Do you believe in god?...as defined by one of the major religions, and not some abstract 'quantum mechanical-sense' or whatever.

[grue 1]

devildog

I find it strange that people believe if there's a god that this life proves said god is sadistic.

I didn't say it proves anything. I said that if there is a god, I believe it's not all powerful, or if it is I believe that it's sadistic. It could also just get off on watching people suffer even if it doesn't actively cause the suffering.

cavete terrae.

[RonD1120 62]

Some sayings from the field of substance use disorder treatment and the church:

"Life is not fair,
God is not fair.
If life was fair and God was fair, you would be dealing with a lot worse than what you are."

"Grace is when God gives you something you don't deserve.
Mercy is when God protects you from something you do deserve."

To understand suffering and be comfortable with it is a great lesson of life.

Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

[quade 4]

Replace the word, "god" in the above saying with "the people around you" and you'll see they mean the same thing.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[RonD1120 62]

quade

Replace the word, "god" in the above saying with "the people around you" and you'll see they mean the same thing.

Well, not really. You have some control regarding the people around you and that is physical. God's influence and divine intervention is spiritual. Thus, you can interpret and hopefully understand but you have no control.

The challenge is to learn how to recognize God's blessing and through obedience avoid His retribution.

As a side note, obedience is better than sacrifice.

Look for the shiny things of God revealed by the Holy Spirit. They only last for an instant but it is a Holy Instant. Let your soul absorb them.

[davjohns 1]

rifleman

No - I'm a Jedi, I believe in the interconnectivity of all things. I am part of the universe and the universe is part of me.

"Jedi" has actually been the religious preferance on my Facebook account for years. If you run a search, you will find what appears to be an earnest effort toward this as a genuine religion. I meant it just for fun.

I know it just wouldnt be right to kill all the stupid people that we meet..

But do you think it would be appropriate to just remove all of the warning labels and let nature take its course.