harwood@cvl.UUCP (David Harwood) (11/06/85)
In response to a reply:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>From: pez@pyuxn.UUCP (Paul Zimmerman)
Newsgroups: net.religion.christian
Subject: Re: It's fun watching God answer prayers ---
Message-ID: <395@pyuxn.UUCP>
Mike Andrews gives an example of God answering prayers. I would
like to offer my own.
A very close friend of mine's parents just went through a traumatic
divorce. He prayed that both of them would continue their lives hereafter in
a peaceful way, and find happiness in their separation. (He had been praying
for them not to separate and then not to divorce for some time previous to
this.) He also prayed that additional tragedy not befall their family.
What has followed has been a bitter custody fight for the one child still
living with his parents, severe problems with his sister's pregnancy, and his
younger brother was in a severe accident owing to drinking while driving, and
must (at the order of a judge) quit school in order to enter an alcohol
rehabilitation program. (He HAD been a model student for many years.)
This is how God answers prayers.
Be well,
--
Paul Zimmerman - AT&T Bell Laboratories
pyuxn!pez
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On the contrary, all we know for sure is that you would
implicitly belittle the faith of your close friend, for the sake
of scoring your point --
This is how ~you~ have answered your friend.
Be well, yourself.
David Harwood
mrh@cybvax0.UUCP (Mike Huybensz) (11/07/85)
In article <934@cvl.UUCP> harwood@cvl.UUCP (David Harwood) writes: > In article <395@pyuxn.UUCP> pez@pyuxn.UUCP (Paul Zimmerman) writes: > > Mike Andrews gives an example of God answering prayers. I would > > like to offer my own... [Counter example removed for terseness. MRH] > > This is how God answers prayers. > > On the contrary, all we know for sure is that you would > implicitly belittle the faith of your close friend, for the sake > of scoring your point -- I see. Pointing out examples of bad choices and consequences (be they drugs, rock and roll, gods, or whatever) is belittlement? How nobly non-judgemental you Xians must be to avoid this social gaffe! Surely it must be a mortal sin as well. :-( > This is how ~you~ have answered your friend. Perhaps if this was the only way Paul answered his friends, he might be disliked. However, YOU have no way of knowing this, and your insinuation is a typical ad-hominem attack. Try scoring your points with logic, rather than rhetoric. For example, explain your God's answer to Paul's friend's prayer. Address the argument, not the arguer. -- Mike Huybensz ...decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!cybvax0!mrh
bch@mcnc.UUCP (Byron C. Howes) (11/08/85)
In article <934@cvl.UUCP> harwood@cvl.UUCP (David Harwood) writes: > On the contrary, all we know for sure is that you would >implicitly belittle the faith of your close friend, for the sake >of scoring your point-- I'd like to think that was Paul's point. (It probably isn't, but we'll let that go by right now.) Personal testimony is selective. Those who believe in the deity of infinite goodness remember the good things that happen. Those who believe in a maltheistic diety remember all the bad things that have happened. Both may be remembering accurately or neither may be remembering accurately depending on your point of view. Actually it is a bit unfair to bang on the Christian propensity for personal witness here. This *is* net.religion.christian (though it often doesn't seem that way.) Perhaps the discussion should remain in net.religion. -- Byron C. Howes ...!{decvax,akgua}!mcnc!ecsvax!bch