I've been asking a lot of "why" questions lately. But what else is new.
Last week in Atlanta, where I live and work, two families were awash in emotion -- one with joy, the other with sorrow.
The Sowell family was rejoicing that their 15-year-old son Thomas was coming home from the hospital. He has been recuperating extremely well from a traumatic brain injury -- one that doctors first thought almost assuredly would have resulted in permanent disability requiring around-the-clock care, if not death.
Thomas had been snowboarding with his Boy Scout troop in January at a North Carolina ski resort when he had a horrific accident. After being brought to Atlanta's Grady Hospital for intensive care for a few weeks, he was transferred to the Shepherd Center for what was anticipated to be a long and grueling recovery.
But Thomas was able to go home after a week at Shepherd. He'll most likely be back in school in a couple of weeks.
According to an article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Dr. Sanjay Dhall, Grady's chief of neurosurgery, said Thomas' recovery "shocked all of us ... he's phenomenal." And Dr. Darryl Kaelin, medical director of the brain injury program at the Shepherd Center, said his improvement was "remarkable."
In other words, it's a miracle.
Thomas and his family had the fervent support of their church, his high school and the whole community. Prayers were offered around the clock.
As Thomas' father put it in the AJC article, "We hope Thomas's story is one of hope, for so many patients to know that a miraculous recovery can still occur."
But he also noted, "There are a lot of patients ... who aren't as fortunate."
And that begs the question: Why, God? Why?
At the same time, just north of Atlanta in Cherokee County, another family was grieving the unexpected loss of their 25-year-old daughter, Holly Pyle. She was one of the 12 victims in the sinking of the Vietnamese tourist boat in Ha Long Bay last week.
Holly had been traveling through Asia for six months, and was due to return home in only a few days. Her father said, in another AJC article, that she had enjoyed every single day of her trip. In fact, he and his wife believed she had truly found her life's calling: to teach children in impoverished areas overseas.
A young woman at the start of a life full of promise, and that life is suddenly snuffed out.
Why, God? Why?
This past weekend I learned of the death of another young, promising, creative person: Perry Moore. Perry was executive producer of the blockbuster C. S. Lewis Chronicles of Narnia films and author of Hero, a novel about a young gay superhero, which was also in production as a film. He was only 39 with a whole life of creativity ahead of him.
A few years ago, I corresponded briefly with Perry about his novel, his love of the Narnia books, spirituality, our mutual hero Stan Lee and his hometown in Southeast Virginia, where I spent my summers. By all accounts, Perry was one of the nicest, most talented people in the business. Now, he's gone.
Why, God? Why?
I think of a friend who moved to Atlanta only a few months ago with his wife to take on a new ministry position, only to be told that it wasn't working out. So now he's in a strange town far from family with no job, and suddenly he's facing several health issues that require immediate attention.
The future seemed so promising. And now what? And most of all, why?
The problem for people of Christian faith is that there really aren't very many good answers to the question of "why" in the Bible. In fact, the whole book of Job illustrates this point clearly and rather painfully.
Job catastrophically lost his family and his wealth -- everything. Of course, the book sets the whole story up by revealing that God was actually testing Job. Apparently Satan convinced God that the only reason Job was righteous was because of all the blessings he received as a result. So God accepted the challenge -- why, I certainly can't guess -- and took all those blessings away from Job.
Even so, Job did not sin or blame God. He did not "curse God and die," as his lovely wife urged him. Then the stakes were raised in the heavenly courts to the point that Job was left sitting there in a heap, as one pitiful, sore-covered mess possessing nothing.
Job tried very hard to figure out why this had happened to him, justifying himself as a righteous man. His three wise-guy friends tried and tried again to get him to accept the blame and change his ways, but he told them angrily that he was already doing everything right. It simply was not fair. Where was God in all this?
God finally did show up, in the midst of a terrible storm, to talk things over with Job in the final chapters of the book, essentially asking Job, "who do you think you are?" and defending the justice and wisdom of God's reign. And God chastised Job's friends for their wrongheaded notions.
In the end, God restored Job's family and fortune -- by twice as much, in fact. A happy ending (which many scholars believe was tacked on later).
There is much we can learn from this tale. But there is far more that it only complicates and confuses in our human understanding.
