What do you think about this?

[9-10ths_Penguin]

16 Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. 17 And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ 18 So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods.19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ 20 But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’

21 “So is he who lays up treasure for himself,and is not rich toward God.”

I think this parable gives a great perspective…

God did His part when He blessed our capacity for surely we have enough harvest to feed everyone who is in need on the face of this earth And still have plenty for himself

But man, in his covetousness, doesn’t want to share the blessing and be rich towards God by being generous towards man.

So the fault is on man’s side and not God’s.

Why did you go with that passage and not the more traditional Matt 6:25-34?

(Other than the fact that it pins the fault for starvation on God, I mean)

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Ah... Then in your eyes no one should be thankful because everyone is different.

Nope. Read it again.

Celebrating our own fortune is fine... unless it's tied to the misfortune of others.

As an analogy: it would be inappropriate for a general contractor to celebrate their record year of profits if the reason that they were so busy and profitable was cleanup from a killer tornado that destroyed many people's homes. Do you agree?

 

[We Never Know]

Nope. Read it again.

Celebrating our own fortune is fine... unless it's tied to the misfortune of others.

As an analogy: it would be inappropriate for a general contractor to celebrate their record year of profits if the reason that they were so busy and profitable was cleanup from a killer tornado that destroyed many people's homes. Do you agree?

You need to read again.

That's kinda what I was thinking.
Don't be thankful you can walk because some can't walk.
Don't be thankful you woke up this morning because some didn't wake up.
Don't be thankful etc etc.

Being thankful for being able to walk isn't because someone else can't.
IMO people see and know things could be worse so they are thankful for what they have.

I once heard... Look around in life and you will see plenty have it worse off than you so be thankful.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Being thankful for being able to walk isn't because someone else can't.

It is if you're thanking the thing that caused someone else to not be able to walk.

 

[We Never Know]

It is if you're thanking the thing that caused someone else to not be able to walk.

Then like I said...

Ah... Then in your eyes no one should be thankful because everyone is different.

So you can't be thankful for anything because everyone is not exactly like you. Plenty are worse off.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Then like I said...



So you can't be thankful for anything because everyone is not exactly like you. Plenty are worse off.

Of course I can be thankful. I don't have to express thanks for the whims of a capricious god.

 

[Spice]

What do you think about this image?
View attachment 90557

There, but for the grace of God go I. Let us give thanks.

 

[We Never Know]

Of course I can be thankful. I don't have to express thanks for the whims of a capricious god.

Um no. I never mentioned a god. I simply mentioned being thankful and as always you took off running blind with your bash and trash a god attitude lol

My original post...

That's kinda what I was thinking.
Don't be thankful you can walk because some can't walk.
Don't be thankful you woke up this morning because some didn't wake up.
Don't be thankful etc etc.

 

[Stevicus]

You need to read again.



Being thankful for being able to walk isn't because someone else can't.
IMO people see and know things could be worse so they are thankful for what they have.

I once heard... Look around in life and you will see plenty have it worse off than you so be thankful.

I suppose one could take "being thankful" to extremes, like being thankful for every sip of water and every breath of air. But then if there was no water or air, then there would be no life - and no one to be thankful.

I've been told many times that I should be thankful that I was born in the USA. Maybe we should thank Uncle Sam, I don't know.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Um no. I never mentioned a god. I simply mentioned being thankful and as always you took off running blind with your bash and trash a god attitude lol

My mistake for assuming that you were trying to be relevant to the thread topic, then.

 

[We Never Know]

My mistake for assuming that you were trying to be relevant to the thread topic, then.

The thread is "What do you think about this?"

 

[We Never Know]

This touches on one issue I do have with the meme: it plays on the old - and IMO false and pretty racist - trope of starving people being black and from some far-flung corner of Africa.

The reality is that there are plenty of homeless and hungry people in the wealthy West.

I think some of this comes down to how starving African children are "safe" victims in a lot of ways: a random white Christian family living in a Chicago suburb can probably feel sure that they had nothing to do with a famine in Ethiopia, but if there's a homeless family sleeping under a bridge 2 miles from their house, Mom and Dad's voting history and political donations may very well be part of the reasons that family is homeless.

Maybe, just maybe the problem is all you see is a white praying family with food and black starving kids.

What if it was a black family praying and white starving kids? What would your thoughts be?

The pictures as a whole to me is showing people being thankful for what they have and also showing people not so fortunate. Life is cruel and full of suffering for many. For me race never even entered my mind because IMO being thankful and suffering is not about race.

 

[☆Dreamwind☆]

I think it's a sophomoric, tasteless, pointless attack on prayer.

How a family worships in the privacy of their own home has no relevance to children starving in third world countries.

This. Plus if people are going to eat at a nice restaurant, I sincerely doubt they're collectively thinking "Ha! Suck it poor people! You can't afford food like this!" They're simply sitting down to eat at a nice restaurant.

 

[SalixIncendium]

Maybe, just maybe the problem is all you see is a white praying family with food and black starving kids.

What if it was a black family praying and white starving kids? What would your thoughts be?

It’s about race now?

I hadn’t even considered race until you posted this. I just saw a family and starving children.

 

[We Never Know]

It’s about race now?

I hadn’t even considered race until you posted this. I just saw a family and starving children.

I never considered race either but....

This touches on one issue I do have with the meme: it plays on the old - and IMO false and pretty racist - trope of starving people being black and from some far-flung corner of Africa.

The reality is that there are plenty of homeless and hungry people in the wealthy West.

I think some of this comes down to how starving African children are "safe" victims in a lot of ways: a random white Christian family living in a Chicago suburb can probably feel sure that they had nothing to do with a famine in Ethiopia, but if there's a homeless family sleeping under a bridge 2 miles from their house, Mom and Dad's voting history and political donations may very well be part of the reasons that family is homeless.

 

[SalixIncendium]

I never considered race either but....

I guess I missed that post.

 

[Gargovic Malkav]

Yeah, it does help with ones inner peace but doesn't do much for anyone else.

What do you think god would prefer, your inner peace or help with starvation?

I don't see how this has to be a "have your cake and eat it too" dilemma.

 

[Gargovic Malkav]

Accurately, IMO.


Maybe. Does that make it false?



It seems to me that encouraging someone with hypocritical beliefs to engage in self-reflection has pretty good odds of leading to some good.

And again: even if you don't personally see it as useful, does that make it false?

The irony and hypocrisy you mean?
I can see what's ironic about it.
But this has more to do with Westerners having virtually everything while the kids in the picture below have nothing.
No need to single out Christians.

 

[Kenny]

Why did you go with that passage and not the more traditional Matt 6:25-34?

(Other than the fact that it pins the fault for starvation on God, I mean)

You will have to do better than just make statements.

 

[McBell]

You will have to do better than just make statements.

You were asked a rather specific question that you blatantly ignored.

Not a good look.,