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From: CJC@psuvm.BITNET
Newsgroups: net.origins,net.religion.christian
Subject: Re: The true God lives in the real world
Message-ID: <2137CJC@psuvm>
Date: Fri, 23-Aug-85 22:14:41 EDT
Article-I.D.: psuvm.2137CJC
Posted: Fri Aug 23 22:14:41 1985
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Xref: watmath net.origins:2210 net.religion.christian:1145

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