First of all, let me apologize, to the Lord and to any readers I may have, for the delay between this post and the last. Though I feel that God has called me to write this blog on his behalf, I personally am far from perfect, and I tend to procrastinate; therefore, know that whatever inspiration you get from reading this comes from Him and not from me.
On today's topic, I believe that God wants to hear from His followers personally. He gave us free will and made us individuals, and no one thinks or feels quite like anyone else. So, when we are praying, we should say exactly what we feel and think to God. He knows what we think already, because He made us, so we should be honest with Him about our desires and concerns. I talk to God like a friend, and in language I would use with my other friends. Sometimes when I am frustrated, I swear while praying, not at God, but in His presence, but I never feel that He holds it against me, because I am being honest in bringing my burdens to Him.
Similarly, I feel that it better to use your own words, rather than someone else's. The Lord's Prayer and other rote prayers are respectful and well-written, but the value in a prayer comes from the heart of the person praying, not from the eloquence of the words said. King David was a poet, and God will not hold His other followers accountable for not being as well spoken as David was. Prayers should be composed by you according to what you want to say to God at the time. I use a routine prayer when I get ready for bed, but it is a prayer I formed myself in the years since I was a child, and it is tailored to my needs and personality, so it has meaning for me where other routine prayers would not. Above all, God wants to have a real relationship with all of us, and this cannot happen when all we say are the rote prayers of others that don't communicate any of our personal feelings to Him. Tell Him what's on your mind, and don't be afraid of what He might think of you. He already knows what you think, but He cannot act to help you unless you bring the matter before Him.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Sunday, June 17, 2012
#3: God's Design of the Universe and Free Will
I believe God created the universe in such a way as to give us a choice whether to believe in Him. The Big Bang theory states that, after a huge explosion, dust clouds swirled around for millions of years until forming into the stars and planets. I believe that God created the cosmos instantly, but did so in such a way that would take millions of years if it happened without His aid. The Earth is estimated to be around 6 billion years old, according to how long it takes various types of stone to form. I think God made the Earth instantly, as it says in the book of Genesis, but in a mature state ready to support life. God set things up this way so that we can choose not to believe in Him if we want, because, again, it means more if we choose Him with no coercion, and it would violate free will if He put a method of proof of His existence in the universe that made it impossible for us to believe any other way.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
#2: God's Ability to Intercede in Our Lives
Today, I would like to touch on the subject of how God intercedes in our lives, and the degree to which He can step in and moderate how things turn out for us.
First, God definitely has the power to remake us and the world in any way He wants; He is God after all, and to believe He doesn't have that kind of power is to believe that He isn't really God. But, as I stated last post, He purposely limits Himself from reaching His physical hand down to Earth from the heavens and scooping us from danger, or smiting the infidels, because that would violate our ability to make our own decisions. Still, He can intercede in anyone's affairs so long as it does not violate our free will.
The main way that God operates in the world, I believe, is within the scheme of probability. He can make things more or less likely to happen, if His followers request Him to, or just out of concern for His followers, and regarding those that do not believe in or follow Him. Again, as last time, I do believe that probability is an independent idea, and that some things just happen, and don't have a greater significance. But, I also believe that probability, like science, is part of the program for how the universe works, and that God set it in motion at the beginning of everything. And, just as our own actions can make some event more or less likely to happen, God can affect probability as well, and this lets Him act behind the scenes so our faith and beliefs are not called into question and our free will is not violated.
God can take a more active role in our lives when we believe in Him, because our belief makes it so that His existence and aid do not violate our will. When we believe, we give God the leeway to answer our prayers and intercede to a greater degree in our lives. And, the more our will coincides with His, the more He can act in our lives and guide us on the path we should take. This means that, if we were to give up our own wills, we would be living only for God, and He would be able to govern every aspect of our lives. But I don't think, personally, that that is what God wants us to do. If He wanted us all to worship Him full time and do nothing else, I think He would have just created us in Heaven to serve Him as He did with the angels. No, the fact that we have free will says to me that God wants us to live our own lives, have families, jobs, and fun, and to believe in and worship Him. He wants there to be a balance in our lives. So, while a monastic life solely of worship seems the most noble path, it misses out on so much of the world that God created for us, that I personally cannot follow such a path. I try to defer to God's will, because I know that He knows best, but I still have my own personal goals. And I feel that this is the way God wants me to be.
First, God definitely has the power to remake us and the world in any way He wants; He is God after all, and to believe He doesn't have that kind of power is to believe that He isn't really God. But, as I stated last post, He purposely limits Himself from reaching His physical hand down to Earth from the heavens and scooping us from danger, or smiting the infidels, because that would violate our ability to make our own decisions. Still, He can intercede in anyone's affairs so long as it does not violate our free will.
