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GOOD V EVIL
Michael,
Interesting article. I comend you for the millitary service. You say that you are Christian but don't feel like it. You don't want to be Jew and you certainly CAN'T be Muslim. I ask you why not? In the holy Quran God has said to the Muslims and all of mankind that He has sent "you" in to this world to test you. To see how much faith you have in Him. He has said that I will test mankind in different ways, through wealth, poverty, sickness, war, famine etc. He has also said that man will feel good about themselves at one stage in their lives then a period will come when there will be hard times, but do not despair because after harshness there will come ease. And those who have faith in Me will be the successful.
Just look at a human cycle. A baby is born. Their parents look after them and take care of them when they are young and nature them so that they become good decent human beings, who will respect themselves and others in society. Once the child grows up and gets educated then they start work and feel at the top of their powers, as though they can achieve anything they want. Then after a certain age those "powers" fade as a person gets older. You then become dependent on your children and grandchildren as you become a pensioner. So in brief a person's life is that they are dependent on others at the start of their lives, "free" in the middle and then dependent on others again when they become old. This is how God Almightly has made the human lifecycle.
You also say that we do not have freedom to choose what we want to do in life. Well you have the freedom to choose where you live, what you eat, what clothes you wear. You also have the freedom to choose between what is right and wrong. Quite often when you see something then you straight away know this is wrong and should be corrected. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said that when you see some wrong then try to correct it either physically or mentally (you can not do anything but in your heart you have accepted that 'this action' is wrong.)
Just imagine what the world would be like if everything was the same and everyone had a good time. No one would know what the bad times are like. Wouldn't life become boring and sterile.
My suggestion would be to read about Islam. Who the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was, and what his message was. Only at the end read the Quran. Do not read the Quran at the start as you will get confused. Get some basic books on the faith and start from there. You will, God Willing, find your answers in these books.
I also suggest you check out my blogit account.
posted by
Idris_Osman
on June 12, 2005 at 8:46 AM
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Michael
Heavy, heavy questions young man. From an older woman, I have no answers...from the 89 year old woman I care for, no answers either to those weighty questions, and she is wise with years, and ready to depart.
posted by
MysticGmekeepr
on June 11, 2005 at 3:32 PM
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vibrance
I like you response, is very deep
posted by
michael_pilarte
on June 9, 2005 at 1:07 AM
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I will call myself a christian,
a, jew, a MUSLIM, a bahai and most of all a boudhist. God is love sweetie. That is what God is love. Love, Vib
posted by
Vibrance
on June 8, 2005 at 6:44 PM
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I wish I could articulate a decent answer
First, I honor and respect you for your military service. I know I have not seen the horror you have seen and I have men like you to thank for that.
God could have made us all robots that did nothing but praise Him and do His will all the time. I guess that is the job of angels??
In our case, he gave us a choice. It seems he wanted us to actually choose to believe in Him and trust in His Son Jesus. He also allows evil and sin to exist in the world.
The Bible also clearly says that God will test us to purify us. In John 15 it talks about if we "bear fruit" we can expect to be purned back (ouch ! that hurts) so that He can prepare us to bear even "more fruit" in the future.
I would be honored if you'd spend a few moments looking at my blog... I've tried to present my point of view on Christianity. Since I just joined last week, it is still a work in progress.
posted by
calebs_blogger
on June 6, 2005 at 7:51 PM
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I wish I could just hand you the answers you're looking for. However I can tell youi that God does not look down on us for having human feelings. He did give us free will becuase he wanted us to prove that we're worthy to return to him, not so we would love him more. However free will is like a knife for example. When the knife is in the hand of a skilled surgoen it can do miraculous things, and cure disease and injuries. However in the hands of a madman it can take life and cause pain. It is sad that people have free will to treat others so badly. However we have the choice to do something about it. We have the choice to help others.
posted by
tigerprincess
on June 6, 2005 at 6:30 PM
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Michael... I really have no answers for you - but this poem by Kabir started speaking in my head - so here it is:
Friend, hope for the Guest (God) while you are alive.
Jump into experience while you are alive!
think.....and think.....while you are alive.
What you call 'salvation' belongs to the time before
death.
If you don't break your ropes while you're alive,
do you think
ghosts will do it after?
The idea that the soul will join with the ecstatic
just because the body is rotten --
that is all fantasy.
What is found now is found then.
posted by
Metta
on June 6, 2005 at 3:01 PM
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free will
we are free to choose to hold the world responsible for us, or to see ourselves as eternal beings who are more than our bodies. when we choose the latter, we love and receive love. when we choose fear, we are defensive and create what we most fear. we are made in God's image, which means that we are creative beings. punishment is self-inflicted, and the original sin is but our unremitting judgment of one another.
posted by
avant-garde
on June 6, 2005 at 12:32 PM
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You'll never know...
it's something that will never be solved on this planet. I sometimes get jealous of those who've died because they know the answers to the final exam and they've made it beyond the looking glass. Even the most ignorant dead man has more knowledge of what life is intended to be than we do.
The Earth is like a terrarium, the seeds dropped in from outer-space and germinated in a primordial soup. We're a weed that flourished. It's all evolution, it's right in front of us but we refuse to embrace the emptiness of being alone out here in space. The theories of religion have been created throughout the eons of history to provide comfort to people who needed explanations for earthquakes, floods, thunder and rainbows. If God were watching over us, what would be his point in laying low for the past two thousand years? Really, what's the point. The pundits react, "It's faith, it's a test. You need to walk by faith!" Well, what happens when you run out of faith, whose fault is that? Will God take any responsibility for letting his sheep lose faith because he's not showing up for the game? I was raised in the church and have questioned God's existence since I was a boy. Here I am thirty years later still asking the same questions, just as fervently. Daring God to tip his hand and show me a sign. Still hasn't happened.
I love this topic, after all, what else is there to talk about? Stay strong, it gets easier to deal with as you develop yout own beliefs. That's why we have custom tailoring, everyone doesn't fit in to the clothes off the rack.
posted by
McGarnagle
on June 6, 2005 at 12:27 PM
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