So it all comes down to trusting God. Simplistic, yes, but there it is. If we believe in God, we accept that God is far above our understanding.
Even so, we are nevertheless called to live lives marked by, saturated in, and radiating God's justice, love, and peace. Rather than get bogged down in the "why," we are to live and be family to one another -- especially to those who are hurting, in pain, suffering grievous loss. We are called to reach out in love no matter what our own circumstances may be.
But there's more to it than that. One of Jesus' sayings, relevant here, is often taken a bit out of context:
"Your Father in heaven...makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:45).
On their own, those words sound a little unfair. If all of us, righteous and unrighteous, are treated equally by God in this way, what difference does it make? Why be righteous?
But the context of Jesus' words in Matthew 5:38-48 makes it clear that his emphasis is on our response to this reality:
"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you."You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
Just as God showers sun and rain on all, we are to love all, even our enemies. We are to serve one another, even those who persecute us. And we are to be brothers and sisters to all -- not only those who are grieving and in need around us, but everyone.
Why? Just because. And maybe when we do, life will start to make a little more sense.
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Earth living is the process of learning through experiencing, governed by karma and reincarnation. Each ghost (Mathew 27:50) incarnates as every attribute of every specie feeling every possible emotion, grief, pleasure and interaction within its and across species before evolves to the next. Examples, the fishing eagle was or shall be every fish it catches, man were every insect killed prior to being man and every man one kills he was or shall be. Lesser karma happens across incarnating sequences I call timelines.
Everyone Jesus healed or resurrected he read their karma as they were in his timeline while those he forgave may well have been in another. The problem is we do not comprehend these things until we are reborn [metamorphosed] into becoming eternal beings. Therefore, the "why" is because everyone involved are going through learning experiences, some of the living may metamorphosis at this time while the others continue reincarnating.
Genesis 1 is the transition period between the spiritual civilization (Revelation 21) the Adam and Eve metaphor rising of this material one while the millennium is the reversed beginning the Genesis transition returning to Revelation 21. Life is like a day, first light to sunrise, the morning, sunset until dark an the evening taking us back to first light for both, civilizations and reincarnations.
Do I need to explain DEED and GRACE to you. Is not that the WHY
Is not living for Spirit and not flesh WHY?
You as a REV should teach the New Testament, so each person can choose to become righteous by living for spirit not making heaven on earth. Did not Christ bear pain and sorrow in his physical material life to show mankind there is eternal life without pain and sorrow in the spirit .
You can point the way, you can sympathize, but sorrow is endless. Be not sorrowful be joyous. Sympathy yes. Taking on others sorrow is simply that. As REV lead by example and direction they must learn not to expect Joy and Bliss from material world of life and death and cause and effect, but form eternal life of spirit.
Did not Christ say to forgive others, but bare your cross. Instead of saving the world he submitted to the misery of the world. He did not save those who raised havoc on his body and mortal life, he bore his cross and pain because it was only body not spirit. It was not death, but life.
I thank GOD for 32 years of my sons life. I cannot desecrate his wonderful life on earth with my earthly sorrow and pain of loneliness. I cannot destroy Josh's energy soaring beyond this earthly plain. He is now the father and I am the son. I praise GOD that we both new this
...because the Maker of the elements that function inside of us knows so much more than we do.
We will be looking back and saying, "What pain, what sorrow?" and "That was nothing by comparison." if we have the vision to see things for what they are and see God's plan and purpose in everything enough to listen to and obey His word.
Only by seeing beyond the material world are things added upon you. Seek and ye shall find, As and it will be given. The power of the universe is given to those who can handle that. But not for material consciousness. Yes, the world has many examples of some who gained this power and misused it.
Serial killers are usually caught.
They are what they are because of the lies they believe. That is how it works.
People who believe the truth don't do what they do.
He called the police, and what did they do about it? they laughed at him.
So, you are wrong, yet again. Im sure your wrong about People who believe the truth dont do what they do, and besides that, your bible says not to judge others. So please stop making yourself look bad.