The main way that God operates in the world, I believe, is within the scheme of probability. He can make things more or less likely to happen, if His followers request Him to, or just out of concern for His followers, and regarding those that do not believe in or follow Him. Again, as last time, I do believe that probability is an independent idea, and that some things just happen, and don't have a greater significance. But, I also believe that probability, like science, is part of the program for how the universe works, and that God set it in motion at the beginning of everything. And, just as our own actions can make some event more or less likely to happen, God can affect probability as well, and this lets Him act behind the scenes so our faith and beliefs are not called into question and our free will is not violated.
God can take a more active role in our lives when we believe in Him, because our belief makes it so that His existence and aid do not violate our will. When we believe, we give God the leeway to answer our prayers and intercede to a greater degree in our lives. And, the more our will coincides with His, the more He can act in our lives and guide us on the path we should take. This means that, if we were to give up our own wills, we would be living only for God, and He would be able to govern every aspect of our lives. But I don't think, personally, that that is what God wants us to do. If He wanted us all to worship Him full time and do nothing else, I think He would have just created us in Heaven to serve Him as He did with the angels. No, the fact that we have free will says to me that God wants us to live our own lives, have families, jobs, and fun, and to believe in and worship Him. He wants there to be a balance in our lives. So, while a monastic life solely of worship seems the most noble path, it misses out on so much of the world that God created for us, that I personally cannot follow such a path. I try to defer to God's will, because I know that He knows best, but I still have my own personal goals. And I feel that this is the way God wants me to be.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
#1: Introduction; God Respects Free Will
God has always been present in my life. I am thankful for the opportunities he has given me, and to show my gratitude, I am making this blog to try and help people more people believe in him who may be in doubt.
On today's subject, I want to emphasize that God does respect free will. Many theologians throw the term "free will" around, and many theorize on what it means. I don't think it's as vague as people seem to make it. Free will means just that: we are free to make our own decisions about what we do and believe. And God respects that. True, it is in God's power to change our minds, as He did when He hardened the Pharaoh's heart toward the Hebrew slaves in Egypt. But for the most part, and especially so in the present times, God allows us to do what we want on Earth without impeding us. Biblical times were a teaching point in history to instruct us on what to do; now, God has stepped back to see if we will follow the right path, just as a parent must when their child comes of age. God respects us enough to let us make our own mistakes, and lets us believe what we want. He could very well reach down a giant hand from on high, giving the world no choice but to believe in Him, but he knows that love means more when it is voluntary, and lets us come to Him. Of course, this leads to some people disbelieving in Him, and going against His wishes for us, but because He respects free will He will not preempt the decisions we make. He loves us enough to let us believe He doesn't exist if we so choose. That does not mean that He will let everyone into Heaven regardless of belief, but to respect our decisions, He has to let us make our own mistakes.
I have often heard the question, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" In part, at least, this is explained by the phrase, "Shit happens." Not everything does have to have a deeper meaning; some things just happen. But free will does factor into this question as well. Many of the problems of good people arise because some bad person is causing them harm. And, because that bad person has chosen to act in such a way, God respects that. Not that he respects the decision to do evil, but if he were to intercede and alter the bad person's way of thinking, he would violate that person's free will, nullifying their ability to think for themselves. Respecting free will often has drawbacks, but without it, nothing we did would have any meaning. And so, God allows us to do what we will here on Earth. But, when our lives our over, that is when we settle our tabs with Him.
On today's subject, I want to emphasize that God does respect free will. Many theologians throw the term "free will" around, and many theorize on what it means. I don't think it's as vague as people seem to make it. Free will means just that: we are free to make our own decisions about what we do and believe. And God respects that. True, it is in God's power to change our minds, as He did when He hardened the Pharaoh's heart toward the Hebrew slaves in Egypt. But for the most part, and especially so in the present times, God allows us to do what we want on Earth without impeding us. Biblical times were a teaching point in history to instruct us on what to do; now, God has stepped back to see if we will follow the right path, just as a parent must when their child comes of age. God respects us enough to let us make our own mistakes, and lets us believe what we want. He could very well reach down a giant hand from on high, giving the world no choice but to believe in Him, but he knows that love means more when it is voluntary, and lets us come to Him. Of course, this leads to some people disbelieving in Him, and going against His wishes for us, but because He respects free will He will not preempt the decisions we make. He loves us enough to let us believe He doesn't exist if we so choose. That does not mean that He will let everyone into Heaven regardless of belief, but to respect our decisions, He has to let us make our own mistakes.
I have often heard the question, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" In part, at least, this is explained by the phrase, "Shit happens." Not everything does have to have a deeper meaning; some things just happen. But free will does factor into this question as well. Many of the problems of good people arise because some bad person is causing them harm. And, because that bad person has chosen to act in such a way, God respects that. Not that he respects the decision to do evil, but if he were to intercede and alter the bad person's way of thinking, he would violate that person's free will, nullifying their ability to think for themselves. Respecting free will often has drawbacks, but without it, nothing we did would have any meaning. And so, God allows us to do what we will here on Earth. But, when our lives our over, that is when we settle our tabs with Him.
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