In the very beginning when god created Adam & Eve he had big plans for them. He planted them in the garden of Eden where everything was idyllic: there was plenty to eat, (fruit and vegetables seemed to be the repas du jour,
every day) nothing to fear (wolves played with the bunnies) nothing to be ashamed of (
nudity was thee last word in fashion), and there was no hate, jealousy, or animosity (nobody was boinking anyone on the head and stealing their last carrot). And because they were born with reproductive organs I think it's fair to assume they were meant to reproduce, which meant that given enough time, if they and their progeny never died the world would eventually become over populated. Therefore, god intended that they
would die, at which time he would take them into heaven with him.
Nice plan.
However, as we all know, right off the bat Eve screwed up the whole darn thing. We all know what happened so won't bother going into it, but I would like to point out one consequence. Because of this MAJOR blunder god decided that all almost all of his sentient creations would suffer. Bunnies, who once lived in peace with wolves, now had to fear them and suffer the likelihood of being eaten alive. Carrots and all other plants could well suffer a lack of rain and die of thirst. And mankind would suffer under the anger and vitriol of their "neighbors." Even personal suffering was inflicted on us; sadness, aching backs, and tummy aches. To say nothing of ALS, cancer, and heart attacks.
Nope, god made sure we'd all suffer, and suffer mightily for Eve's screw up.
Now, normally we confront the good and bad in our lives with proportionality. When we receive a nice bonus in our paycheck we don't blow our life's savings in celebration. Nor when stubbing our toe on the bathroom sink do we grab our Remington 597 Kryptek Semi Auto Rimfire rifle and start shooting out the tires on all the cars parked along our street. What we do is respond rationally and proportionally. After getting the bonus the wife and I might go out for dinner, and after stubbing my toe at most I'd hop around on the other foot while swearing for a minute or so. What I wouldn't do is visit my misfortune on anyone else. That would be just stupid, to say nothing of unjust and cruel.
Yet this is exactly what god has done. A&E messed up and now he's made us all suffer for it. Some say our suffering is necessary to gain salvation. Could be. Considering what misery god has already dumped on mankind I can honestly see him adding to our suffering by making us jump through hoops for his glory.
In her pandering apologetic, Chelsea Patterson Sobolik says:
"Suffering is inevitable.
For Christians enduring this fallen world, suffering has two purposes: God’s glory and our good."
Looking up "glory" just to be sure I got it right, (it means "high renown or honor won by notable achievements") our suffering appears to increase or pay homage to god's already high renown or honor, but I ask you, to what purpose? Is god so vain that he needs more high renown or honor heaped upon him, and just how does our suffering do this? I suffer, which in turn adds to his renown or heaps more honor upon him? Truthfully I don't get the process at all; and where's this good we evidently receive from suffering?
Chelsea Patterson Sobolik says our suffering "sanctifies and purifies us."
source
Whaaat? "Sanctify" means "
free from sin; purify / set apart as or declare holy; consecrate. / make legitimate or binding by religious sanction." Okay, but must this go on day after day, year after year? How about an "Option Out Clause"? And why would suffering do this instead of some act we choose to do? After all, don't those things we choose to do acquire more acknowledgment than those that just happen? As for suffering purifying us, I have just about the same questions as I do for sanctifying us.
So, I find it very difficult to pull any good from our suffering. BESIDES, none of this would have been necessary---god needing glory and all---if A&E had never screwed up. For the last 6,000 years or so god would have been sitting back in his Barcalounger watching everyone gambol about with the deer in all their nakedness, occasionally stopping to pull up a carrot or two before resuming their play time or mating. But-*
sigh*- god became very vindictive and needy after the Eden event (
personally, it doesn't speak well of his mentally stablity), purposing making us all his whipping boys. And in all our suffering, like the masochist, Christians are saying, "
Thank you master. More please." So please forgive me for not understanding the whole thing. It just doesn't make sense.
What I do understand though, is that for god, "proportionality" is a dirty word.
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