[QUOTE=Bryan Ekers]
Oh, please don’t feed me straight lines like that.
[/QUOTE]
Try this quote from someone who survived several years in a Nazi death camp.
I think it is better than the Bible quote.
To choose one’s own belief system.
[QUOTE=lekatt]
To choose one’s own belief system.
[/QUOTE]
So it’s a choice then, huh? Interesting.
[QUOTE=Thudlow Boink]
Well, if you see someone struggling or suffering, there’s several ways you can respond:
You can go out of your way to try to help them, to do whatever you can to lighten their burden. But that might be difficult; it might cost you something.
You can empathize with them and share their pain. But then you’d feel bad.
Or you can say to them, “The Lord only gives you as much as you can handle.” That way you don’t have to do anything to help them, because it’s nothing they can’t handle on their own. You don’t have to feel bad for them, because, hey, they can handle it.
[/QUOTE]
With all due respect, you’re stating that as though the three options were mutually exclusive. I think you’re presenting a false trilemma, as evidenced in your last statement, “That way you don’t have to do anything to help them, because it’s nothing they can’t handle on their own.”
Saying “The Lord only gives you as much as you can handle,” does NOT preclude actively helping the person, nor does it absolve someone of the responsibility to do so. When a doctor offers words of encouragement to a suffering patient, does this absolve him of the need to administer medication? Of course not! Similarly, reminding people that they can endure suffering should not be interpreted as a sinister way to avoid helping out.
Do some people act in that manner? Do they offer platitudes in order to avoid helping out? Certainly! Human beings are often like that. This does not mean that all such aphorisms should automatically be regarded as ways to avoid taking responsibility, though.
For that matter, there is no conflict between saying “You can go out of your way to try to help them…” and “You can empathize with them and share their pain.” If anything, people often offer help precisely BECAUSE they empathize. Precious few individuals – Christian or otherwise – would offer sincere help without feeling any empathy whatsoever.
As I said, I think it’s a false trilemma.
[QUOTE=JThunder]
With all due respect, you’re stating that as though the three options were mutually exclusive.
[/QUOTE]
I wholeheartedly agree that they’re not. Mainly my point was that the third option can be, but shouldn’t be, used as an alternative to the other two.
[QUOTE=fatgail]
I’m going through some deep faith questions as of late, as I wonder what it’s all about.
As Mother Theresa once said “The Lord only gives you as much as you can handle. I just wish he didn’t trust me so much.”
[/QUOTE]
Both of these remind me of the “everything happens for a reason” adage, which must be one of the dumbest things ever uttered.
[QUOTE=spifflog]
Both of these remind me of the “everything happens for a reason” adage, which must be one of the dumbest things ever uttered.
[/QUOTE]
Man, tell that to Joaquin Phoenix in Signs, pal.
I think “The Lord never gives us more than we can handle” is addressed at least as much to other Christians who see other people suffering as it does to those who are suffering.
Sometimes - often - the troubles assailing the world, or the troubles assailing one’s friends, seem overwhelming. And you usually can’t fix someone else’s problems for them. But you do what you can. God isn’t asking us to save the world, or even one other person. That’s been taken care of.
An old pastor of mine used to say, “We’re called on to be faithful, not successful.” And you don’t have to burn yourself out. One of the fundamental commands of Judaism as well as Christianity is to remember the Sabbath - i.e. take a break once in a while.
It can be overwhelming. But it shouldn’t be. Do the best you can, and trust God for the rest.
Regards,
Shodan
[QUOTE=begbert2]
If any discernable fraction of Christians actually acted and reacted as though they thought of death as a door, I might agree with you. (‘My mom just died? Yay!’ ‘Kids, go ahead! Play with guns! Jump in front of cars! It’s good for you!’ ‘Hand me the axe, maybelle; I’m going to send the kids to heaven!’) As it is, though, I’d say that the evidence is that most religious folks shy away from death like everyone else.
[/QUOTE]
I view death as a sort of “breaking out of the cocoon”, a transformation from what we currently are to what we are meant to become. I believe it to be a good thing. However, I still grieved when my grandfather died a few months ago. I don’t think it’s a failing of my beliefs. It’s just a human reaction.
Of course - Jesus wept at Lazarus’ tomb.
Bricker is the one who posted something when a friend of his died that went something like this -
For Christians, when we are born, we cry and everyone else laughs. When we die, everyone else cries and we laugh.
Regards,
Shodan
[QUOTE=fatgail]
Man, tell that to Joaquin Phoenix in Signs, pal.
[/QUOTE]
Is this humor or was a work of fiction used to just refute a statement of opinion about reality?