Can God stop a Leaf from Hitting the Ground?...Yes.
Some say they do not believe in a God, who is able to do things like prevent a falling leaf from hitting the ground. I have heard ( http://forum.ship-of-fools.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=15;t=000645 ) that the famous Rabbi Harold Kushner is one of these types. They say there are so many people and events going on in the world that God does can do a few things but gets so absorbed in whatever he is doing that he is unable at the same time to say prevent a given leaf from hitting the ground. Persons who adhere to this view find that it helps them to reconcile themselves to God, be at peace with God, despite all the suffering that goes in in the world and also perhaps in the hereafter in places such as hell.
I do not know whether believing that God is so overwhelmed by the job of being God that he cannot stop a given leaf from hitting the ground, has any significant damaging effect on those who believe such. But I believe that the correct interpretation of the scriptures is that God is able to if he so desires prevent a leaf from hitting the ground.
It gives some peace to believe that God has set in motion in certain places and times, events over which he does not have omnipotent control, to intervene to alter these events. But then they have to face the fact that God is the one who has created certain "theaters" where he lacks omnipotence, and where as a result human suffering occurs.
Those who find peace with god by denying his omnipotence find the peace of not having to blame God for the suffering in the universe. But those who believe God is able to say prevent a leaf from falling to the ground, develop of a love of God that has to do with crediting him for the good things that happen in the universe. To deny that God is omnipotent and able to intervene to stave off human misfortunes, is also to to deny that God is responsible for the good fortune humans and other living things experience in the world. I would say that crediting God with the good that living things experience produces more love for God than simply being able to not blame God for the bad things that happen in the world.
To deny that God is able to say prevent a leaf from hitting the ground, is to imply that God does not answer prayers, that prayers will not accomplish anything. The problem with this is that prayer is good for individuals and for the world, and the idea that prayers are ineffective, is an idea that proceeds to in actuality render prayers ineffective. The idea that prayer is ineffective, implies that the teachers and priests and kings that God has sent into the world to teach persons to pray, are merely foolish.
As for the question of how an omnipotent God could allow evil to exist, Paul speaks in Romans, of how God was willing to show wrath with certain persons, and also wanted to show mercy with others. God wants to display to mankind, both his wrath for the wickedness in humankind, and also his loving mercy with humankind. Through a natural phenomenon such as an earthquake, God could express his wrath through destruction and also his mercy with those who are spared, who survive, who are rescued. It seems to me that God works to improve hearts minds and souls of those on earth and also those in heaven, by displaying both wrath and also loving mercy.
Perhaps it is reasonable to believe that there was an archangel, that God gave great powers, so great that when the archangel fell and rebelled, he was able to some extent for some time to exercise powers that compromised God's omnipotence. But even if such a powerful fallen angel existed, God could still prevent a leaf from hitting the ground, he could still answer prayers right down to little details.
I do not believe that the beauty of the human mind lies in the fact that it does not know anything but rather imagines things. I believe that it is possible to know things about God, and that such knowledge is different than and in some ways better than mere faith. I believe faith is different than mere imagination. If you ask a trustworthy person where a given street address is, and he tells you, and you believe him, that is different than merely imagining that the street address is in some location. It is also different from knowing that the address is in a given location. To get wise about matters of God first you have to believe in certain things, and then you can get to know that certain things are true. To get to the point where you know that a certain address is at a certain location, you first have to believe that it is at that location, and then when you get to the location you know that is the location of the address. Yet there are many who do not get to the point where they know something about God, because they are not willing to believe something about God.
I do not consider that faith in God is analogous to and on a par with say faith in Santa Klaus or Peter Pan. I do not believe that faith in God is helpful in the same way that faith in Santa Klaus or the tooth fairy is helpful. I do not believe that faith in God is similar to a child's imagination imagining that Santa exists. I believe faith is stronger, and greater than imagination and I believe faith in God is something more profound than faith in Santa.
I always believed that God is Almighty, but that at the same time God wants us to hustle when it comes to good works--he does not want us to be the type who could say rescue a child from a angry dog but refuses to do so because God could step in to rescue the child. I have had the attitude that God's nature is to hide himself, that there are certain things that we do not understand about God, that it is wise to focus on the aspects of God that we understand and admire, as opposed to becoming obsessed with the mystery of the misfortune that strikes beings that have all sinned so much that all the good times they have are an undeserved gift of mercy. Yet I continue to hope that I will get wiser and wiser when it comes to understanding such matters.
