Paul, thank you for reading and commenting. I will not laugh at you because you pose serious questions. And I doubt that I have good answers.
I empathize with you that the Old Testament God can seem like a different God than that of the New Testament. There is a lot of violence in the Old Testament and a good portion is indeed directed or blessed by God. It is hard for me to justify that. I would welcome a more learned individual than myself to weigh in with a better explanation. But even in the Old Testament there is a message of love and forgiveness from God. In the New Testament Jesus brought that message home to its ultimate level.
Who knows why God created the earth as he did and in what order? That’s not one I dwell on. Time would have to be different to an all powerful entity than it is to us. The whole question of creationism or evolution and the big bang is a moot point to me. To me the big question isn’t how we got here but what we are going to do now that we are here. I talk more about it in my article on Alaska. I would love to read your thoughts on it.
Finally, why doesn’t God save his followers from death and persecution? That falls in with some of the other questions such as “why do bad things happen to good people” and “why would a loving God send someone to hell”? I believe the answers to those questions fall very much into the realm of free choice. God gives everyone the freedom to follow him or not to follow him. When tragedies and atrocities occur from someone’s decision to turn their back on God they have to still be allowed to happen. If not, then there is no free will. Why did God save Shadrack, Meshach and Abednego? Maybe it was to prove a point at that time in that place and I freely admit that is a total guess. Wouldn’t Shadrack, Meshack and Abednego be great names for triplets? I digress.
For some of us, the deeper we read the Bible the more confused we get. For others, the mysteries clear. I can only fall back on what I took from my reading and continued reading. Jesus taught us to lover others, forgive others and judge others less.
Paul, you have made me think today and I appreciate it. I hope you and yours are safe and healthy.
