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Books
- An Uncommon Dialogue, Debra J. Drake
- Escape From Reason, Francis Shaeffer
- He Is There and He Is Not Silent, Francis Shaeffer
- Man's Search For Meaning, Victor Frankl
- Modern Man In Search Of A Soul, Carl Jung
- The Cloud of Unknowing, Anonymous
- The Death of a Woman, Jane Hollister Wheelwright
- The God Who Is There, Francis Shaeffer
- The Inner Experience, Thomas Merton
- Who Is It That Can Tell Me Who I Am?, Jane Haynes
Yeah.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I'd like to know.
And, I was thinking (about what I wrote inmy reply to a comment)... was thinking that 'God only gives us what we can handle' is anothe on of those terrible spiritual cliches... I doubt that God has much time for cliches cos I guess that perhaps he can handle being faced with th full, stark, horrifying terror of a person's absolute despair and desperation.
It's the human beings who can't handle it who come out with such things.
I'm not a fan.
I suppose I am some sort of Christian (a bad one) but part of the reason I don't feel like I 'fit' is tht I just cannot abide those nice, tidy little statements that turn away from agony so readily.
Again, I'm having a rant... because, despite feeling this way, I rarely have the courage to contradict someone who says this.
Ugh.
Hope you are ok...
And...
Being right? Maybe you are, maybe you're not. You always seem to make sense to me...
Hi WS - your response reflects some pretty significant insights. God may be in heaven but all is definitely not right with the world and sometimes there is absolutely no comfort in the thought that 'Jesus loves me'.
ReplyDeleteStatements such as these are nothing more than coping mechanisms with a religious spin. For somebody to convince themselves in a time of despair that God would not give them more than they could handle is no different than a child convincing themselves that they don't need that alcoholic parent anyway, that they really only need the other sober parent. Detachment from the object that is causing the pain by psychological means.
Problem is that when we apprehend God as part of our coping skills it somehow turns into religious 'truth' leaving others who question these ideas feeling that they are somehow out of the religous loop, not in the know, not 'getting' the whole God thing which in turn leads those of us who do question to further condemn ourselves for not getting it. A vicious circle.
I am quite well thank you, and as you can see as opinionated as ever. I have been following your blog, just a little more quietly than usual.
I think the world usually gives us much more than we can handle but through God (or spiritual principles) we can find a sense of meaning and security.
ReplyDeleteI think that sounds exceptionally reasonable.
ReplyDeleteInterested in yor response jss...
ReplyDeleteYes... the vicious circle... I 'get' that.
And... no need whatsoever to follow my blog either loudly or quietly!!
Glad you are well.
Thank you for the food for thought!
x
Excellent point. People want to believe 'everything happens for a reason,' but even the most casual study of evolution or quantum mechanics shows that randomness underlies much of our world. My general opinion is that God (whatever 'God' is) does 'play dice,' but that the dice are very slightly loaded toward favored outcomes. That means that they often roll out badly. Only a person in a western country with running water and a ready food supply would think there is a parental God always looking out for them. The Old Testament God certainly treated people poorly, which probably reflects the hard lives of those who wrote the bible.
ReplyDeleteI do wonder how we come up with these pat little God sayings and continue to throw them around when there is glaring and tragic evidence to the contrary all around us.
ReplyDeleteThe God of the Old Testament was ruthless and blood-thirsty. People seem to choose to ignore that. Just one more thing that I don't get.
It is a terribly taken out of context scripture. It says that God will not allow you to have a *TEMPTATION TO SIN* without providing the way out (that does not mean that we won't fall for that temptation time and time again ...just that there IS another way if we look for it)
ReplyDeleteIt's not about stress, pain, illness, it's about doing wrong ... or the old fashioned sin ...in other words ... he won't allow the temptation to murder someone without giving you a way to avoid murdering that person if you make the right choice.
I am familiar with the scripture that you reference however that is not what I am referring to. I see and hear people frequently use as a means of comfort to others the statement that God never gives us more than we can handle. It is used in a sort of 'chin up', supportive way when we see people in difficulty. Whether the statement I refer to is some hijacked version of the scripture you reference I cannot say.
ReplyDeleteAs for the temptation to sin well of course there is a way out. It's call 'choice'. We all have it.
Thanks for stopping by and giving your input.
First of all, God does not cause the pain and suffering of the world. That comes from evil that has been allowed in the world. God is there for us when those terrible things happen to help us pull through.
ReplyDeleteThe reason people commit suicide is because they give up on life and were unable to reach for God and allow him to help them in their times of trouble. Suicide is a completely selfish act of giving up on ones life. Even if you don't believe in God you could believe in trying to make things better just by positivity. We are only given one life.
People all over the world are suffering, one can not become consumed by how terrible their life is. It is much better to think of what others go through and to try and help them as well as making improvements on your own life.
Hi Anon, thanks for coming by and commenting. Your points are well-taken although I have to say a bit oversimplified. I'm guessing you've never been suicidal because if you had I doubt you would be so quick to dismiss it as "giving up on life". Perhaps you've been on the receiving end of someone you loved taking their own life in which case I could understand such dismissal of what is an exquisitely complicated matter. There is a whole lot more that goes into it than simply giving up on life. Your comment about it being a completely selfish act of giving up on ones life tells me you know next to nothing about it. Your opinions and comments are welcome here however I hope you don't mind that I completely disagree with all of them and I think that they represent a complete lack of insight into the actual life experience of many people.
ReplyDeleteAll that being said however there was a time when I probably would have said the very same things. That was before I encountered experiences that I never thought possible for me. Live and learn.
Thanks for coming by.