University shooting tragedy in USA

[jackthehat]

Dubya has been on the box this evening offering his prayers for the victims and the families of the dead and injured...
"...and we ask a loving God to comfort those who are suffering today."

How many of the families devastated will have assumed that their 'loving God' would have been on their side in the first place ?

Please direct all responses containing references to 'God is not responsible for the actions of a lone madman, etc' to a forum more suitable for the hard of thinking.........

[naomi24]

Hello Jack, I expect those families will formulate their own reasons why their god would have allowed this to happen to their loved ones - and in their own way will draw some comfort from Dubya's prayers. Can't imagine anyone drawing comfort from anything Dubya does, but I expect they will!

[jackthehat]

Strange isn't it ?
They'll have spent their entire lives loving a God who chooses to 'test' their love in this most fundamental of ways; and they'll bend their minds and their backs to accommodate the notion that this terrible act proves somehow proves his love.

"God is faithful and he will never let you be tested beyond your strength but with your testing he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it "

Try as I might, this really doesn't square with the notion of a loving God who will protect his children.
Or perhaps it's just me !

[WaldoMcFroog]

To be fair, though I obviously don't give it any credence, it is in this kind of circumstance where I can totally understand why people feel the need to believe in something more, and why God is invoked.

It's difficult to know to what extent GWB's words are simply an attempt to convey the depths of the country's feeling for those involved or whether it's a seriously held declaration of his intent to pray.

(Did I just really just fail to call Bush an immoral mutha? How lapse.)

[tompaine]

I doubt whether the victims' families will be considering the metaphysical ramifications in the immediate aftermath. A belief in an afterlife will probably give some comfort eventually to some of the families. Bush really had little choice in his response so it is unfair to criticise him in this instance

[mankymonky]

God is an abstract concept.

[jackthehat]

I'm not criticising Bush, per se. I'm just constantly astounded that countries who have a declared faith, i.e. 'one nation under God' , at terrible times like these, will eventually come to the conclusion that it has all been part of God's great plan.

Of course, I wish the victims and their families all the comfort possible, and from whichever source they can, at this dreadful time.

I just find it difficult to comprehend that the fount of their comfort will come to be accepted as the instigator of these horrible crimes and still praised as having some hidden purpose............

[reachesme]

I agree Jake but if they never had that to believe in, they would have what we have to believe in,, 'sweet- f,a' . These people are terrified of not knowing, so they believe the tripe they are told by some bloke with his collar back to front.

[jenstar]

I don't think they even DO believe that tripe. They don't seem very happy about their families going to heaven, even though their religion seems very keen to push the notion that it's much nicer than Virginia.

[tompaine]

I don't think it would be correct to say it is part of gods plan, though I understand how it's difficult to accept that a divinely created world would contain suffering. The bible promotes the idea that god gave men and women free will. This is why the ideas that some christians have about a divine 'plan' come unstuck. in this world anyway. Really if you believe in an abrahamic faith you shouldn't expect any help in this world (based on past events it is certain that suffering does not discriminate between good and bad people). You can't spot a christian by the lack of suffering in his or her life. It's belief in the afterlife that underpins abrahamic faith.

[scotchollie]

Was everyone who died from a Christian family?

[Llamatron]

If you think that doesn't make sense you'll flip out at this.
These basket cases plan on attending the funerals:

http://www.godhatesamerica.com/

[WaldoMcFroog]

The Mani Family, isn't it? ;-)

[reachesme]

I watched a programe on them the other day, they are a bunch of nutters, but very funny. Everyone is a 'fag', no matter what you do wrong, your all in the same pot, you bunch of fags. lol.

[Theland]

I've got to cut down on my fags, my doctor agrees with these folks, fags are doing me no good at all!

[WaldoMcFroog]

Theland! Welcome back, sir.

I hope you're well and in sparring mood? ;-)

[Theland]

Waldo - I am under strict instructions from my doctors to avoid stress.
So Waldo, would you kindly become a Christian today? Please?
I'll arrange a temporary pass for you if you like?

[WaldoMcFroog]

I've no particular problem going to a church from time to time (beyond it being time I could spend more productively elsewhere), but I think it might be a bit too much of a stretch to become a Christian even on a tempory basis.

I think you'll find 'stress' is a euphemism for 'visiting Religion and Spirituality and playing with the athiests', to be honest. ;-)

[Theland]

Waldo - I am already very stressed, as you will appreciate from my two questions on 1)Law, and 2)Jobs & Education.
Do please have a look and bring to bear on them, a bucketful of logic and reason, together with your own particular field of expertise.
Now if I can just get Octavius, Llamatron, J t P, Naomi, Luna, Mibn2 (fred), and the rest of the gang, not forgetting Wiz of course, then I'll be rich in expert opinions for my problems.
Did you read my comment to Wiz about the Jewish topic on the BBC web site? Christians have to tread warily on there!
Day off today, I'll fight you tomorrow!