I see that you are an atheist... and as such you display little if any concept of God as evidenced by your questions and replies.
Terry, you know that there is no single concept of God. As an atheist, I see many inconsistencies among believers that you do not, because I believe that gods are a figment of human imagination.
God is not, and never will be, the guardian angel of fiction, who takes care of every detail of our lives for us. and protects us from our own and others decisions.
Nor does a parent do that (although some might wish to). However, parents would not stand by an watch their children suffer if they could lessen or prevent it. This isn't about God managing every aspect of our lives but about showing mercy and love, traits that the Christian God is supposed to have to a perfection. Moreover, you cannot deny that prayer is a big part of religious faith. That suggests that people believe God capable of, and willing to, intervene from time to time. Christians quite often see good luck as a reward for prayer and devotion.
What he knows, and what he has as a plan, is a total mystery to us. He never has said that he will use his omnipotence and omniscience to nanny us. Neither is he at our beck and call.
In your last post, you said "Drunk driving is not part of God's plan." Now you claim that his plan is "a total mystery". Do you not see an inconsistency here? The fact is that believers claim to know a lot about God until their knowledge is questioned. Then, suddenly, God is ineffable--beyond our understanding.
The world is a living place, and as such can be a dangerous place. Earthquakes , floods ,storms and the like are necessary attributes of this living world. There are benefits to living in the more dangerous parts of the world, that are balanced by death and destruction. We chose of our own free will to live in such places; when certain calamity happens we suffer. This is the result of our own choices.
This reasoning is so full of holes that it embarrasses swiss cheese. Most of us do all in our power to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe. We do not always have the choice to avoid calamities. Perhaps everyone who lives where there are hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, and high crime rates should come to live where you are, but that is not a choice most of us have (thankfully for you). Victims of crimes and natural disasters quite seldom choose to be victimized, and there is nothing to prevent God from helping the innocent.
Modern times have brought new perils, Drunken drivers is only one of them. These things are the result of Mans own choices and inventions, they are freely made.
Nonsense. None of us were responsible for the existence of drunk drivers or even the phenomenon of alcohol when we were born. We do not choose to be hit by cars. Honestly. We don't. Moreover, you are not arguing that God is incapable of making things a little easier on us or that he is unaware of all the choices we will ever make. What you seem to be arguing is that he shouldn't be blamed for being aware of our suffering, capable of alleviating it, and unwilling to ease it. That is where the big disconnect is. How can any rational human being who believes in God not blame him for that?
All men have the capability to be strengthened by God in these situations. Atheists and others, perhaps, deny themselves this opportunity, it is their choice.
Obviously, all men (and women) do not have that capability, because some of them fail to be strengthened by God. I detect an undercurrent of disapproval on your part, since you portray such people as not choosing to be strengthened. Is it God's intention that people deserve to suffer because they do not have your level of belief and faith? Apparently so.
When my wife died following an operation, I did not blame God. It was, it seems, beyond the skill of the surgeons to save her. After nearly seven years I still mourn her passing into God's presence.
I'm very sorry to hear that. Such losses are terrible burdens for anyone to bear, and religious faith does give you at least a sense of companionship when you lose someone very close. But you bring up the downside of religion for some believers. Some will either blame God or despair that God is punishing them, because the argument I am using here is pretty powerful. Some people are driven to lose faith because of an inability to reconcile suffering in the world with the depiction of God as an all-knowing, all-powerful, all-merciful being.
When we mourn we do so for ourselves, it is a healing process. Faith in God and in his healing strength, certainly helps in this.
I agree that usually it is, but not always.
God is in no way to blame for our own choices and misfortunes. Rather than blame him, we should thank him for the opportunities and blessings we all share in this world. and his love and kindness we share with one another, during this moment in time represented by our lives.
I'm sorry, but I simply cannot understand how one can observe the amount of needless suffering in the world and not blame the kind of God that Christians describe. That you do not blame God is a given. That you ought not to blame God is not. To the extent that you can praise God, you judge him. If you can judge him good, then you can judge him bad. Love entails the judgment that the object of love is worthy.
When tragedy strikes, we should think about what we can do about the situation, and what help we can give to others... This is the true expression of God's love.
That is good advice for atheists, as well, but your final statement is a non-sequitur. And, I have to tell you that I wonder why God does not follow that advice as well. If I believed in the existence of such a being, I would think that he ought to think about what he can do to give help to others. Apparently, his help is not for everyone.
I don't believe life on earth was ever intended to go on forever. That's why it's referred to as "mortal" life. There is supposed to be a beginning and an end to it. We're supposed to have experiences that will enable us to develop strength of character, etc. and to help us learn to make wise choices. It is the time after the resurrection, when our bodies are made perfect and immortal that life is to go on eternally.
