Subject:
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Re: Mercy? (Was Re: My Prayer on this National Day of Prayer)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.off-topic.debate
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Date:
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Sun, 16 Sep 2001 05:04:40 GMT
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Viewed:
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890 times
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In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Jeff Stembel writes:
> In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Geordan Hankinson writes:
> > Everything has a purpose, whether we see that purpose in a few days, a year,
> > ten years, or even a century, God has a reason for everything. The reason
> > could be very suttle, it could be realised by only a few people, or there
> > could be a number of reasons for any one issue realized by many people.
>
> Ah-ha! I see! God wants us to kill these evil people! Is that it? Maybe
> His plan is to bring the nation and world together? Please, we are coming
> together to do only two things: help those who have lost
> family/friends/property in the attack and kill those who attacked us.
Coming together to help those affected by the attack is a good thing. It
fosters a humble, generous spirit.
> In the first case, the vast majority of those people were not in need before
> the attack, so why did God need to kill so many to create a need? Why not
> create a non-tragic event that would cause people to help those who were in
> need *before* the attack?
The response would probably not have been as dramatic or as widespread.
Sometimes it takes a shattering tragedy to shock people out of complacency.
> In the second case, how can killing people without a trial be good? How can
> god want this? isn't there a Commandment that says "Thou Shalt Not Kill"?
In war, things are slightly different. The commandment actually says "Thou
shalt not murder" and I have to assume that in war, killing is not the same
as murdering. God in fact commanded many wars in the Old Testament. He
would not have commanded the Israelites to violate His law.
In any case, if we do nothing in response, the terrorism will increase. By
demonstrating force, we discourage future attacks, and by rendering justice,
we stop (or at least slow down or set back) the evil. What would have
happened if we had never gone after Hitler?
>
> > Right now I can name a number of good things that God has brought us due to
> > this already:
> >
> > It has brought the nation together,
> > It has brought most of the world together
> > People have opened up their houses to the people in need and therefore made
> > a few new friends, people have learned to appreciate others and be more
> > thankful.
>
> All of which SHOULDN'T take the deaths of thousands to perform. Besides, why
> are we only helping the victims, and not people who were suffering *before*
> the attack? Wouldn't it have been better to just leave it as it was?
You're right, it shouldn't have taken this tragedy to produce this good.
But none of this was happening before the attack. The attack shocked us
into action.
>
> > In lugnet.off-topic.debate, Mark Sandlin writes:
> > > In article <GJo2MB.Lp4@lugnet.com>, "Ian Warfield" <ipw47@hotmail.com>
> > > wrote:
> > > > Let's be thankful for His mercy during such a tragedy.
> > >
> > > What mercy? Where is the mercy for:
> >
> > -What about the mercy for the people rescued from the rubble?
>
> Oh, yes, half a dozen out of over 5000 is REAL merciful.
Even *one* person is merciful. However, you forget that 50,000 people
worked at the World Trade Center daily. For whatever reason - they weren't
at work yet, they were able to evacute, or they were rescued, 45,000 people
were spared.
>
> > -What about the mercy for those who were stuck in a airport and someone
> > opened up their house so they would have someplace to stay?
>
> The Kindness Of Man. Please, give credit where credit is due, and don't
> shortchange the good people.
All goodness derives from God, but this is a technicality in this instance :).
>
> > -What about the mercy for those who thought they had lost a family member,
> > but later found out they were alive?
>
> What about the tens of thousands more who will never see their loved
> ones/friends ever again? Mercy to a few is vindictive.
Again, 45,000 people were saved vs. the 5,000 who died. See above.
>
> > -What about the mercy for those who were donated blood, when they were
> > injured in the hospital?
>
> The Kindness Of Man. See above, please.
>
> > -What about the mercy for those who were late coming to work that day and
> > missed the explosion?
>
> Blind dumb luck. Happens to me all the time.
What if God engineered it?
>
> > What about the mercy for those working in the white house, but the plane was
> > crash landed before it got there?
>
> The mercy of good city planning, perhaps. I'm currently not entirely
> convinced the White House was really a target.
What good city planning? Washington, D.C. was designed over 100 years
before the invention of the airplane. A Congressman saw one of the planes
circling the Capitol before it went off to hit the Pentagon. There had to
have been some reason why the pilot didn't crash then.
>
> > -What about the mercy for the families who have had money donated etc.?
>
> They wouldn't need it if the attack hadn't happened, and what about those who
> have needed help longer?
If the attack hadn't happened, nobody would be getting money anyway.
Sometimes it takes a dramatic event to jump-start people into doing something.
>
> > This has to be God at work, whether you like it or not, God has shown
> > himself clearly in the face of tragedy.
>
> I'm sorry, I don't see God there anywhere. I see the kindness of people being
> unfairly credited to a non-existant being. Why is all the evil in this world
> credited to man, but none of the good? God sure doesn't have anything to do
> with my good deeds.
The more I look at this attack, the more I see that it could have become
much worse in many ways, and yet it didn't. I see God's restraint
throughout the whole thing.
Evil is credited to man because it can't be credited to God -- God cannot
commit evil. I agree that each person is responsible for his or her own
deeds, but I believe it is God who prompts us to do good.
>
> Jeff
--Ian
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