The problem with this type of post is that you are engaging us on your own level with your own premises. Props to Jimes for giving well-thought out responses on common ground (something I will respond to more in-depth later, but he was deservedly repped).
What do you think God's role is in all of this? Do you think that God did send down his son as a sacrifice for our sins? That's pretty powerful stuff but how we've carried ourselves since in Jesus's name is rather depressing. Mostly, I don't pretend to claim to know what God is doing, but I do have a right to question his portrayal and form an opinion of it. Why is my life as a global 1%er more privileged and open than most other people in the world? It doesn't mean I'm necessarily happier or fuller, but I don't have to come across many ****ed up things that other people have no choice to. To say that someone like me has the power to make a difference is very deceptive. I may know of human trafficking and slavery, but can I prevent it? If I make improve things and reduce it, am I doing God's work despite only halting a drop in a pool of misery? We live in a world where the value of human life is divided by a million every day, but the influence of a select few are magnified proportionately. I'm pretty sure that as one of the select few (let's say the precondition is being internet accessible) I feel very fortunate and blessed. While I could make some intangible impact to many people by giving it all away, is that something everyone would do? Should everyone do that? Are you putting the onus on filthy rich people to be better? I've had some profound philosophical conversations with European Catholics who define God as the apothesis of love, yet I'm pretty sure Evangelicals would dismiss that kind of Christianity as atheist (...as some who dismiss Catholicism the same way). I'm all for interpreting the allegory as celebrating the paradox of life (and exercising the mind towards paradox and acceptance) is one of the core strengths of religion. I'm also for organized religion as well as tradition and rituals help remove the self from the inner person, but we have several thousands of years to testify against its abuse. The act of community and the bonds it serve is self affirming and natural. When communism abolished religion, in its place came the cult of personality worship of their leaders. It served as a tool for indoctrination, but the indoctrination was a conditioned reflex to preserve a way of life. So too can ritual and community sever the bonds of selfish pursuit of happiness and self attainment and give meaning to people. People are social creatures. To assume that we know anything of ourselves because we inhabit our thoughts and minds non-stop is an illusion. It's a footnote from Buddhism, but it's something I'm constantly reminded of despite being an introspective cat.
Yes and I am honored to call Rhester my friend too. Thank you and Jimes for your answers. Without getting too deep here what I am hearing from both of you is that God could stop bad things from happening but chooses not to and basically leaves it up for humans to deal with it for reasons that are beyond our understanding. Now I can accept that but the basic problem I have with that is why I don't subscribe to a Judeo-Christian-Islamic view of God as benevolence and something that I can have a personal relationship with. If God is omnipotent as SC11 noted then to take action to end suffering is nothing to God but that he/she/it chooses not too means that God is either very callous or sadistic. It is the opposite of the dictum "with great power comes great responsibility" since God has infinite power yet doesn't use such power to alleviate suffering but instead leaves it up for us very limited humans to do so. Now this may be all part of some greater plan but at that point how is God any different than if I ran a bunch of rats through a lethal maze where many will get die or get horrible injured only to see which rats make the right choices and survive? This is not to criticize Christianity or any other monotheistic religion I like many of the ideas of Christianity and think the story of Jesus is very compelling and a great example of how we should live and treat each other. That said the central premise of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam that we should place our faith in a supreme being who is ultimately benevolent I have a hard time accepting. As I said earlier I can believe God exist but such a being is so beyond us that we are less important than a single atom in my body is to me.
I think you are saying the same thing I am saying - with great power comes great responsibility and ultimate benevolence by definition must extend that benevolence at all time to every action and do what is benevolent when it is the power of choice to act. I think I could best make this point in an email or maybe next time we have lunch.
Invisible Fan, I'm not a Christian. But I still believe in a higher power. As for making a difference, just because you don't always actively make change doesn't mean you can't make a small difference. All it takes is a few people to start the snowball effect or a few drops in the bucket to start to fill it. Imagine if Rosa Parks got up on the bus (yeah, the CR Movement may have happened anyways but all it took was one person to spark it). And the fact is, to your final points, we don't know much of anything, both about any divine powers and what the real history of the world/universe is. More important in this life is living out of pure love not because a book written and tampered with over the centuries tells us to but because it's the right thing to do.
I like Jeremy Lin, but it annoys me to no end when he talks about playing for God and Jesus. Does God like Chris Paul and Tony Parker because they are superior players. Does god like rapist like Kobe and Karla Malone(statuary). I think God has bigger fish to fry than worrying about who wins a game.
I think God is a fan of all those guys. I mean, rape is bad, but Kobe is still exciting to watch. He would let Lin make more shots but He's annoyed by LOFs too. And no, God doesn't have bigger fish to fry. I saw a documentary where he let Jim Carrey be God for a week. So clearly he has some spare time.
I think you misunderstand. He's not saying he's playing because God likes to watch basketball. Many Christians, particularly those of an evangelical nature, believe that they are supposed to glorify God in all things. Lin probably believes that he is supposed to bring attention to God by playing basketball. That is his way to reach people.
Agreed - I think people generally misunderstand what the people are saying when they talk about God. There are the ridiculous ones, like Mariano Rivera saying God wanted to win some baseball series (and then when they lost the next series - someone should have asked a followup). But for the most part, it has nothing to do with God wanting them to win or helping them to win.
I'm guessing, but his interviews have been pretty consistent about the role of God in his personal journey. It's less about God making his team win. It'll likely continue even after his time in the NBA. Lest some hot crazy chick(s) pulls him off the wagon. A vicarious side of me wonders why the first Asian American NBA player had to be the next AC Green.
