Does God work only in "Mysterious Ways"?
My friend Adam and I were discussing the woman mentioned in my last post and of some of our other friends and their beliefs about God. We realized that (maybe not consciously) the woman believes that God ONLY works in mysterious ways. I think that a lot of other people I know believe that as well.
Let me explain what I mean: Someone who believes that God can only work in mysterious ways does not believe that everyday happenings are of God. Furthermore I've met people who believe that if something wonderful is done that is not attributed to God is therefore not of God.
My baby is a perfect example. The woman at church believes the doctors, medical staff and technology produced images of him inside the womb. Those things are normal, we know how they work and they are fallible, therefore: not of God. Taking it a step further, it seems some of these people believe that God would actually change the sex of the child in order to prove the doctor and the technology wrong.
A lot of this is closely related to the evolution vs. creation debate. In Wedge Issues 2 I discussed how discounting science puts God in a box. I believe that because God created the science and the knowledge in the first place. The same truth applies here. God is the creator and overseer of all things, to discount the world around us is to discount His creation! Throughout the entire Bible you can see how God creates processes and follows his own rules. Why is it that when humans discover some of God's processes (with God-given knowledge), that many Christians have to immediately discount it? Dare I say that it sounds like weak faith, that God's own works make us doubt to the point we need to prove they aren't of God?
God isn't flashy. Sure He's performed some miracles, but every single one of them had a purpose beyond the miracle itself. Too often we are like the Pharisees of Jesus' time, asking for a sign so that our faith may be stronger. We have the signs, they are in our everyday existence, they are in all of the knowledge we've gained, in all the technology we've created with the tools and minds God has provided for us. Instead of angrily dismissing human advance because it doesn't rely on God, celebrate every new discovery in amazement of what God has done.
edited: fixed a typo
Let me explain what I mean: Someone who believes that God can only work in mysterious ways does not believe that everyday happenings are of God. Furthermore I've met people who believe that if something wonderful is done that is not attributed to God is therefore not of God.
My baby is a perfect example. The woman at church believes the doctors, medical staff and technology produced images of him inside the womb. Those things are normal, we know how they work and they are fallible, therefore: not of God. Taking it a step further, it seems some of these people believe that God would actually change the sex of the child in order to prove the doctor and the technology wrong.
A lot of this is closely related to the evolution vs. creation debate. In Wedge Issues 2 I discussed how discounting science puts God in a box. I believe that because God created the science and the knowledge in the first place. The same truth applies here. God is the creator and overseer of all things, to discount the world around us is to discount His creation! Throughout the entire Bible you can see how God creates processes and follows his own rules. Why is it that when humans discover some of God's processes (with God-given knowledge), that many Christians have to immediately discount it? Dare I say that it sounds like weak faith, that God's own works make us doubt to the point we need to prove they aren't of God?
God isn't flashy. Sure He's performed some miracles, but every single one of them had a purpose beyond the miracle itself. Too often we are like the Pharisees of Jesus' time, asking for a sign so that our faith may be stronger. We have the signs, they are in our everyday existence, they are in all of the knowledge we've gained, in all the technology we've created with the tools and minds God has provided for us. Instead of angrily dismissing human advance because it doesn't rely on God, celebrate every new discovery in amazement of what God has done.
edited: fixed a typo
Comments
I think she has taken the issue of faith out of context.
And just to clarify what I said in my last comment...
I do think that doctors are a very vital part of our lives and I'm thankful that God gave them wisdom and ability. However, I think that Americans have turned pregnancy into a disease and labor/delivery into a medical emergancy and 9 times out of 10 it's not. God equipped a womans body to carry and deliver a baby and modern medicine has made most people believe that pregnancy and childbirth are only safe if there is a doctor supervising the whole thing. That really, really angers me.
http://www.pregnantinamerica.com/