I just want to thank God today for nice things like Karoline's garden. Regardless of our beliefs, we all are given sunshine and rain. The kind of blessings we have that are unrelated to morality or religion.
.
Theologians might call that "common grace.".
For me, some of these would include slowly savoring dark chocolate, the sound of children giggling, colorful sunsets, the smell of fresh ground coffee, soft fescue (grass) beneath my bare feet. And making friends across this blogosphere with people I would otherwise never have met.
.
See also: What makes you happy?
Image by: me
Posts
20 comments:
"Fescue" -- now there's a word you don't see every day!
What about adding all that malt whiskey consumed at Martins?!
Thanks for your latest comments, and Maalie's too.
I tried very clumsily to answer what you said. I used to do a lot of soul searching about 'theology' and got myself tied up in knots. Now I don't try any more because I know that I really know absolutely nothing, but the little spark that speaks inside me won't let me go, and I carry on bumbling my way through life trying not to do too much harm.
I know what you mean about humility. I once thought I was really one of the 'special' people because I read the Bible and discussed intelligently all sorts of matters theological, but there came a point where confusion set in. At that point I just felt that it didn't really matter what happened in the Garden of Eden, or in Sodom and Gom ... Gomme .. the other place, or whether or not Noah built an ark?
I think it's our intentions and integrity that's important. If some people have the gift of faith, I'm sure they have the gift for a reason, and the same goes for those who don't.
Am I making any sense?
Lorenzo the Anteater (last time I looked).
Oh No. That's too bad of Maalie. I'm off to his site now to ask him to remove those .... things ..
Lorenzo the indecent llama
Lorenzo,
I, personally, do not enjoy seeing nor should there be an indecent picture being sent around such as the picture for your blog as it is showing above.
(Sorry, dear husband, but I needed to say that.)
I left "leapfrogging" llama comments up because of the important words that needed to be addressed, and because I understand that the pictures are being manipulated by someone other than Lorenzo the Llama.
The pictures have been changing rather frequently, so we could probably expect something new soon.
A little birdie told me the picture of the llamas' private moments has been replaced with a more family friendly shot.
I think I understand what you're saying Lorenzo, because I have heard others say something similar. But it happened or it didn't. As to the question of whether it matters:
a) What if it never happened, and we believed it did? We might be blissfully ignorant at best, but more likely, we become a bother to the people who don't believe.
b) What if the biblical narratives did indeed happen, and it was all true, but we did not believe? I can't imaging a favorable reaction coming from the Lord with that scenario.
Thnaks mate!
This is just a quick note to say thanks for keeping my blog alive with the fantatic comments you made with the rest of the crazy gang!!
M
That's a great list of blessings; I especially like the dark chocolate and the giggling. I'd probably add a warm summer night with the smell of freshly cut grass.
Enjoyed reading the comments on the last post, and am sorry I missed out on the discussion. I appreciate your thoughts as I've been thinking about what it means to live in community so much lately. It's so strange how much easier it is to love non-Christians than those Christians inside my own church. Kind of like it's sometimes easier for me to be sympathetic to a friend than to my husband. Is it because we take for granted Christian fellowship?
>I just want to thank God today for nice things like Karoline's garden
Wouldn't it have just been simpler just to thank Karoline, who wa presumably actually responsible for it?
Ah I see you are a devotee of Pascal's Wager ;-)
Good point, Maalie. Thanks for visiting.
Karoline, I should say thank-you for your comment, which inspired this post.
The thanksgiving offered to God is intended to be an appreciation for common grace, of which, the "luvely garden" was one of many reminders.
I hope y'all don't think I wouldn't properly thank a person for a kindness or gift. As I understand it, giving credit where credit is due would require thanking both givers-- the immediate and the Ultimate.
Pascal's Wager. I'll have to look that up. I did not know at the time that there was such a historic connection to the comment. It just seemed a fitting response at the time.
Craver vii, you will find some interesting stuff about Pascal's Wager here, if I may take the liberty of drawing your attention.
I would be greatly interested in your response.
Craver: first of all I do apologise for my naughty llamas. I honestly didn't know the picture had been changed again when I put the first comment on. At the time I was an anteater!
a) If it never happened and we believed, then there's nothing lost.
b) If it happened and we didn't believe. We are taught that God is merciful, we cannot make him love us any more or any less by our actions.
