God is like a fireman

DISCLAIMER:

The following post is a response to a dear friend of mine’s question to my faith in regards to his own. This is not a vicious argument of any kind but rather a civil discussion that will almost knowingly result in and common disagreement apart from any motivation of persuading the disagreeing party, but rather simply a statement of one’s own belief. I may disagree with a certain position (religious worldview – “Secular” humanism) the same as you may disagree with mine. It does not affect our friendship but will ultimately affect our final destination. If you would like to challenge the position in another way other than civil discussion please privately message me or email me. Let’s not make another huge public comment thread. Email and or Facebook messaging will suffice.

If you would like to read the entire previous discussion from facebook please message me to acquire the link.

My favorite analogy (and I’m not sure if someone else came up with it but I honestly was just thinking of it one day) is comparing god to a omnipotent and omniscient fireman. Now, if you believe god created evil as he created every other thing in existence, then god is like a fireman who set fire to a building filled with a hundred people and then saved half of them while the rest perished. Should that fireman be praised for his heroism? Or should he be hated because he set the fire in the first place. If you believe that god didn’t create evil, then the only other alternative is that he allows it to exist while still having the power to rid the world of it. In this case, our fireman gives a book of matches to a dumb kid and suggests he go play with them in the cornered the building. The fireman watches as he sets the building on fire. Then he he saves half the people again while the other half die. Again, should he be praised? Or hated?

Your story really brings up one main apologist topic: Can a good God create evil? Fireman (god) setting fire to a building (evil) – how can people then worship him? Is he really good?

C.S. Lewis wrote an entire book explaining this quandary and his reconciliation of it: read The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis.  He wrote this book while still grieving over the loss of his wife to cancer. Sooner or later everyone has to deal with the problem of pain—that is, the problem of evil. If God did not claim to be good, then the problem would be simple; but He does. If He were not all-powerful, as the finite godists say, there would not be a problem. If evil were not real, we could escape the problem. But such is not the case. The problem is very real.

What is evil?

Evil: Evil is a lack of something that should be there in the relationship between good things.

Meaning: Evil is, in reality, a parasite that cannot exist except as a hole in something that should be solid.

But if God made all things (fireman ill.), then that makes God responsible for evil, right?

1. God is the author of everything
2. Evil is something.
3. Therefore, God is the author of evil.

But I would say that is not true and here is how I would “prove it.” (of course I say all this, understanding things of this nature do require a high measure of faith just as you must place a high measure of faith your own mind in regards to your ability to save yourself apart from something greater then yourself saving you.)

In the beginning, there was God and He was perfect. Then the perfect God made a perfect world. So how did evil come into the picture? Let’s summarize the problem this way:

(Definition of perfection—don’t have time to get into… skip ahead … J)

1. God made everything perfect
2. One of the perfect things God made was free creatures
3. Free will is the cause of evil.
4. So, imperfection (evil) can arise from perfection (not directly, but indirectly through freedom).

One of the things that makes men (and angels… i.e. Lucifer) morally perfect is freedom. We have a real choice about what we do. God made us that way so that we could be like Him and could LOVE  freely (forced love is not love at all, is it?). But in making us that way, He also allowed for the possibility of evil. To be free we had to have not only the opportunity to choose good, but also the ability to choose evil. That was the risk God knowingly took. That doesn’t make Him responsible for evil. He created the FACT of freedom; we perform the ACTS of freedom. He made evil POSSIBLE; men made evil ACTUAL. Imperfection came through the abuse of our moral perfection as free creatures.

(-excerpts from “When Skeptics Ask” by Norman Geisler  59-62)

Also, you cannot forget that God in his perfection could have destroyed all because we disobeyed Him. Remember He is God and you are not. But rather he has made a way of escape which is found only through the sacrifice of His son Jesus Christ on the cross.

I Thess. 5:9,10 – For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.)

SIDE NOTE #1 In regards  to “Secular” humanism (for it is in no way secular but totally religious and based on faith) this verse came to mind and one must choose to acknowledge or disregard: Galatians 6:7-8 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth unto his own flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth unto the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap eternal life.

SIDE NOTE #2  In the end, belief in God or belief in “not a god” requires a degree of faith because it is not empirically provable. Actually, I think Secular Humanism requires more faith given the evidence that the complexity of the universe has to offer.

- Notice: Any answers to this post from anyone must keep in mind the disclaimer given at the beginning.

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“All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. The will never takes the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves.” – Pascal

Mission Trip to Micronesia

April 2013

Dear Family and Friends:

For several months now, Jamie and I have been exploring a new direction that God may be leading us in our future life together. Currently we are living in Dublin, NH, where I work as a teacher, coach, and dormitory supervisor for DCA.  Jamie has stayed very busy with several part-time jobs this year. However, this summer we have an opportunity to go on a mission trip to the island of Chuuk, Micronesia, with Grace Dental and Medical Mission. God’s will does not always lead you where you might expect, but we both feel this is an important step to help us determine if this ministry is where the Lord would have us.

The trip is planned for July 2- 18 and will specifically target three islands, with efforts concentrated on opening doors to share the gospel through dental and medical aid. We will be staying for most of the time on the main Chuukese island of Weno, but we were also told to bring a tent, because for several days we will be “camping” Micronesian style in order to set up a clinic on a remote island of Nomwin. Thankfully, Jamie and I will not be asked to pull teeth or diagnose illnesses. We will be assisting the medical teams, but also learning specifically how GDMMissions operates and what our future roles may be with the mission.  Each team member needs to raise $3,000, 80% of which goes toward airfare. We are trusting God to provide the funds, but we do understand that raising $6,000 in a short amount of time is a daunting task. We are confident of God’s leading and that no matter the difficulty, He is always faithful.

