order to be saved, you must submit to the Will of God by subordinating your will to His. If everything happens according to His Will, then you have no will to subordinate, and cannot be saved. On the flp side, in Catholic dogma, in order to commit a sin, you must choose to do so; you must place your will ahead of God's. As George Carlin put it back when he was funny, "You hadda wanna!" As a matter of fact, Catholics have defined sin as the phrase "I will..." Again, without free will, you cannot sin.
well, theologians have debated the free will thing for many many centuries (Calvin vs arminianism) who are we to figure it out. some things are just best left to God. that is how God wants it. we are not puppets, we have free will, but somehow God is still sovereign. anyone who can dismiss a statement like that would have to totally dismiss ANY religion..because ANY faith requires at some point to realize that there are things beyond rational explanation. if one is an atheist one STILL required to make a leap of faith: that we came from nothing and that we overcame absolutely unbelievable odds many times over of everything occuring at exactly the right time with no divine intervention at all.
I hadnt thought of the pride angle but you are absolutely right.
the stretch that Katie made is because someone who is so primed to be antagonistic to the christian faith will grasp at any straw they can to become enraged at christians even when they make the most innocuous of statements.
It might surprise...or baffle...or amuse you to know that my children go to a private Episcopal (as in, Christian) school.
They were all christened in the Episcopal church.
My eldest will soon be confirmed in the church.
Your assumptions about my religious views are way off the mark.
-Katie
I fled the episcopal church so no I am really not too surprised at all that you can dismiss the historical biblical christian faith and at the same time be a card carrying episcopalian.
question: if youre so bad at handling money and need to work for a living how can you send you passel of kids to a private school? i thought you were doing it all yourself.
Generous grandparents.
-Katie
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