To you "fundie evangelicals" out there, please explain the following:

[Deja Q]

If God created the earth, how come God allows his creations to muck up the planet by abusing irreplaceable fuels?

If God created the earth, how come God allows his creations to muck up the planet by polluting it raw?

If God created the earth, how come God allows his creations to muck up the planet by hurting the ecosystem?

If God created the earth, how come God allows his creations to muck up the planet by killing off several species by destroying their homelands, all of which God also created?

If God created the earth, how come God allows his creations to kill one another over the pettiest of ideas?

If God created the earth, how come God allows his creations to exploit one another for the sake of greed?

If God created the earth, how come God allows his creations to create money? No other species needs money, and most of them flock together instead of tearing each other down.

If God created the earth, how come just about every species has members committing homosexual sex and don't get killed by their own? How come it's an abomination worthy of death for two humans of the same gender to go at it? It's a documented truth. Humans aren't the only creatures of Creation that can be homosexual.

I'm sorry if some people think this is a flame thread. It isn't. These are valid questions; I don't understand why it's against God's will to be a homosexual yet God has NOTHING to say regarding the far worse sins of above. (except for greed, but those parables are conveniently forgotten... which is sad, those parables were CREATED just as the earth was.)

:rant:

[yvr girl]

1. Free will

[Deja Q]

4. 'free will' is a cop-out, an unjustified excuse. Not when they claim to

revere God so.

They can't revere God while breaking God's commandments and putting down the toilet the most valued part of God's creation. That's surely more sickening than somebody upset over what two grown men do in their spare time.

[yvr girl]

20. First of all, you can't blame all of the world's ills on Christians

People of every race, creed and colour have done their part to destroy our environment.

The 10 Commandments forbid murder, but it happens.

Second, why is it a cop-out. I see it this way. God made our universe and gave it to people (all people) and said here - it's yours. Here are some guidelines on how it should be used, but it's yours to do with as you wish.

God didn't mess up the world, people did. You did. I did. We all did. I defy you to show me a perfect person.

Are there people who claim to be Christians who don't measure up? Sure. The bible said there would be people who would falsely claim to follow Christ. Are there people who genuinely believe who don't measure up? Every last one of them. No one is perfect, that doesn't mean they aren't trying.

You've obviously had some bad experiences, and I'm sorry for that. I would just urge you not to expect perfection from Christians, because you'll never get it.

That being said, I do understand there is a vast difference between someone who screws up and someone who is a hypocrite. Hypocrites deserve to be called out.

[GreenPartyVoter]

23. No. Free will really is it. Fortunately there are plenty of Christians

who revere both God and His creation.

[alcuno]

7. Yes. I don't see what the questions have to do with creationism.

I believe that God had something to do with the world coming into existence. That doesn't mean I don't believe in evolution.

[Deja Q]

9. Good point. But they do decry the hypocrisy of many evangelicals

or I hope they do at any rate.

[hlthe2b]

2. Do we really have any true "creationists" on DU?

I'm sure we have plenty evolutionists who hold belief in a higher power, but I will stand corrected if we have members who literally believe the earth is only a few thousand years old and that man developed with the dinosaurs. :shrug:

[Deja Q]

5. I may have worded my subject line wrong, but I was aiming for

certain types of lurkers.

My questions are valid and are never asked by the media, who should be asking far more questions than the rest of us combined.

[hlthe2b]

22. re; Media should be asking far more questions.....

that's for damned sure!

[faithnotgreed]

25. i absolutely believe God created all living things

and i dont usually get involved in these kind of threads but for me here it goes

my deep feeling is that God created all creatures and systems. and He is allowing us all to live as we believe/choose. it is only when us humans have brought this world to a screeching halt in our excess and greed etc that something will happen
i dont say i know exactly what that will be but i believe that out of infinite love He is allowing us to live and if we choose, to seek Him

i can absolutely only speak for myself but i can say from my experience that it was only out of difficult circumstances (that i am thankful for) that i have come closer to understanding Love.
we can only really gain strength when we allow ourselves to be broken down. i dont say that God is going to throw lightning on someone but from my experience we are given signs and situations but it is our choice and strictly up to us what we do with the hardships we face in life

peace

[hlthe2b]

28. For decades evolution and belief in God co-existed for many many

people, including those in Science and Medicine. Why, now are so many intent on making these beliefs mutually exclusive?

[rzemanfl]

3. God has a really shitty sense of humor? n/t

[Deja Q]

6. The best response yet.

:cry:

Also the saddest and most sobering, but given the state of our planet and its petty species on it, that makes the most sense. :-(

[rzemanfl]

15. I am on a roll. I "won" the "what are your going to tell your kids

about the * years?" Thread.

