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I'm sorry to hear about the folks in your family who believe that way. In my experience and opinion, that's not the message that should be learned from belief i

I'm sorry to hear about the folks in your family who believe that way. In my experience and opinion, that's not the message that should be learned from belief in a higher power. The best way to describe the difference is through a parable that's often told - the man who is stuck on his roof top during a flood. The man is stuck on top of his roof, praying to God that he should be saved from the rising water. A series of first responders arrive, by boat, by helicopter, etc; the man waves them all off, saying "God will save me". After the man drowns, he meets God in anger, saying "why did you not save me?" God replies, "I sent a boat and a helicopter.. what more do you expect?" The message I get from this parable is that your life experiences are far from pre-ordained, and that you are not hopelessly dependent on some other higher power for your welfare. Exactly the opposite! You must seize the opportunities you're given and grow to appreciate and nurture the natural abilities you have in order to live a fulfilling life.

stnmtn 5y ago
I've always wondered what the response is to people who are in that situation, but no boats or helicopters show up, and they simply don't survive. How does that interact with god's plan? Please don't take this as a "Gotcha" question, it's just something I've always wondered
- ipython 5y ago
  I don’t consider that a gotcha question at all. There are so many examples of evil in the world so it is easy to question the role of God’s plan. I’m not the best person to ask as I don’t necessarily believe that there is some sort of master plan. I’m also not overly religious even though it may sound that way in this thread. I think that religion can give people a sense of meaning deeper than yourself- something that is sorely lacking in today’s society IMO. As far as your question, I would recommend reading Viktor Frankl’s book A Mans Search for Meaning. It’s powerful as any book you’ll ever read and give you an insight to how at least one person persevered through the most horrific of circumstances.

stnmtn 5y ago

I've always wondered what the response is to people who are in that situation, but no boats or helicopters show up, and they simply don't survive. How does that interact with god's plan? Please don't take this as a "Gotcha" question, it's just something I've always wondered

ipython 5y ago
I don’t consider that a gotcha question at all. There are so many examples of evil in the world so it is easy to question the role of God’s plan. I’m not the best person to ask as I don’t necessarily believe that there is some sort of master plan. I’m also not overly religious even though it may sound that way in this thread. I think that religion can give people a sense of meaning deeper than yourself- something that is sorely lacking in today’s society IMO. As far as your question, I would recommend reading Viktor Frankl’s book A Mans Search for Meaning. It’s powerful as any book you’ll ever read and give you an insight to how at least one person persevered through the most horrific of circumstances.