Is God Guilty of Murder?

I don’t like this subject.

Christian apologetics is great, especially if it’s on a subject like Creation vs. Evolution, or the Resurrection of Christ, or Transubstantiation,  but when it gets on a subject like the righteousness of God and his judgment things get a bit messy.

A dear cousin of mine recently called me out on a statement I made about the pro-life vs. pro-choice debate. I was arguing that abortion was unjustified according to God’s law, which eventually degenerated into a debate about the consistency of God’s character concerning murder. This went on for dozens of comments back and forth (we were on a Facebook status update when all of this started), until we both had to sit down and seriously formulate some arguments. I think that Facebook is an awful place to carry on a debate, so I decided to reproduce some of my arguments here, on my blog, for clarity. Perhaps some of my readers have input for me, either encouragement or criticism. Whatever anyone has to offer, I would be appreciative of anything that will help sharpen my wits and keep me grounded in the truth.

Praying for an Answer

Not all questions can be answered by Google, originally uploaded by jaygooby.

I almost didn't write this post. It's a leap of faith in itself. I'm putting out there on the internet that I trust God enough to believe His promises. And it's harder than it sounds.

I've got a decision to make, and I'm tired of weighing pros and cons. I've asked advice, I've mulled it over until my head aches, I've gnawed my lips and done the research and hemmed and hawed. Now it's time to come to a conclusion of the matter. I want to make the best decision, and even though God may not "care" what I do, He is also the only one who knows which path would bring me the most happiness, opportunity, fulfillment, etc. I really want to make the best decision, so why not try asking the omniscient God of the universe? I think I have the right:

 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” 

Matthew 18:19-20

Anything they ask for? That's powerful. If Mom and Dad and I get together on this, apparently we should be able to get an answer. Here's another one:

Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. 

Psalm 37:4

I had a great conversation with an elderly neighbor who has been a man of God for decades. He shared some examples of times when he asked the Lord to answer a specific question (should we buy this house, etc.) and He answered loud and clear! Sometimes opportunities he couldn't have imagined popped up later and proved that he had indeed taken the right path.


He told me to get into a quiet place, ask my Father in Heaven a specific question (not, "What should I do?", more like "Yes or No to A and B?"), sit still and listen.

Listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, LISTEN!

Motivation and Homeschooling

Here's a question from one of my readers:

"I'd love to see how you manage homeschooling. For me, also a high school homeschooler, I have lots of work and its sometimes just as hard as going to regular school...."

A big problem I had as a high school homeschooler was being an older girl with a younger brother. I'm good at school and like most of my studies, and Aaron hates school (how many 14 year old boys don't?). Guess who got pressured to study? Guess who was monitored and constantly reminded not to dawdle? It certainly wasn't me! It was easy for  me to slack off. I was still regarded as a great student even if I took a few liberties with how much effort I put into my work. And I did take some liberties. 

I'm ashamed to admit that.

I think that some people have the idea that homeschooling must be easier than public schooling (as suggested by the question above). It's true that it can take a lot less time than traditional schooling and you can work in the comfort of your own home, but the study is definitely not easier! I can sympathize with having a heavy workload and trying to manage my time and effort. 

As I said, sometimes I lacked drive, which is something you've got to have if you're going to be educated at home. You might not have  a teacher, or even a mother, looking over your shoulder making sure that you're doing what you should be, which means you have to step up to the plate and motivate yourself.

It's tough, but that is actually one of the most rewarding aspects of  homeschooling!  It makes education personal. You're not just ingesting textbook language and regurgitating it on a page. It's all about learning for the sake of learning, not because "everybody has to do it." It's a challenge and a benefit.

Shouldn't that be how we always live our lives, no matter whether we're in school, or past school?  If we don't internalize our learning, if we don't take it seriously and motivate ourselves, if we just go with the flow because of everyone else then what have we gained? A mediocre life. To be successful, one must be self-motivated. That's true in life as it is in school. If you're only motivated by outside circumstances then you'll be forever tossed on the waves of chance and fortune. Your influences vary daily and so can your actions. But if you are internally driven, you can accomplish much.

How do I manage homeschooling? Very badly sometimes. But when it comes right down to it, it's about drive. No one made me do well in English, no one made me tear my hair out over the third hour of staring at my algebra book. No one but myself. My family had expectations, I had a reputation, it was something I had to do, but when it comes right down to it we have the power to decide whether we hit it seriously or wimp out and do a half-baked job. 

I decided that I wanted to finish my REA book on US History II in one week. I could read just a few pages a day and accomplish that goal, or I could hit it harder and finish sooner. Now, no one is going to beat me over the head if I take it leisurely and spend a week on something that could be easily done in few days. But what would that say about me? 

Tata for now,

Abby

Keep It Up Sign Card Motivation 2012 ..., a photo by stevendepolo on Flickr.

The Challenge We All Face

A recent comment on one of my old blog posts: 

Dear Miss Abby Rogers,

How are you so sure that there is a god at all? Have you ever thought about this? If so, what are your arguments for the existance of God? I'm sure your parents have taught you some of these?

How do you explain that there is so much suffering in the world yet God is supposed to be omnibenevolent, omnipotent and omniscient? How do you explain the inconsistencies in the Bible?

Let me know,

Ella De'Ville

This question poses a challenge, a challenge to me and really a challenge to everyone who calls herself a Christian and has never searched deeply into the hows and whys of their faith, instead just taking for granted what she has heard from parents and peers all her life.


Some people might say to "take it all on faith". Let me quote C.S. Lewis in his answer to another idea, "Don't talk such damned nonsense." Our experience is constantly offering up daily proof that an uninformed person is a foolish person, and one who is almost inevitably destined for failure. Forrest Gump is the only one who can succeed in life through blind faith and chance. The rest of us have to do our research, our soul searching, and come up with a reasonable explanation of why our worldview is the best there is. 


Now I'm warning Ella and all others who might have a preconceived notion of apologetics and all related arguments for such concepts as the existence of God. You can't prove any of it with pure pure facts. If someone is convinced of their own rightness or wrongness, no matter how many wonderful arguments are thrown at them they will never listen. I'm not trying to convince anyone, I'll just attempt to synthesize in blog posts the basis of my belief. Incidentally this is actually something that I've been working on for quite some time.


So here I go, jumping into deep water way over my head into subjects that have stumped the most brilliant philosophers for millenia. I won't have all of the answers, by no means, but I intend to testify of and give answers concerning Jesus Christ and my faith in Him.