Monday 28 February 2011

It was going so well...

An interesting insight into the mind of... someone who completely misunderstands the nature of God. This has bumbled its way through the internet via Stuff Fundies Like. I agree with the first sentence. I concur completely with the second sentence. And it should have stopped there, because the third sentence makes a mockery of God.

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My application for a job I really rather fancied was rejected last week. That was frustrating. I spoke to a few friends after the rejection letter, and one, with all the best intentions in the world said, 'It's obvious that God didn't want you to do that.' My immediate thought was, 'Is it?!'

I'm not saying that God wasn't in that rejection, nor am I saying that everything I want, I should get. But it does seem odd that we Christians tend to offload that which we don't understand onto the God Has Ordained It pile - into which I supposed we often put clergy, as well. Bwahaha.

I don't understand why I didn't get the job, and it's gutting that I didn't. I'm sure at some point I will understand. However, I think it's lazy Christianity that, out of our misapprehension, attributes human action to God.

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I suppose both that Facebook idiocy and my thoughts about the job application boil down to these questions: how much can/do we influence God, or how much of our lives are directly influenced by him?

Thoughts?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Seems to me it's a partnership. This poem wot I writ expresses it as well as I can...
Your God is not my God

Really feel for you on the job front, mate. I've been there, more than once, and it sucks; and your friend's response sucks too: life really isn't that simple, much as we might want to see God's guidance in every event, as often as not I think God struggles as much as we do. I think if only we could see what's involved in creating and sustaining a universe we'd be less quick to blame God when things don't work out the way we want them too...

Will Clark said...

Completely agree on the "It's God's will" bit. I mean, I can understand if they have entered into deep, fervent prayer and heard the audible voice of God. But most of the time, it's just us pesky humans that get in the way.

David said...

Mmm, I wanted to write something about the tension of God being immovable and yet ever-moved by our plight. But that seemed very LST Lecturer-like, so I chickened out.

Thanks for your sympathy, it is appreciated. I have a good few months before I need to find myself another job, and right now, going home and sitting around in my pants looks like a viable option.

I would also like to make clear that I wasn't blaming God at all. I think he had less to do with it than I would have liked.

Anonymous said...

You could always blame God for *not* getting involved, y'know. God's in a serious lose-lose situation with us humans...

David said...

The thought did occur to me, but I'm more magnanimous than that.