Samantha Rinne
Resident Genderfluid Writer/Artist
I am sorry this post is so long, but I have been holding this in all week, and I wonder why nobody is talking about it, as if it is not even happening. Do people have their heads in the sand or do they simply think that by not talking about it they can pretend it is not happening? Or if they do talk about it they laugh and joke about it, as if it is no big deal. What is wrong with people that they are blind to what is happening? I have my own ideas but I just wonder what other people on RF think.
My academic background is psychology so I always analyze people and how they think and behave. But since I also have a religion and believe in God, I also wonder how God might be involved in anything that happens in the world, especially something like this which is unprecedented in modern history.
Why did this epidemic have to happen? Is God involved? I believe that God has His Hand in everything in the sense that everything that happens is within God’s Will, so if God had not willed it to happen, it would not have happened.
So what are the implications if God is involved? Is God going to punish humanity for their misdeeds? What did humanity do to deserve this? Imo, we cannot fall back in the sinful humanity because Adam and Eve ate the apple story again; that is old hat and I do not even believe in original sin, but I digress because I want to talk about what is possibly going on now, not what happened in the past. Why would God will this for humanity? Are we all guilty, not because of original sin, but because of something else? If only some people are guilty, a lot of innocent people are going to get caught in the crossfire. Even if they do not contract the virus or have a loved one who contracts it, the effect upon the economy affects everyone, especially older people who have saved for retirement all their lives. But I digress again, and I do not want to talk about the state of the economy because it will only make me angry.
Things like this do not happen for no reason, and since God is ultimately in charge of everything, God has to be behind it in some way. But even if God is behind it that does not mean that humanity “collectively” did not deserve this, because I believe that God is just and loving.
Some people blame President Trump for all of this, get real. Trump did not cause this, and even if he did not manage it that well, Trump does not have that much power – but God does. The buck stops with God, Imo, so now all you atheists can pile on, and I will agree with you. .
So, back to the subject, why did this have to happen? Of course we will never know but we can conjecture about it. I have my own opinions and I think it is because humanity had to wake up and realize who is ultimately in charge – God. But it is more than that since most people already know that God is in charge. In my opinion, humanity has to eventually wake up and realize that we are all one people and the way we are living is not working for all of humanity. Ultimately, we need to come together and work together for the sake of all of humanity.
Reflections on the Coronavirus and the Oneness of Humanity
Sadly, what I see is that most people are basically selfish and materialistic. However, all humans also have a noble spiritual nature so they have the capacity to sacrifice for the sake of others, and we see that in these times of crisis. Not everyone is going to care about other people though; some people are going to be worried if they will be able to get toilet paper. To me it is Unbelievable that people would worry about such a petty thing when the world is crumbling all around them. Oh no, the Coronavirus is not the only world crisis, we have been in “crisis mode” for a very long time. Does anybody care about a solution?
I apologize ahead of time if I offend anyone’s beliefs, but I do not believe Jesus is coming back to fix the mess the world is in; fixing this mess is the job for humans working together. And how much of this crisis can be attributed to the Christians who are “waiting for Jesus” and assuming He is going to come eventually, He just got hung up at the airport. But that is the power beliefs hold, people can believe anything. I think what we need to ask ourselves is how rational these beliefs are, and even more importantly, how are these beliefs going to help anyone? Clearly, Jesus is not here and there is no reason to believe He is coming because He said His work was finished here and He was no more in the world (John 17:4, John 17:11).
It was not the purpose of this post to lay blame upon anyone, but I cannot help but think that holding the belief that Jesus is coming to rescue humanity plays a part in how people think and behave. Why worry about doing anything if Jesus is coming soon? Maybe I am reading too much into this because my academic background is psychology, or maybe I see something others do not see, I don’t know. I just know it bothers me tremendously, because it is selfish and lazy to expect Jesus or God to “fix” what humanity is responsible for and what humanity is fully capable of fixing.
According to my beliefs humans are responsible for the mess we find ourselves in so our sins will not go unpunished, because that is in accordance with God’s justice. However, the past is gone and now we need to live in the present and work towards the future. God will not abandon us to our fate. If we do His Will, God will be with us every step of the way as we try to apply His Remedy to the problems the world faces.
“God, the Vigilant, the Just, the Loving, the All-Wise Ordainer, can, in this supreme Dispensation, neither allow the sins of an unregenerate humanity, whether of omission or of commission, to go unpunished, nor will He be willing to abandon His children to their fate, and refuse them that culminating and blissful stage in their long, their slow and painful evolution throughout the ages, which is at once their inalienable right and their true destiny.” The Promised Day Is Come, pp. 4-5
This Judgment of God
Let's withhold any notions of judgement for the time, and get to the actual meat of the subject. This world as created has only a thin material veneer. I'll make a diagram.
On the left is the world as it appears to human eyes. On the right is the world broken down into elemental components. Auras and runes, if you will. Think of it this way, suppose we have a word "warm" and you are thinking that word constantly while surrounded by "cold" weather outside.
As an ancient human, while you think this, you take steps to get "warm" by learning how to build "fire" using "wood" or you kill an animal for its fur, and you now have a warm coat.
What I'm trying to convey, is that on a very real level, our thoughts dictate reality. Now what does this mean?
The short version? ****ing idiots on the internet can spread a panic which in turn cloisters people indoors where they have bratty kids sneezing on them, can't work, and can't get away! Brilliant! Btw, some diseases (like leprosy) worsen when people are in close proximity! You're better traveling and doing business as normal, and just improving hygiene a tiny bit. This creates a perfect storm where a rumor creates a crisis where there isn't one. In China, they have open air markets where raw meat is sitting outdoors, they have sketchy water, and they have somewhat bad hygiene in general. They also have squat toilets! Iran is not known for its first world hygiene either. Europe has Middle Eastern immigrants, which accounts for much of their contagion, but unlike Asia, their hygiene is first world. The entirety of Europe combined has just about 3x what just Iran has.
So first, let's stop the misinformation and especially the panic. If you're worried, go around everywhere in a hazard suit. But coronavirus is weak. Lemme say this again. Coronavirus is WEAK. The last map I checked had about 138k total cases (they're saying it's risen since then), only 5.5k were deadly (remember this number), and most of these were people who were already sick, old, or had other issues like diabetes. Btw, this is worldwide. The US had just about 1663 cases last check, and only 42 or so were deadly. China is jam-packed with people (try getting on a Chinese bus), and even so only a small percentage even got sick. The US has people spaced out all over the place. We are declaring a national emergency and shutting down schools and churches and concerts for two weeks.
Yet, I'm gonna lay out some truth. Each year, from one of the three strains of flu, about 50k people die of the flu. Worldwide, the number is closer to 260k up to maybe 650k. Not counting complications from pneumonia, this number is significantly lower, but let's be real. This is a weak disease. Stop repeating the word "pandemic" and keep using the word "hygiene precautions." Beyond this, get some fresh air. Do some hiking. Stop wearing dusty masks.
God didn't cause this. Human fear did. But remember what Jesus did.
Matthew 9:22
Luke 17:19
Matthew 13:58 (wherein a lack of faith actually prevented healing)
He healed the sick. He told them "your faith has made you well." Have faith. And it will make you well.
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