[fighttotheend]

8. I think it has something to do with Free will,

but all that stuff I believe is left to the person reading it, The person interprets what they think God is saying, thats where people come into conflict also you have those who just dont give a damn, and like destruction and all those negative things. His creations are being destroyed his animals being killed his land being destroyed We, the ones who care just have keep fighting and hoping for a brighter day and one day our answers will be answered, until then we just have to keep our heads up as we do not have the answers :-)

[Inland]

10. God hates you, trying to kill you, unfortunately taking out rest of us.

Give us a break and turn yourself in. For the world's sake.

[Deja Q]

12. Where's the address?

[Moderate Dem]

11. God is not

owned by Fundamentalists, you know...

All of your questions deal with Fundamentalism, not mainstream Christianity.

[Deja Q]

13. True. I may have mis-represented the tone of the subject line.

Will correct...

I too am Christian, I hope DUers know that.

[batsauce]

14. Why do parents create children that do bad things?

I am not sure that it is fair to condemn parents if their children do bad things.

But apparently you would.

Perhaps the idea of the parent (creator) is not to make photocopies of himself, but to create actual idependant creations capable of making mistakes.

[Deja Q]

17. We are not children of God. Only Jesus is.

God snapped God's fingers and 7 days later, *plop*. Adam and Eve were made. Well, Adam really. God then took a shortcut by removing a rib (and some Hines 57 too, no doubt) and created Eve.

Adam and Eve did the pelvic peaknuckle and made children.

In short, we are God's creations. Not his children.

The same way Humankind created the refrigerator. The refrigerator is not our child. Ewww, just thinking of the idea gives me the heebie-jeebies...

The refrigerator isn't going to like it if you kick it. It'll eventually give up.

Hmmm... has God given up?

[batsauce]

19. Creation can be a pretty big word.

It sounds like you are defining from a purely mortal standpoint, that is , if a mortal can only make a machine, than it must be like that for God.

Or, if the only way God can have a child is thru a mother's womb.

What if there was a third option, say that God could create a creation that could operate not like a machine. (I guess machines have no free will) but like a human being. Capable of being like God, or not being like God.

If you are working from the Judeo-Christian Bible, He gave the humans the ability to follow his instructions or do whatever the hell they wanted. Humans chose the second option. I guess if humans had chosen the first option, all the bad things would not have happened.

[newyawker99]

27. Hi batsauce!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[hector459]

16. There is a God and a Creator. Can't explain him, don't understand him

But I do believe that he is there. The universe exists whether or not we understand it or can explain it. It doesn't NEED us and neither does God. It doesn't need us to understand. It's just unfolding as it should.

[mpyle27]

18. Because the bible says so

"When the last tree is fell, that is when christ shall return."
-James Watts, Secretary of the Interior under Reagan


IOW, consume, consume, consume!! Don't worry about it, I mean after all, look at the christian (small c) love we gave to the native americans.

[Fire Walk With Me]

21. So people will eventually learn to not shit where they sleep

Responsibility and all that.

I said the "r" word.

[erichzann]

24. Because either God is best characterized by love, or by coercive power--

-he cannot be both.

This is the great rift in Christianity: either god is love or god is power. He can't be both. The truest love by its very nature cannot be coercive. One cannot for example, put a gun to someone's head and make them truly "love" them. That is neither acting in love nor does it produce love in another.

Anyone who has deeply loved knows certain truths - love is vulnerable, love is risky, love is free. To put it another way, the answer to all your questions is that you mis-define God by definitions of classical theism, none of which are actually accurate or truly biblical, in my opinion. God is not "all-powerful" if by that we mean tyrannical coercive power that usurps creaturely freedom or natural creation. God is not "all-knowing" as if there is some kind of pre-determined future already "out there" rather than this present moment.

More importantly God is not some kind of "super-being" in the sky as though God is a kind of being along side other beings. God is better thought of as the source and ground of all being, the depth or undergirding power throughout everything that "be's." To try to make differentiations between creation and God is to falsely segregate two inseparable realities - just like my head cannot be naturally separated from my body.

Love lures. It shows the way, but as we all know love can't force another to walk that way. It is persuasive but cannot cross over and become coercive. The simple answer is that if one believes in a God of love, by definition that God cannot be in coercive control of the universe. And if you believe in a God who is in coercive control of the universe, he cannot by definition be a God of love.

Judging by the tone of your post, I don't expect you to be satisfied or impressed with this answer. But the bottom line is that its not like those questions are so impossible to answer. They're not particularly scandalous -- unless you believe in a coercive God of absolute power. I don't, and scripture didn't. Whether fundamentalist Christianity does or not isn't my problem.

[batsauce]

26. Thats it, I think.

Longer post than most I've seen here, but in a age of raging electrons, it's nice to see someone take the time to frame a thoughtful answer.

If you really love someone, you can't always save them, by the very fact you love them.