We are excited (and admittedly a little nervous) about this next step, but recently I was encouraged by a quote from a book I have been reading called Finish the Mission:

“Hebrews talks of those who were made strong out of weakness. The implication is not that they made themselves strong, just that they made themselves available. As a result, they were made mighty. God is able to do more than we can imagine.” Please pray with us for wisdom about our future, that the Lord will provide the necessary funds for this trip, and that we would be useful tools in the hand of the Almighty.

In Christ,

Jordan and Jamie Moody

English: Map of Chuuk State, Micronesia. Polski: Mapa stanu Chuuk w Mikronezji. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

CONTACT/DONATION INFORMATION

Please send all donations to:

GDMMissions

150 Cross Street

Methuen, MA 01844

*Make checks payable to GDMMissions.  Indicate that this is for the Moodys (on the memo line)

 

Our Address:

106 Page Road

Dublin, NH 03444

jtmoody10@gmail.com

gdmmissions.org

Notice Intolerance will Not be Tolerated

Lebanese man gets 300 lashes, 6 years for helping woman convert to Christianity

There is your headline. Amazing, isn’t it? The fact that a country like Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries can treat humans like dogs because they believe in a different religion and god than they do. American’s yell, intolerant!! But I wonder is this really the same type of intolerance our own country displays towards religion? This shameful act of punishment is intolerant and happens because the very core of Islamic culture breeds hatred and violence for others. The Koran teaches it and no matter how you interpret your version of Islam you cannot get away from the fact that the Koran teaches violent intolerance.

“There is zero tolerance for any non-Muslim religions in Saudi Arabia.”

–Nina Shea, Hudson Institute’s Center for Religious Freedom

But let’s not forget what our own country is like. This is America where freedom, liberty, and equality still exist in some form, right? Is our own country growing closer to this level of intolerance and hatred. I think so. I fear for our country and our skewed morality.

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!

–Isaiah 5:20

Just because one religion (example: Christianity)  won’t freely accept all types of lifestyles does not make it intolerant but truth. Truth holds true to the standard for which all else is called false. For how can one act in such a way without any convictions towards the left or the right? Would I whip someone 300 times for choosing the homosexual lifestyle or aborting babies?? No! Should anyone do such a thing to anyone who does not live after the same lifestyle as their own? No! But it does not mean one must accept opposing lifestyles as good and right for themselves. Condoning and condemning are the natural recourse of believing in anything worth believing. TOLERANCE DOES NOT MEAN ACCEPTANCE.

Check out this article that gives a similar viewpoint to this idea.

Tolerance Does NOT Mean Acceptance

But when it comes down to it, Christian’s are to love all types of sinners because we are sinners ourselves. We do not pretend to act holier than thou but rather reach out in love in order to share the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord. After-all, Jesus was the one who ate with Publicans (lying, cheating, thieves) and Sinners. (prostitutes, drunkards, obvious outright unrighteous) – Luke 15:1-2

Dever’s Annual Reading Habits

From Tony Reinke’s book

Mark Dever supplied his own annual reading schedule entitled a “Canon of Theologians” that looks like this:

January – Early church writings (1st-3rd centuries)

February – Augustine (354-430)

March – Martin Luther (1483-1546)

April – John Calvin (1509-1564)

May – Richard Sibbes (1577-1635)

June – John Owen (1616-1683) and John Bunyan (1628-1688)

July – Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758)

August – C.H. Spurgeon (1834-1892)

September – B.B. Warfield (1851-1921)

October – Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981)

November – C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) and Carl F.H. Henry (1913-2003)

December – Contemporary authors like John Stott, J.I. Packer, Iain Murray, R.C. Sproul and John Piper

I want to take this challenge this year but I am scared because I know I will almost certainly fail. And because this quote is all too true:

Erasmus: “When I get a little money I buy books: and if any is left I buy food and clothes.”

Unfortunately, after this Annual Bible Reading Challenge, I won’t have any money left…

Go Heart the Musique

Check out this great blog below! The author is nominated for the Liebster Award (I needed googled the award too…) and she listed our Hip Fellows blog as one of her top favorite. Support her efforts in the blogosphere by checking out some of her posts and wishing her good luck on a win for Liebster Award.

Here is her comment notifying us of our mention:

hearthemusique May 14, 2013 at 1:35 pm Edit

Hey Fellas (not just Jordan),

So, I really like your blog. I was recently nominated for the Liebster Award, and with that, I have to pass my nominations on to 11 other bloggers, you making the cut  . You can out my post “Justin Liebster” here,
http://hearthemusique.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/justin-liebster/
 , to find out more on what it is I’m talking about! In the meantime, keep sharing those words of inspiration.

My Take on Northland

Reblogged from Pensees:

NOTE: Anybody can read this. Only those really interested in Northland should, although everybody's welcome. But this post is for a particular target audience.

My alma mater is in a crisis. The cliché that crisis in Chinese is made up of two symbols combining danger and opportunity is not actually true, but it is true nonetheless that a crisis is often a jumbled concoction of opportunity with danger.

Read more… 2,861 more words