[ATrain]

God must have been so happy this happened that the Dow surges 221 points today....(totally sarcastic). I think it is really ridiculous that this happened. It does absolutely nothing to help our side of the argument.

I have to admit my first thought was about the kind of church he went to as well. I guess he found out what God thinks about abortion.

Because of the spirited debate in this thread, http://www.flamefans.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12902, I figured why not have it out over here on a theological topic? Are murders God's specific judgments on people? Are natural and manmade disasters the result of God's judgment against nations or just the result of living in a sinful world where tragedy is just a part of the natural order of things?

Discuss

[Hold My Own]

IMO right now it's just the act of man separating from God due to sin. Wicked things are going to happen once we sinned. Now once God removes his hand of protection on us then thats another story.


Question, can God lift his hand of protection on individuals or just as a Nation as a whole....I dont know.

[scuzdriver]

Why couldn't He lift his hand from an individual? Why wouldn't He? Due to sin, bad things happen every day. I was asked once why a loving God would allow small kids to suffer. My only answer to that is because of sin. Sin is the source of all our problems here on earth. Luckily for us, He is merciful and gives us a chance to repent.

[Th3rd]

i think this kind of applies, maybe not to the abortion doctor but to God's judgement on people, i agree with what is said in this video

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[JK37]

IMO right now it's just the act of man separating from God due to sin. Wicked things are going to happen once we sinned. Now once God removes his hand of protection on us then thats another story.


Question, can God lift his hand of protection on individuals or just as a Nation as a whole....I dont know.

Wouldn't Job be an example of a specific person from whom God individually removed protection? God did not inflict, He simply allowed Satan to do so.

[GoUNCA]

IMO right now it's just the act of man separating from God due to sin. Wicked things are going to happen once we sinned. Now once God removes his hand of protection on us then thats another story.


Question, can God lift his hand of protection on individuals or just as a Nation as a whole....I dont know.

Wouldn't Job be an example of a specific person from whom God individually removed protection? God did not inflict, He simply allowed Satan to do so.

It seems awkward that God would offer his hand of protection on someone or a nation as a whole. Sure, it works from an Old Testament view, but Jesus really changes the dynamic. Despite being viewed as a messiah from the oppression of Rome, Jesus basically told everyone that Rome was unimportant and that being under Rome's thumb did not separate them from God. I would argue that Job is an exploration in why suffering occurs on earth; a Hebrew version of the Sumerian Ludlul bēl nēmeqi if you will. It is cool to see Satan testing God in Job and then noticing how Jesus handled similar testing in the complete opposite way (Matthew 4).