Quote Originally Posted by Thorne View Post
Voodoo_Child
A beautiful and thoughtful statement of your beliefs. I applaud you for your sincerity, and my sympathies for your aunt.
Yet within your post lies the central reasons for my lack of faith. I cannot permit myself to believe in a God who would take the life of a young mother and wife while allowing evil people to live, and to live in relative luxury. I cannot tolerate a God who would force millions of people who love and fear him to labor in poverty and filth while hypocritical thieves rob them of what little they can salvage and live lives of privilege and wealth. What God deserving of that love could allow innocent children to be raped, abuse, murdered, while those who perform that abuse go unpunished. And how can any God force all of humanity to pay for the sin of just two people. This is not a God who is worthy of my love. If he truly does exist he is worthy only of contempt.
Thank you for the kind words. There seems to be no end to the evil that people are capable of, but it is my belief that the wicked will not go unpunished. I think torment in hell for eternity is worse than any prison sentence we could impose, though I'm not opposed to hurrying wrongdoers on their merry way. *eg* If I chose not to believe in God, then I would also have to believe that there would be no justice in the end. It's a miserable thought. Anyway, your view point reminds me of an old song, which still doesn't explain why bad things happen to good people....

"Farther Along"

Tempted and tried we're oft made to wonder
Why it should be thus all the day long
While there are others living about us
Never molested though in the wrong

[Chorus]
Farther along we'll know all about it
Farther along we'll understand why
Cheer up my brother live in the sunshine
We'll understand it all by and by

When death has come and taken our loved ones
It leaves our home so lonely and drear
And then do we wonder why others prosper
Living so wicked year after year

[Repeat Chorus]

When we see Jesus coming in glory
When he comes down from his home in the sky
Then we shall meet him in that bright mansion
We'll understand it all by and by

[Repeat Chorus]
Yeah we'll understand it all by and by