That is the way it is folks
We do have a Maker, we are sinners and we do need the provision that only He has to offer because there is no one else able to do anything for us in all of eternity.
asking why seldom gives us an answer that has any meaning.
instead of asking why; ask what is the meaning of what appears to be.
or maybe better what is the meaning of the underlying reality of that which appears to be.
as far as your story of two different people and their outcomes. we dont know cannot know and may never know but when we begin to accept that we are all from the same infinite source of all that is well to love another is to love self, to hate another is to hate self, to make wars on others is to make war on self, to steal from others is to steal from self, to judge another is to judge self, etc.
example: we americans wanted revenge after 9/11. how has that worked out for us. two unwinable wars unless you listen to our politicans and military, massive debt, divided nation, even more hate towards americans in the world, ie the terrorists knew full well if we allowed our industrial military complex to overreact that would be to their benefit to help bring down america.
never underestimate your enemy, we did. we hated our enemy and hate always does its thing to the one doing the hating. they hate us; we hate them. an eye for an eye now we are well on our way of everyone being blind.
Dropping the Atomic Bomb, stealing Mexican and Native land leave much karma to overcome.
It they do or not even hate you because they hate you. Just what do you think the think for killing their children. The cause and effect does create much sorrow in the end.
How long before before the earth will once again gain economic, business, social and judicial justice. When its leader unprovoked attacks, occupies, prohibits due process and habeas corpus, tortures, etc.
Forgive us
Only one of them has everything covered.
Biblical Judaism did have everything covered but Judaism was changed by some of the Rabbis because time fulfilled the reality of Judaism and they did not want to accept the fulfillment of Judaism.
The Jews that did accept the fulfillment of Judaism were called Christians.
It is not possible for there to be no Maker of the elements that are working inside of us.
Incorrect. they are called Messianic Jews or Jews for Jesus. I know, I was one.
"But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
12
¶ Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
13
For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.
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For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God".
In other words, it's a miracle."
It wasn't a miracle, it was medicine and science. Saying it was a miracle discredits the hundreds of thousands who've worked to improve healthcare, if only incrementally, over the years.
Yes, by GRACE, it spectacular to transcend one ego self with a single eye, filling the body full of light. But it cannot me a miracle it is nature and science. Because it can be experience and observed.
This column of your strikes a note with many of my friends and me.
Here is the link to four articles I wrote on organized religion that deals with exactly what you write about.
God Bless and Peace
http://marculyseas.wordpress.com/category/organized-religion-a-necessary-evil-or-a-business-part-one/
http://marculyseas.wordpress.com/category/organized-religion-%E2%80%93-crime-punishment-part-two/
http://marculyseas.wordpress.com/category/organized-religion-%E2%80%93-why-is-god-male-%E2%80%93-part-three/
http://marculyseas.wordpress.com/category/organized-religion-a-celebration-of-faith-%E2%80%93-part-four/
Christianity is in reality an agent of the gospel. It's existence is to promote the gospel (the good news of the salvation that is of God).
It is not to prey one anyone and it is not to make anyone rich.
God's word is our only hope. There is nothng else that is able to make us into a new Creation that is lasting.
A Pagan friend said the gods are testing us.
A christian said god is testing us.
You say christianity is the Absolute truth, yet everything youve said has been proven false by people that think critically, and people that have had a lot more experience than you.
Surely you have heard of the exercise. Imagining yourself at the bank of a gigantic lake. The ripples on the lake are emulating millions of moon beams. Calm yourself, relax, breath evenly. No imagine the ripple have disappeared and the one calm lake, like our mind is still. There is but one moon beam. Become this moon beam. Follow the moon beam to the moon itself. Be that moon. Now follow other moon beams further into space itself.
Stuff on earth is called material physical state, Stuff of spirit is the consciousness in the single and multiple cells of organisms on the within the material world itself
All GOOD stuff, but more acceptable beyond the body of cause and effect, gain and loss, pain and suffering, life and death. Here the energy is not create or destroyed, it changes form. To be come conscious of this stuff is eternity beyond the cause and effect of material being.
Actually it was a very unhappy ending because God didn't restore his family, he *replaced* his family. The family members that were slaughtered out of hand to play out this little gamble were not brought back.
Which is one of the more odd things about the story. People always talk about how brave Job was through all that suffering. I'd say his family got the much shorter end of the stick. Job got to live.