Obviously I don't know the mind of God, but my instinct tells me it's how we love that's important.
Apology accepted, of course! After my next post, the pictures will be buried and forgotten. How we love is indeed important. I am blessed by your friendship. (As well as Maalie's patience and Ann's humor.)
a) The Apostle Paul basically says that if we believed the Bible (talking specifically of Christ and the resurrection) and it were not true, "we are of all people most to be pitied." 1 Cor. 15:19 But eternal life? No, we could not count that as lost, if it was never a real option.
b) If the Bible is true, and the mind of God is revealed within those pages, wouldn't it be best to seek out what the Bible says about our actions, God's mercy and what we believe?
Maalie, I have not read the Atheist's Wager yet, but I will.
My Pascal-ish comment was not intended to be proof positive against atheism or even to intimidate anyone into believing. It was a response to the notion that "it doesn't matter what one believes." As such, I expect you would agree that the principle is water-tight. If a thing is true, it matters, but if it is purely fantasy, a person can believe anything they want without the same level of consequences.
Craver vii: There is a good deal in the bible that I would not object to. Jesus Christ evidently lived (and was probably crucified) and set a good example, an example that many of us would choose to adopt, even if we had not heard of him. I guess the same could be said of the Koran and Mohammed.
But there are some assertions in the bible that are fundamentally not credible in the light of today's understanding of the workings of the universe. And the fundamental flaw in Pascal's Wager is simply: "Which God?".
Also I am sorry if my very temporary insertion of the copulating llamas into Lorenzo's blog caused offence to any of your readers. As a biologist, I don't find such pictures indecent. Isn't sex all part of God's wondrous plan? (I think that is true without having to specify which God).
I appreciate everything you said in that last comment, Maalie.
Which God? Excellent question. But was this Pascal's fundamental flaw or just the next logical step in the thought process? The latter, I think.
Llama lovin' is all context. Consider this. There's nothing wrong with what my doctor sees from his female patients, but it would not be appropriate for me to stand in the same room, and look at the same things. Thanks for changing the picture.
Well said Craver, and dark chocolate and fresh coffe are my faves too! (Do you have 'Green & Blacks' dark chocolate over there which is yummy and gives a fair deal to the cocoa bean growers?)
Cheers mate!
Did someone say coffee? I'm in for giving thanks: French Roast, ground fine, but not too fine, scooped into a press with water that has just come to boil...then plunged after two of the longest minutes of our lives—but worth the wait, baby!
I am thankful for you as well, brother.
Green & Black's? I don't know, but I'll look for it Martin
Good to hear from you again, 23-d. I got a free manual burr coffee grinder today. I wish I had a French press. And is there an inexpensive way to make steamed milk?
I looked at the Atheist's wager last night, Maalie, and I believe I came up with a conclusion similar to what you would find. Namely, that if a person already feels convinced about a matter, little can be done to change their mind. The refutation attempted to expose flaws that were only believable if you already are inclined to that position.
The site says it superficially appears to be a strong and compelling argument for theism. I don't think that is what it was intended to be. Pascal's unfinished treatise on apologetics was composed posthumously, and that is not the same as when an author and editor are in agreement with a finished product.
[Wikipedia says this has something to do with a "decision theory." Ultimately, whether a person becomes a believer is God's sovereign decison; we only confirm the fact when we repent.]
It is sad if a Christian uses this gambit as a threat. We Christians are not the ones who should condemn, but if there is impending doom, anyone who has knowledge of it also has a moral responsibility to warn others that they may escape suffering. Also, it is not wrong to fear God, even though fear is not the only motivator in the relationship.
The author talks about the idea being "self-refuting, depending on the person's description of God." I try not to speak harshly, but let me make this perfectly clear. That is so flawed! If God is real, would he really be subject to individual descriptions? There is a story about some blind men who have different descriptions of an elephant, based on whether they sensed the massive side, whip tail, etc., but the elephant has not become different, it was always exactly the same, despite different descriptions.
In the last box, he says that if one does not believe in God, they will go to heaven because they're a good person. Maybe we should consult God about that.
Post a Comment