From: mike@sojurn.lns.pa.us (Mike J. Sangrey)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Re: ?'s
Date: 12 Jan 93 10:14:05 GMT
Organization: Humble Pilgrimage Palace

In article <Jan.7.01.27.14.1993.6107@geneva.rutgers.edu>, shrum@eos.arc.nasa.gov (Rick Shrum) writes:
|> Some questions:
|> 
|> 1) The concept of eternity; I mean God has *always* existed. I find it
|>    hard to imagine there being no beginning.

   I sincerely mean no offense, but does your being finite surprise you?
   Have you ever been outside of time?  No!  Of course not.  Have you
   ever had an experience being outside of time?  No!  Again, of course
   not.  What a silly question.  I ask these silly questions to merely 
   point out that the concept of eternity can not, by definition, be
   understood, I mean truly understood, by any finite being.  Can't be
   done.  There's nothing to compare.  Take the biggest number you can
   think of.  Add one.  Keep doing it till you get to infinity.  Guess what?

|> 2) If God is unchanging, why did he seem so much more harsh in the OT?

   Today, we are very quick to say, "Satan has killed all those people."
   Or "God allowed this tragedy."  I wonder, if we had revelation today,
   as people did during the Old Testament, what the stories would be.
   What would the prophets tell us about Mexico City being laid waste?
   How 'bout the earthquake in California a couple of years back? 
   The Middle East war?  Homestead?

   I could go on, I think.  But I won't.  I'm afraid that would open up
   for someone to say, "Hey, you mean you think God was punishing so-and-so
   for something."  What I'm saying, is we don't really know, do we?  God
   is still King.  The winds and the waves obey His voice.  Judgement still
   happens and when you compare His written word with people's (and
   nation's) thoughts, words and deeds, there's a lot of contrasts.

   I read a story once of a person walking the streets of a city in either
   Japan or China.  With a loud voice he would say something like, "Repent,
   for this city is about to be judged."   A few months past.  The city
   was deluged with a Tsunami that wiped it out.  I don't know how old the
   story is or much of the detail.  (Maybe someone from the east could
   help me out.)

   Also, Alexander Solzenietzen (I know I spelled his name wrong, but do
   you have his name in *your* dictionary?;-)  starts a book (I believe
   the Gulag Archapelego (yeah, I know, this one too.) with a statement
   by an older man concerning why he felt the 1917 revolution  came upon
   them: "We have forgotten God."  I find it curious that almost exactly
   seventy years later (the amount of time appointed for a person to live)
   the judgment is miraculously over.  Kinda reminded me of Israel's 40
   year walk in the wilderness.  I'll leave it to the reader's 
   conscience whether you think that living under Stalin was harsh.
   
|> 3) On the cross, Jesus asked why God had forsaken him. Didn't he have
|>    total faith?

   The answer is not to be found in His faith, but in His substitution.
   God must, because of His very nature, separate Himself from us, since 
   we are sinful and He is purity personified.  Jesus bore that separation 
   in the believer's place, so that believers won't have to.

|> 4) At this time there *is* no #4. :^)

   Ummmm.  This one is tricky.  It's that smiley.  Throws me everytime.
   I got it.  Sure.  The answer is 42.  Everyone knows that.

   Now, where did I put my towel and my digital watch, I've got to
   get to the restaurant before the dolphins eat all the fish.

   Computer!

   "Hey, how ya doin' guy?", the computer most improbably replies.
   ...
	       (:(:(: with apologizes to Douglas Adams. :):):)

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