6.7.05

Blaming God

Okay, so blame is a bad word. It has a negative conotation. But there have been a couple of websites that have posted on this theme lately. They said we shouldn't blame God for what goes on in our lives.

Which I don't understand.

God is omnipotent, and soveriegn over all. So, if he is soveriegn and controls everything, how can we not hold him responsible for what goes on in our lifves? I agree that we have free will and there are consequences to our actions, but at the same time, those consequences are controlled by God, aren't they?

So why can't we hold him respnsible for what happens in our lives? If he isn't responsible, and only we are, then why not throw of his mantle of soveriegnty--because if we have control over our lives, then he really isn't omnipotent, and we have no need of him....

if he isn't 'to blame' then how is he soveriegn? How is he omnipotent and omnicient?

Wot maber,
Sara

7 comments:

nathan said...

exactly. God allows things to happen, so in a sense I guess you could hold God responsible. but then, the term "hold God responsible" implies that we are on an even plane with God. we aren't. as humans, we are in no position to hold God responsible. like i said before, Job explains all of this pretty well. i guess the conclusion it gives is that God is indeed soveriegn, and therefore we dont understand how things work out. sorry that sounds so much like a cop-out.

Sara without an H said...

that all makes sense. I know all that. I recognize the parody of free will vs soveriegnty. Theologins have been fighting over it for centuries, I don't plan to solve it on my website. I just want to know if it's okay to say that God is responsible for what goes on in my life?

Not in a bad sense. Everything will work together for a good that I can't see yet. So he is responsible for the beauty and ugly in my life, so can't I say that?

Or is that sacrilege

Sarah said...

[begin rambling]

To me it seems arrogant to say "God, I am holding you responsible for all of this." Because that makes me think of people doing whatever the heck we want to do and then when bad things happen we're just like "UGH! God, stop doing this to me!" when it's really us doing it to ourselves. Like Shaylee said, he doesn't make us sin.

But I think maybe I am letting the negative connotation get in the way. I suppose it's okay to say, "alright, so I've given myself to God, and I know he is responsible for me" and "all the things that happen to me work for his good purpose." But I think God being responsible for me means... I do stupid things. I make my own decisions and I sin and I come crawling back to God asking for forgiveness and salvation every single time. And he works through all of that in spite of the decisions I make.

So I don't think "holding God accountable" is a good way to put it. I think he lets us do what we want - and once we're broken, he takes the pieces and puts us back together into something new.

[/end rambling]

Sara without an H said...

I think I am a Calvinist.

Dr. Austiagon said...

I am a strange medium between Calvanist and the other thing begins with an A. However I would come off calvanist to anyone who asked.

Sarah said...

The other thing that begins with an A?

Sara without an H said...

yea, you know. .. I can't think what it's called either. But really, I think I am a Calvinist and a Democrat. Someone tell me how the two go together.