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From: dan@scgvaxd.UUCP (Dan Boskovich)
Newsgroups: net.origins,net.religion,net.religion.christian
Subject: Re: The true God lives in the real world
Message-ID: <397@scgvaxd.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 28-Aug-85 21:56:13 EDT
Article-I.D.: scgvaxd.397
Posted: Wed Aug 28 21:56:13 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 2-Sep-85 03:31:10 EDT
References: <304@pyuxn.UUCP> <2137CJC@psuvm>
Reply-To: dan@scgvaxd.UUCP (PUT YOUR NAME HERE)
Organization: Hughes Aircraft Co., El Segundo, CA
Lines: 82
Xref: watmath net.origins:2269 net.religion:7517 net.religion.christian:1192
Summary: 

In article <2137CJC@psuvm> CJC@psuvm.BITNET writes:
>Before dismissing this idea, reread the biblical account of the plagues
>in Egypt; my copy states repeatedly:
>     
>       "But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart and he would not let them go."
>     
>  Why not? Read Exodus 10: v.1-2
>     
>      "Then the Lord said to Moses "Go in to Pharaoh; for I have hardened
>   his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs
>   of mine among you, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and
>   of your son's son how I have made sport of the Egyptians   ""

    Can you imagine Moses' dismay if God would have told him to go to
    Pharoah and demand the release of his people and Pharoah would have
    told Moses to go fly a kite! God told Moses this so that Moses would
    know that God was in control. So that Moses could be confident that
    he wasn't out of his mind. That it was an omnipotent and omniscient
    God who he was dealing with.

    The fact that God hardened Pharoah's heart doesn't release Pharoah
    from responsibility for his own actions. This is an old theological
    debate from way back. Can free will and God's sovereignty both exist
    at the same time. The answer is YES!

>  The later, most destructive plagues were not necessary to provide for the
>release of the Israelites, but rather a show of the destructive power of
>the Lord.

    Wrong! It took right up to the last plague to cause Pharoah to let
    them go. Than, he changed his mind again and went after them!

>     
>    Then read the Book of Job and consider the deaths of Job's seven sons
>and three daughters and of his very many servants - struck down not for
>any fault of their's, but merely for a petty show of power.

    You haven't read the book of Job or you would understand the valuable
    lesson that Job learned from all of it.

>     
>    Then, for variety, jump forward a few thousand years to Lisbon, Portugal
>on Nov. 1, 1755. One of the more destructive earthquakes in European history
>occurred in one of the most devoutly Christian cities of the time, on a
>religious holiday when most of the population of the city was in the huge
>stone cathedrals: 60,000 people were killed. What kind of god would knock
>down his church onto his own worshippers?  For an example of the long-term
>results of that tantrum, read Voltaire's "Candide".

     James 4:14 You do not what your life will be like tomorrow; Life is
     just a vapor that appears for just a moment, than vanishes away!"

     60,000 is nothing compared to the several million that were killed
     during the persecutions of Nero and his cohorts! They didn't
     complain and they had a choice. Jesus warned of the man who built
     up his barn to stock up his goods but forgot to provide for his
     eternal soul. I am sure that those who died from the earthquake
     who were truly children of God were not the slightest bit upset
     when they woke up in His wonderful presense!

>     
>    And then find an insurance policy and read the list of events that
>are considered to be "acts of God" - earthquake, flood, tornado, etc.

     Acts of God, but a result of man's rebellion.

>     
>    If god exists and did all the things he is credited with doing, then
>he is powerful, and sometimes he does good. But sometimes he is destructive
>to the point of evil, and certainly he is capricious.  My own opinion? -
>he may or may not exist, I have no proof, if he exists I much prefer to
>avoid his notice.
>     
     If the God of the Bible exists, I would truly want to belong to
     Him. For I have never seen such an act of love as that which He
     demonstrated.

     "Herein is God's love demonstrated; In that while we were yet sinners,
     Christ died for us!"   Romans 5:8


						Dan