What's wrong with this?

What's right with it?It came in the e-mail flood. The title states this is worth thinking about. I agree, but not for the suggested purpose.Worth Thinking About!!!!After Sept. 11th, one company invited the remaining members of other companies who had been decimated by the attack on the Twin Towers to share their available office space. At a morning meeting, the head of security told stories of why these people were alive...... and all
the stories were just:The 'L I T T L E' things .
As you might know, the head of the company got in late that day because his son started kindergarten.Another fellow was alive because it was his turn to bring donuts.One woman was late because her alarm clock didn't go off in time.One was late because of being stuck on the NJ Turnpike because of an auto accident.One of them missed his bus.One spilled food on her clothes and had to take time to change.One's car wouldn't start.One went back to answer the telephone.One had a child that dawdled and didn't get ready as soon as he should have.One couldn'tget a taxi.The one that struck me was the man who put on a new pair of shoes that morning, took the various means to get to work but before he got there, he developed a blister on his foot. He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid. That is why he is alive today.Now when I am stuck in traffic, miss an elevator, turn back to answer a ringing telephone . all the little things that annoy me.I think to myself, this is exactly where God wants me to be at this very moment.Next time your morning seems to be going wrong, the children are slow getting dressed, you can't seem to find the car keys, you hit every traffic light, don't get mad or frustrated; God is at work watching over you.May God continue to bless you with all those annoying little things and may you remember their possible purpose.Do you believe that God is arbitrary?

---

"In that day I will also make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, the birds of the sky and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword and war from the land, and will make them lie down in safety. I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, in lovingkindness and in compassion, and I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the LORD."-the prophet Hosea (8th century B.C.) in Hosea 2:18-20

Thread moved here from the Proposed New Topics forum.

If I thought there was such a critter as a god that would "allow" those other 3000+ people to get smoked while excusing those few, I'd know for a fact he was arbitrary. And capricious. And just plain ol' mean.

I believe there is randomness and coincidence, certainly. One might even say some folk are lucky.

---

Aslan is not a Tame Lion

So, let me get this straight. All the other 3000+ folks deserved to die?I wonder if anyone can provide some kind of stat on the number of people missing work or coming in late on the average day.

---

The Laminator

​

would have spoken the truth.
Imagine it, this is the kind of thing 'good Christian folk' ascribe to the God they love, crediting him with a character they themselves do not possess, and that is letting some children die while letting so very few live.
Small wonder people are turned off God. I would be, too, if he were really like that. And this is probably why you don't believe in a critter called God.

---

"In that day I will also make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, the birds of the sky and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword and war from the land, and will make them lie down in safety. I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, in lovingkindness and in compassion, and I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the LORD."-the prophet Hosea (8th century B.C.) in Hosea 2:18-20

Some folks are lucky, altho I hesitate to apply it in this monstrous moment in time. I bet those 'lucky ones' would not describe in those terms. They'd probably say they just don't know why they were spared, and that would make them correct.

I'm never late, but that does not speak for those many millions who are also never late.
See what I mean?

arbitrary? yes, by definition.are we also debating providence in general, or just why it works in the favor of some and not others?there's an old idea that without hitler, we might be in nuclear winter right now. anyone heard this idea before?

Are you suggesting that God is?
By further definition:
Unrestrained
Tyranical
Capricious
Despotic
Unreasonable
and so on
In general, providence is provision for all his children, and not an arbitrary few.

---

"In that day I will also make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field, the birds of the sky and the creeping things of the ground. And I will abolish the bow, the sword and war from the land, and will make them lie down in safety. I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and in justice, in lovingkindness and in compassion, and I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness. Then you will know the LORD."-the prophet Hosea (8th century B.C.) in Hosea 2:18-20

uh, sure, why not?

quote:

---

Originally posted by PecosGeorge

​

In general, providence is provision for all his children, and not an arbitrary few.

---

Then you can't have it both ways. Either all God's children are "exactly where God wants (them) to be at this very moment", or they're not.If they are, it is exactly as Arachnophilia has stated and God is arbitrary. This is because while all the little details result in some of his children avoiding tragedy, those same details result in other of his children falling face down into it.As to the real explanation. Have you ever heard of chaos theory?Amlodhi

goes to a whorehouse and picks up a case of the clap....providence has placed him there?
Gloria jumps from an airplane and her chute don't open....providence has caused that?
All God's children are in his care and very much so in possession of the ability to make choices. All God's children are exactly where they have determined to be, mostly without a forethought, and that includes being in two very high buildings.
God is not a despot.

Going with what is in the Old Testament World wide flood. Plagues in Egypt, ending witht he killing of the first born. Hebrews conquering the Canaanite peoples, sometimes through very ugly wars. Job is also a good example of how he treats his best followers. Again, world wide flood. Soddom and Gammorah. Wiping out whole communities of individuals (and almost the whole world) because they were "bad".You get the idea. Some "bad" people deserve to wiped off the face of the earth and some need to be "saved". I would call this capricious. Were the people killed killed in the world wide flood "his children". Were not the people of Soddom "his children". Were not some of the people in the World Trade Towers his children, or the Jews in death camps, or the christians slaughtered in central Africa, or the Native Americans wiped out in North America, or the christians fed to lions in Rome . . . Sorry, but finding a few that were kept from danger misses the larger number of christians and God's children whose life has ended painfully and tragically.So, was it God's plan for people to jump off of the WTT to escape a fiery death? Was it God's plan for those riding in the plane to see their fate approaching at 300 miles per hour? Or, can we ever know if there is a plan? By claiming that something is "part of God's plan" aren't we claiming to have knowledge of something that is out of our realm of possible knowledge? I don't know, but if I was God I wouldn't tell my followers that I was protecting them and then allowing them to die in such a manner.

Yes. Some people came in early for whatever reason, caught all the lights green, got the early subway, found a taxi on the corner, beat the accident by 100 yards, got called on a cell phone and wasn't slowed down, etc. Apparently these people were all where god wanted them to be at that time: in the tower with the fire and the smoke and the screaming and the plane and the death. Thank you god, may I have another?