Today's Sermon

Imagine...

Imagine for a minute that you are God with all his/her unlimited powers...

1) You decide that for some reason that the people on planet Earth need guidance for their own good.
Do you
a) Appear before one person in a vision, give them secret instructions and hope they pass it on correctly and don't take liberties?
b) Appear before the masses and tell them directly, thereby proving your existence beyond doubt and at the same time ensuring that they get the right message?

2) You wish to have your laws continued forever.
Do you
a) Tell them once and disappear for a couple of thousand years or more?
b) Make regular appearances to reinforce belief?

3) You care for these people, so when you see things going terribly wrong,
do you
a) Sit back and watch the fun?
b) Step in again with some timely advice?

4) You have unlimited powers; you can create the world any way you want.
Do you
a) Make the climate changeable and unpredictable, resulting in the deaths of millions due to drought, floods, heat waves, etc.?
b) Create a stable climate so that the population can grow their crops and feed themselves?

For all questions answered (a), REALLY bad idea. Award yourself no points.

For all answers (b), Well done! Good choice! You get a gold star.

So why do we have all the above wrong answer situations in the world and none of the good answers?

If you believe there is a God, how do you answer that?

Why would S/He act in such an uncaring and nonsensical way?

And don't hand me that old standby phrase reserved for all tricky questions, 'God's work is beyond our understanding.'

You bet your life it's beyond understanding!

It's beyond understanding why unlimited powers aren't put to good use.

It's beyond understanding why God Is Love isn't God Is Utterly Indifferent.

Given unlimited powers, any one of us could do a much better job.

Faith is fine, but don't cram it down my throat.

Faith is fine, but don't confuse it with science.

Faith is fine, but it belongs at home.

Faith is fine, but don't confuse religion with spirituality.

Faith is fine, but don't confuse professed faith with goodness.



Thus endeth today's sermon.