I have compiled a list of scriptures from the first gospel, the gospel of Matthew, that indicate to me that God indeed is able to say stop a given leaf from hitting the ground, able to answer prayers dealing with fundamental human material and spiritual needs, even if we do not understand why at the same time God allows sufferings to hit mankind. You can find this compilation at:
http://www.angelfire.com/ma/vincemoon/leaftures.htm
@2005 David Virgil Hobbs
I do not know whether believing that God is so overwhelmed by the job of being God that he cannot stop a given leaf from hitting the ground, has any significant damaging effect on those who believe such. But I believe that the correct interpretation of the scriptures is that God is able to if he so desires prevent a leaf from hitting the ground.
It gives some peace to believe that God has set in motion in certain places and times, events over which he does not have omnipotent control, to intervene to alter these events. But then they have to face the fact that God is the one who has created certain "theaters" where he lacks omnipotence, and where as a result human suffering occurs.
Those who find peace with god by denying his omnipotence find the peace of not having to blame God for the suffering in the universe. But those who believe God is able to say prevent a leaf from falling to the ground, develop of a love of God that has to do with crediting him for the good things that happen in the universe. To deny that God is omnipotent and able to intervene to stave off human misfortunes, is also to to deny that God is responsible for the good fortune humans and other living things experience in the world. I would say that crediting God with the good that living things experience produces more love for God than simply being able to not blame God for the bad things that happen in the world.
To deny that God is able to say prevent a leaf from hitting the ground, is to imply that God does not answer prayers, that prayers will not accomplish anything. The problem with this is that prayer is good for individuals and for the world, and the idea that prayers are ineffective, is an idea that proceeds to in actuality render prayers ineffective. The idea that prayer is ineffective, implies that the teachers and priests and kings that God has sent into the world to teach persons to pray, are merely foolish.
As for the question of how an omnipotent God could allow evil to exist, Paul speaks in Romans, of how God was willing to show wrath with certain persons, and also wanted to show mercy with others. God wants to display to mankind, both his wrath for the wickedness in humankind, and also his loving mercy with humankind. Through a natural phenomenon such as an earthquake, God could express his wrath through destruction and also his mercy with those who are spared, who survive, who are rescued. It seems to me that God works to improve hearts minds and souls of those on earth and also those in heaven, by displaying both wrath and also loving mercy.
Perhaps it is reasonable to believe that there was an archangel, that God gave great powers, so great that when the archangel fell and rebelled, he was able to some extent for some time to exercise powers that compromised God's omnipotence. But even if such a powerful fallen angel existed, God could still prevent a leaf from hitting the ground, he could still answer prayers right down to little details.
I do not believe that the beauty of the human mind lies in the fact that it does not know anything but rather imagines things. I believe that it is possible to know things about God, and that such knowledge is different than and in some ways better than mere faith. I believe faith is different than mere imagination. If you ask a trustworthy person where a given street address is, and he tells you, and you believe him, that is different than merely imagining that the street address is in some location. It is also different from knowing that the address is in a given location. To get wise about matters of God first you have to believe in certain things, and then you can get to know that certain things are true. To get to the point where you know that a certain address is at a certain location, you first have to believe that it is at that location, and then when you get to the location you know that is the location of the address. Yet there are many who do not get to the point where they know something about God, because they are not willing to believe something about God.
I do not consider that faith in God is analogous to and on a par with say faith in Santa Klaus or Peter Pan. I do not believe that faith in God is helpful in the same way that faith in Santa Klaus or the tooth fairy is helpful. I do not believe that faith in God is similar to a child's imagination imagining that Santa exists. I believe faith is stronger, and greater than imagination and I believe faith in God is something more profound than faith in Santa.
I always believed that God is Almighty, but that at the same time God wants us to hustle when it comes to good works--he does not want us to be the type who could say rescue a child from a angry dog but refuses to do so because God could step in to rescue the child. I have had the attitude that God's nature is to hide himself, that there are certain things that we do not understand about God, that it is wise to focus on the aspects of God that we understand and admire, as opposed to becoming obsessed with the mystery of the misfortune that strikes beings that have all sinned so much that all the good times they have are an undeserved gift of mercy. Yet I continue to hope that I will get wiser and wiser when it comes to understanding such matters.
I have compiled a list of scriptures from the first gospel, the gospel of Matthew, that indicate to me that God indeed is able to say stop a given leaf from hitting the ground, able to answer prayers dealing with fundamental human material and spiritual needs, even if we do not understand why at the same time God allows sufferings to hit mankind. You can find this compilation at:
http://www.angelfire.com/ma/vincemoon/leaftures.htm
@2005 David Virgil Hobbs
posted by David Virgil at 12:09 AM
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