why G-d punish the innocent and reward the evil ?

Your little daughter is not the Almighty.

 

But what is god's business if it's not being actively interested in the world he "created"?

 

Getting laid watching tv? Who knows. For all we know we're the result of God taking a shit in the woods. How closely do you watch what grows from the bacteria in your shit? Exactly

 

LOL, yeah ok I see where you're going with that.

But I'm still not sure why you bother believing in God at all if you don't think he's there to take an active interest in your life and guide you?

 

yeah both are screaming me me me . but she has a reason to because she is a little gurl.

 

To articulate my thoughts on the subject could take a few pages all I can say is that there's more things in heaven and earth than we can imagine so I'm not saying I believe in the God of the Christian bible but I do believe there is something and it favors life because as much as we complain life is usually geared towards the search for our happiness.

 

OK. I'm interested though...

 

Are you going to be in chat tonight?

 

I'll get there as soon as possible after work, but it will be late for you. Whenever I catch you next, though, for sure...

 

I'll br on after midnight my time until I get tired which is usually around 2

 

"He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous." - Matthew 5:45

Sadly enough we live in a fallen world. A world where we have the freedom to do whatever we want, be that good or bad. Along with the choice to do good or evil, also that we live in bodies that are flawed; bodies that are not in the state as originally intended. You know, the whole Adam and Eve deal. After they made some wrong decisions, we as the continuation of mankind have had to suffer from their choices. Personally, I believe stuff like death, sickness and pain was not meant for us. That's why it hurts so much when people we love and care about die. Not only are we going to miss that person but I think deep down inside we all know that it's just not right when someone dies, we've been cheated. In way of that when someone suffers, especially a good person, depending on the situation, people are generally left feeling powerless, unable to help and no more than a bystander watching a cataclismic event.

But to much of that I say we also have a being out there that wants us dead. A being that would love it if we gave up, and stop having hope, especially any hope from God. In these kinds of discussions we ask about why doesn't God intervene, or why does he allow stuff to happen. But maybe the question(s) should be why don't we believe there is a devil? And/or why do we NOT believe that this "devil" of sorts is really out to get us and make life a living hell for us so we WON'T believe in God?

 

I don't feel bad things happen to good people alone. It's just that good people think so highly of themselve that they feel should be an exception to bad things.

 

I dont think that is the case. I think people feel betrayed when things like that happened and also they see aweful things happen to people who are completely innocent of anything....like kids who are born disfigured or with diseases

 

I think we should not be mad at the devil but instead we should be mad at God himself. This whole idea that we have free will is not entirely true in my opinion.

I was always taught that God is ALL KNOWING, no knowledge escapes him. So even before my mother was born God would have already knew that one day I would become agnostic. Which according to the Bible guarantees me a spot in hell. Right? I will take it one step further. One the 3rd day of creation God would have already knew that on the 6th day he would create Adam and later on Eve, and that they will be tempted by the snake to eat from the forbidden tree of knowledge. I will take it one step further. Before God created the angel Lucifer he would have known that one day Lucifer would turn against him and become Satan, who would one day sabotage the creature that God created in his own image.

I, nor Adam, or Lucifer never had a chance. If God is all knowing he could have prevented these things from happening from the start. From the start of creation God already knew who was going to heaven and hell and there is nothing that you or I can do to change that.

 

could you explain what it means to be agnostic ?

 

You confirmed my point. Innocent or good people feel they should be an exception to bad things.

 

I use to think that way when I was a practicing Catholic. Then it hit me one day that you can still have free will and God be all knowing. The best way of putting it is by using this metaphor. Every step you make in life is a door and you have the free will to pick w/e combination of doors (steps) you like, but at the end of the day God (which for me is a very abstract term) will know the outcome of w/e doors you choose to open.

 

according to the bible (in summation) if you are innocent of wrong doing then why should you be punished. IE Job who was a riteous man ( per bible) and he suffered...why ?

also are you saying when a child is born they should suffer because they deserve it ?

 

Christians call it love; logical people would consider Job's sufferings to be the inflictions of a sadist. Alas, the blind will continue to lead the blind.

A person's perception of the Bible is dependent on his/her level of knowledge/insight. For example, most people find nothing wrong with king Solomon having an Egyptian wife. But to Egyptologists and avid readers of Egyptian history, it's ludicrous because the pharaohs never allowed their women to marry foreigners. Another example is Exodus. Most people have no problem with the story, but any serious scholar knows that Hebrews didn't exist when the pyramids were built.

 

Kush I have not read too much into this or your views in thread God is whom exactly?