Should We Fire God? (Part 2b)

The beginning of questioning and doubting
At the end of 2007, I began my first real questioning of God, my faith, and what I could trust as real. This questioning was moreso in regards to factual truth and whether what I knew was reality and not something just in my head or thought up by humans thousands of years ago. It never really reached a questioning of the character of God, his goodness. Those six months or so were a painful time for me as I wrestled through questioning the basic tenets and assumptions in my faith. Is God the way I know him? Does he even exist? Can I trust the Bible? Is it all in my head? What is real? How do you determine truth? Have I been somehow deceived?  Can I ever know?

Should We Fire God? (Part 2a)

Punishment from above
Up until perhaps the last few years, moreso the last few months to a year, I had never really considered some of the questions presented in the previous post (Part 1) concerning God and pain and suffering. Had I been presented with those same questions then, it wouldn’t have bothered or shaken my view of God because although I could see pain and suffering around me and in the world, God was good, merciful, and love. I thought, our suffering and pain is due to the effects of sin since the beginning of time.  Not that your sin has a direct cause and effect relationship like the Jews of Jesus’ time believed, but in the sense that we live in a broken world tainted by sin, and the only hope we have of eradicating this would be the full return and glory of Jesus Christ to end all pain.

Should We Fire God? (Part 1)

The Characteristics

Hatred.  Evil.  Neglectful.  Merciful.  Maliciousness.  Uncaring.  Love.  Selfish.  Lazy.  Vengeful.  Compassionate.

These are all words that can easily be ascribed to people throughout time including our own here in the 21st century.  But what about God?  Or gods?  If there in fact is a God and we can know anything about him, do any of the above words characterize him?

Millennia ago, adherents to a specific set of gods certainly would have attributed those characteristics to them.  Generally each god had their own unique niche, such as the Roman gods and goddesses:

Thoughts on 'The Secret' - Part 4

I wanted to wrap this series up with a few closing thoughts.

I agreed with many aspects of the video and how the thought life of a person heavily influences their attitudes and actions.  But to me, where they really left reality was when they took those truths and tried to push their claim that the Universe instinctively is listening to your thoughts and wishes, and it will respond accordingly if you just keep asking and believing.  Eventually the Universe will give it to you.  It may be soon; it may take some time.

Thoughts on 'The Secret' - Part 3

First of all, I apologize how long this post ended up being, but I really wanted to hit all the points that I did.  I plan on writing a Part 4 to address a few other things in closing.  That being said, let's begin.
 
Things I disagree with…

…include*:

1.      The Universe responds to your thoughts, that is, it is intimately aware and responsive to your thoughts and what makes you happy.   

       - Sounds like ‘If you think it, it will come’.
  

2.      The Universe wants you to act quickly.  Don’t second guess yourself; seize the opportunity.


            - I have a lot of issues with this when initially interpreting what I believe they mean.  There are many decisions in life for which making a decision hastily could be costly.  There are many decisions in life that should not be taken lightly and should be accompanied by advice and insight from family and friends.



The particular context of this statement was when a girl was hoping for a boy friend and some guys asked her to come over and play volleyball and then leave with them to hang out or 'go out'.  Does the advice refer to specific situations where it would be good to take a risk and go for it?  Are there times when the 'Universe' would want us to second guess ourselves?

Thoughts on ‘The Secret’ - Part 2

Things I agree with…
…include*:

      -  Your thoughts are powerful things; they can drive, shape, and impact your actions, relationships, and your future.  

      -  What you put your mind on, impacts your attitude and actions.  If you are always thinking about negative things then those thoughts will negatively impact your attitude and actions.  Put your mind on things that are ‘good’.

      -  Thoughts and emotions can manifest into material things, insofar as the placebo effect.

Thoughts on 'The Secret' - Part 1

Last night, 5/22, I sat down to watch a movie (more of a documentary) with my family that I had never heard before: The Secret.  See the Trailer. 

I am going to offer my initial thoughts and reactions to it in several different blog postings, this being part 1.  First let's take a look at an excerpt from the above Trailer:

Trailer Excerpt:
"And now the great glimmering of truth can be revealed again.   

You know this secret gives you everything you want: happiness, health, and wealth.  You can have, do, or be ANYTHING you want.

I've seen many miracles take place in peoples' lives:  Financial miracles, miracles of physical healing, mental healing, healing in relationships.

All of this happened because of knowing how to apply the secret"

This is perpetuated as the great secret of life.  At first glance, it has similarities to what is referred to as…