Impotence or Omnipotence. A Question about the Mormon God

[_KimberlyAnn]

Thanks for sharing that, Stu. You're so brave.

I don't know if God exists or not, but if he does, I'm not liking him very much lately. For some reason, I keep hoping he does indeed exist to eventually, in heaven, right the wrongs for those whom he refused to help in this life. Strangely ironic, isn't it?

My sister is deaf and had one blessing after another that promised her a healing, but that never came to pass. It was a terrible blow to me as a young girl. I sincerely hope there is a heaven for you, Stu, where everything will be clear, and where my sister can hear, and those Darfur babies can be held and loved and cared for as all little babies should be. But I'm more and more doubting there is, so, I have to try to make this life as heavenly as possible for everyone I can reach. I think I'll try harder.

KA

[_Some Schmo]

My parents have the power and ability to wipe my a**, yet for some reason they decided at one point that I needed to wipe my own a**.

So much for the power of parents.

This isn't a very good analogy. A more accurate one would be "what kind of parents would ask their children to come wipe mommy and daddy's asses?" Fortunately, most don't, and that's because mommy and daddy can do it themselves (and they aren't even omnipotent).

G-d didn't create the poop. We did.

Not sure how that's relevant either.

Unless the analogy extends to "god didn't create the church. We did." Now we're talking a multi-layered analogy.

[_Doctor Steuss]

Thanks for sharing that, Stu. You're so brave.

I don't know if God exists or not, but if he does, I'm not liking him very much lately. For some reason, I keep hoping he does indeed exist to eventually, in heaven, right the wrongs for those whom he refused to help in this life. Strangely ironic, isn't it?

My sister is deaf and had one blessing after another that promised her a healing, but that never came to pass. It was a terrible blow to me as a young girl. I sincerely hope there is a heaven for you, Stu, where everything will be clear, and where my sister can hear, and those Darfur babies can be held and loved and cared for as all little babies should be. But I'm more and more doubting there is, so, I have to try to make this life as heavenly as possible for everyone I can reach. I think I'll try harder.

KA

One of the reasons I find the concept of a heaven so appealing and hard to abandon is not only the thought of all of those who suffered having things made "right," but also for those that caused suffering to receive a bit of judgment. The monsters of this world shouldn't have the final word in regards to their victims.

I hope your sister has found peace. Sometimes I wonder what is worse. Having a blessing that doesn't come to fruition (such as your sister’s case), or having a blessing that you won't be healed.

by the way,
“…I have to try to make this life as heavenly as possible for everyone I can reach. I think I'll try harder.” You are such a true gem. This is actually something that has always amazed me about one of my good friends who left the church (around the age of 14 or so) and is now an atheist. Because he sees this life as all there is, he tries to make the most of it not just for himself, but for those around him. It is a noble path, and one that I think Christ (whether He was the Son of G-d or not) may have been trying to show us.

[_wenglund]

Thanks for sharing that, Stu. You're so brave.

I don't know if God exists or not, but if he does, I'm not liking him very much lately. For some reason, I keep hoping he does indeed exist to eventually, in heaven, right the wrongs for those whom he refused to help in this life. Strangely ironic, isn't it?

My sister is deaf and had one blessing after another that promised her a healing, but that never came to pass. It was a terrible blow to me as a young girl. I sincerely hope there is a heaven for you, Stu, where everything will be clear, and where my sister can hear, and those Darfur babies can be held and loved and cared for as all little babies should be. But I'm more and more doubting there is, so, I have to try to make this life as heavenly as possible for everyone I can reach. I think I'll try harder. KA

As one who was born with a hearing defect, I am wondering if your sister has lost faith in God like you, or whether she, like me, has retained and grown in faith in spite of, or perhaps because of, not being healed?

Lately, mention has been made on this board of the travesties in Africa and Darfur. Now, those of us living in relative luxury may rightly be pained to learn of the starvation and deprevation in those places, and some may even view these things as cause to doubt the existence of God. I find it interesting, though, to learn that some of the impoverished and beleagered Africans have come to a belief in God (not a few becoming LDS), and who have found their belief in Him to be a welcomed source of comfort and strength, and a means for raising themselves above those conditions in various ways and on various levels.

Isn't it fascinating how the same events and circumstance can cause a loss of faith in some people and a gaining or increase in faith in other people--particularly those most directly involved in the events and circumstances?

Why do you suppose that is?

Thanks, -Wade Englund-

[_Arnold Friend]

We have been taught in the Church that the Lord's love cannot be considered to be "unconditional." I'm pretty sure that this has something to do with what you are asking.

[_Some Schmo]

Isn't it fascinating how the same events and circumstance can cause a loss of faith in some people and a gaining or increase in faith in other people--particularly those most directly involved in the events and circumstances?

Why do you suppose that is?

Well, considering that the primary motivator for having faith is rooted in comfort, this is hardly surprising at all.

I'd also attribute some of it to a lack of decent education.

[_wenglund]

Isn't it fascinating how the same events and circumstance can cause a loss of faith in some people and a gaining or increase in faith in other people--particularly those most directly involved in the events and circumstances?

Why do you suppose that is?

Well, considering that the primary motivator for having faith is rooted in comfort, this is hardly surprising at all.

I'd also attribute some of it to a lack of decent education.

I trust that you will find comfort in ignorantly thinking that. ;-)

Thanks, -Wade Englund-

[_ozemc]

Thanks for sharing that, Stu. You're so brave.

