Re: Does God know what is going to happen in our life?

On 2007-04-29, Steve Cleary <steve.cleary@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

How would you answer this question arising from a discussion with a 12
year old? Ideas, biblical references, good quotes appreciated...

I've not had to do such. Maybe when the time comes I could, as people do
with belief in Santa, pretend belief in God/Heaven. At least other parents
suggest that as a simple way of giving comfort. You can probably tell the
answer of how I'd deal with such a question is not how you'd likely do it.

At the moment I'd argue that I don't know. If God exists and if (S)He
does know what's going to happen then there's no evidence that (S)He's
going to tell us so we can't do anything with this information which
makes it not worth speculating.

It works pretty well if you're coming from the Buddhist idea of dependent
origination (or my pre-mangled Advaita) and note that even if it is
possible to determine the future state of the world from the present
state there's no way we can do it. We try with things like weather but
we keep getting stuck with chaos. When the time comes for me to answer
such questions my kid(s) are likely to have some experience of those
world views.

If God exists and He/She/It does know the future, and knows that we're
going to have a nasty World War 3 or something, then the next question
is why doesn't a loving God act to stop this or arrange the situation
that it's not going to happen? Because man "chooses to be evil", (there
is Adarhma in the world)? How can that be allowed to effect those
of us who are the faithful? How can my friend on the Alpha Course
lose a young friend to cancer despite both having faith where I with no
faith got through?

All questions which a 12 year old may have to face at some point.

- Richard

--
_/_/_/ _/_/_/ _/_/_/ Richard Corfield <Richard.Corfield@xxxxxxxxx>
_/ _/ _/ _/
_/_/ _/ _/ Time is a one way street,
_/ _/ _/_/ _/_/_/ except in the Twilight Zone
.

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