<Apparently God does not recognize Agnosticism as a valid excuse>
He knows what my threshold for belief is and would be therefore He must share the responsibility. It is disingenuous for Him or his representatives here on Earth to expect me to cross a belief threshold without the tools that I needed. You got what you needed, apparently. It would be unjust for Him to not give me what's required. If I ask you to build a house for me, I'd better darn well provide you with some equipment, tools and lumber. Maybe you say God gave me an axe. Well if I'm in a desert, I'm going to need more than an axe.
Maybe fairness isn't a part of the God you believe in. It would be for any God that I can believe in. Doesn't such a God that is distinct from the Chaos and randomness of the Universe need to do so? Most things in the Universe get eaten one way or another. The structure of the Universe is not one of Love but one of consuming and being consumed. If there is a God, then He would necessarily have to distinguish Himself from those forces (separating light from dark) and be something that the Universe generally isn't. JMO. I feel quite certain that an omniscient and loving God knows what I'm about. And it isn't dining on my fellow man.
Good luck in Africa - that is a place in dire need of help, but it is going to have to be more than the word of God, IMO. From what I understand, there are huge needs there. I hope the books you bring aren't all Bibles! This is a good thing you are doing, Greg, and you get many karma points for it, whether you think you need them or not!
When travelling I found that many things that are inexpensive here, aren't even available abroad. Urethane adhesive for one thing. Pro-Bond is a product that will be very useful there, no doubt. You can fix many things with that. But don't put it on anything that will eventually be burned. The combustion gases are toxic. A solar battery charger and AC inverter might also be very useful. Just an idea. |