I don't know if God exists or not, but if he does, I'm not liking him very much lately. For some reason, I keep hoping he does indeed exist to eventually, in heaven, right the wrongs for those whom he refused to help in this life. Strangely ironic, isn't it?

My sister is deaf and had one blessing after another that promised her a healing, but that never came to pass. It was a terrible blow to me as a young girl. I sincerely hope there is a heaven for you, Stu, where everything will be clear, and where my sister can hear, and those Darfur babies can be held and loved and cared for as all little babies should be. But I'm more and more doubting there is, so, I have to try to make this life as heavenly as possible for everyone I can reach. I think I'll try harder. KA

As one who was born with a hearing defect, I am wondering if your sister has lost faith in God like you, or whether she, like me, has retained and grown in faith in spite of, or perhaps because of, not being healed?

You know, Wade, I often read your posts with a bit in incredulity, but I thought you seemed to have some decency about you. This was just arrogant and crass. How dare you make light of someone's infirmities as if their faith had anything to do with it? As if God is "up there" saying, "Well, she just doesn't have enough faith, she'll have to suffer. Maybe if she was a little more faithfull, I would heal her. " Sounds very petty to me.

Lately, mention has been made on this board of the travesties in Africa and Darfur. Now, those of us living in relative luxury may rightly be pained to learn of the starvation and deprevation in those places, and some may even view these things as cause to doubt the existence of God. I find it interesting, though, to learn that some of the impoverished and beleagered Africans have come to a belief in God (not a few becoming LDS), and who have found their belief in Him to be a welcomed source of comfort and strength, and a means for raising themselves above those conditions in various ways and on various levels.

Isn't it fascinating how the same events and circumstance can cause a loss of faith in some people and a gaining or increase in faith in other people--particularly those most directly involved in the events and circumstances?

Why do you suppose that is?

Thanks, -Wade Englund-

That is a very interesting question.

One example that I can think of is how the winners in a sport will say that "God was with us", and the losers in the same contest will hang their heads and say "It must have been God's will".

So, God is taking sides now?

I think in answer to your question, it all depends on how far down the rabbit hole you want to go.

[_Some Schmo]

Isn't it fascinating how the same events and circumstance can cause a loss of faith in some people and a gaining or increase in faith in other people--particularly those most directly involved in the events and circumstances?

Why do you suppose that is?

Well, considering that the primary motivator for having faith is rooted in comfort, this is hardly surprising at all.

I'd also attribute some of it to a lack of decent education.

I trust that you will find comfort in ignorantly thinking that. ;-)

Thanks, -Wade Englund-

I trust that you will find comfort in ignorantly denying that. ;-)

Thanks, -Some Schmo-

[_wenglund]

Thanks for sharing that, Stu. You're so brave.

I don't know if God exists or not, but if he does, I'm not liking him very much lately. For some reason, I keep hoping he does indeed exist to eventually, in heaven, right the wrongs for those whom he refused to help in this life. Strangely ironic, isn't it?

My sister is deaf and had one blessing after another that promised her a healing, but that never came to pass. It was a terrible blow to me as a young girl. I sincerely hope there is a heaven for you, Stu, where everything will be clear, and where my sister can hear, and those Darfur babies can be held and loved and cared for as all little babies should be. But I'm more and more doubting there is, so, I have to try to make this life as heavenly as possible for everyone I can reach. I think I'll try harder. KA

As one who was born with a hearing defect, I am wondering if your sister has lost faith in God like you, or whether she, like me, has retained and grown in faith in spite of, or perhaps because of, not being healed?

You know, Wade, I often read your posts with a bit in incredulity, but I thought you seemed to have some decency about you. This was just arrogant and crass. How dare you make light of someone's infirmities as if their faith had anything to do with it? As if God is "up there" saying, "Well, she just doesn't have enough faith, she'll have to suffer. Maybe if she was a little more faithfull, I would heal her. " Sounds very petty to me.

If you would take just a moment to climb down from your lofty perch high atop mount self-righteous, and allow some oxygen to get to your brain, you just may discover from re-reading my comments more carefully and with somewhat less credulity, that I wasn't speaking about infirmities being a function of faith or the lack thereof (as you mistakenly assume), but rather just the opposite. I was speaking about one's faith, or the loss thereof, being a function of infirmities. Are you capable of grasping that critical distinction?

Lately, mention has been made on this board of the travesties in Africa and Darfur. Now, those of us living in relative luxury may rightly be pained to learn of the starvation and deprevation in those places, and some may even view these things as cause to doubt the existence of God. I find it interesting, though, to learn that some of the impoverished and beleagered Africans have come to a belief in God (not a few becoming LDS), and who have found their belief in Him to be a welcomed source of comfort and strength, and a means for raising themselves above those conditions in various ways and on various levels.

Isn't it fascinating how the same events and circumstance can cause a loss of faith in some people and a gaining or increase in faith in other people--particularly those most directly involved in the events and circumstances?

Why do you suppose that is?

Thanks, -Wade Englund-

That is a very interesting question.

One example that I can think of is how the winners in a sport will say that "God was with us", and the losers in the same contest will hang their heads and say "It must have been God's will".

So, God is taking sides now?

I think in answer to your question, it all depends on how far down the rabbit hole you want to go.

Please clarify what you mean by "rabbit hole".

Thanks, -Wade Englund-