Ann Coulter on Missionary Work

[cougjunkie]

One week until game day and this is what we are talking about? You guys are lame as shit.

[imanihonjin]

No there aren't. At least any more than there are that show no or a negative difference. In other words, statistical noise.

You missed my larger point, which is that there isn't any more basis to suggest that God will step in an help you with courage and to have the ability to endure than there is to suggest that God will help heal you.

My statement regarding studies regarding prayer and health outcomes has nothing to do with my own beliefs in this regard. I will stand by my statement as I wasn't trying to state that the science is settled but rather merely stating that there would appear to be as much evidence of God healing as there would be for God providing courage to endure.

[imanihonjin]

One week until game day and this is what we are talking about? You guys are lame as shit.

And here you are with us, wallowing in the mud.

[snowcat]

One week until game day and this is what we are talking about? You guys are lame as shit.

I prayed for BYU to win.

[snowcat]

I wonder sometimes how much of our perspective on all of this is clouded by importance we place on the here and now.

So much is being made of death and how God could allow people to die or bad diseases to occur, etc. But if you really believe that the purpose of this life is to simply gain a body and prove ourselves, then death isn't necessarily a bad thing. So if that is God's perspective, why would he heal everyone from dying? They all have to die for the plan to work? Hell, he went to a lot of work to put a tree in the garden for Adam and Eve to eat so that death could come into the equation - why would he do something to limit that?

If you want to equate that to concern over belief in a God who could allow pain in the world, consider the eternal nature of who we are and the snapshot in time that life on earth is. Using that perspective, what is a little bit of pain for a moment if the long-term reward overshadows it so much? Just for comparison - we have no problem sticking needles in our children to immunize them. From the child's perspective, what kind of parent would allow that to happen to them? Don't they love the child? Why are they not only allowing the nurse to stick them, but actually brought them to the Dr.'s office for that exact purpose?

I know we have a full continuum of believers here on the scale of all in and all out. So this may make sense to some more than others.

I just think that if you are using bad things happening as evidence that God either doesn't care or doesn't exist, I don't think that argument works. It's all about perspective. If having those bad things happen is all part of the plan and is a very brief moment in the grand scheme of things that will ultimately be looked back on as part of the growth experience...then it isn't quite as difficult to understand why God would let those things happen.

So in my view, they really don't mean anything as it relates to a belief in God.

This explains my view on this.

[Lost Student]

In fact, I'd say the majority of blessings are given to patients who aren't really very sick, a fact that has considerably jaded me on health testimonies.

You have to be careful with overuse. It could result in prayer-resistant strains of bacteria.

[wuapinmon]

I wonder sometimes how much of our perspective on all of this is clouded by importance we place on the here and now.

So much is being made of death and how God could allow people to die or bad diseases to occur, etc. But if you really believe that the purpose of this life is to simply gain a body and prove ourselves, then death isn't necessarily a bad thing. So if that is God's perspective, why would he heal everyone from dying? They all have to die for the plan to work? Hell, he went to a lot of work to put a tree in the garden for Adam and Eve to eat so that death could come into the equation - why would he do something to limit that?

If you want to equate that to concern over belief in a God who could allow pain in the world, consider the eternal nature of who we are and the snapshot in time that life on earth is. Using that perspective, what is a little bit of pain for a moment if the long-term reward overshadows it so much? Just for comparison - we have no problem sticking needles in our children to immunize them. From the child's perspective, what kind of parent would allow that to happen to them? Don't they love the child? Why are they not only allowing the nurse to stick them, but actually brought them to the Dr.'s office for that exact purpose?

I know we have a full continuum of believers here on the scale of all in and all out. So this may make sense to some more than others.

I just think that if you are using bad things happening as evidence that God either doesn't care or doesn't exist, I don't think that argument works. It's all about perspective. If having those bad things happen is all part of the plan and is a very brief moment in the grand scheme of things that will ultimately be looked back on as part of the growth experience...then it isn't quite as difficult to understand why God would let those things happen.

So in my view, they really don't mean anything as it relates to a belief in God.

Well, I guess I don't understand why God doesn't intercede or honor the wishes of those with power and authority to act in his name. It makes him seem like a respecter of persons, something James tells us God is not. Why did Jessica Lunsford get raped and buried alive right next to where she lived while people were praying for her to be found? How does that help anyone? If it does, why be so coy about why?

Why did my father get more than one blessing that he'd recover fully and go back to his calling as ward clerk when he had a terminal disease? Why give us the power if he gets to say (through the mouths of church leaders), well, it has to be in accordance with his will? It doesn't seem like we indeed have the power to act in his name if we don't. So, blessings only work if God wants them to...so God wanted my dad to die a slow agonizing death?

You ask why would God do something to limit death. Why does he command us to pray that he intercede on our behalf (or the behalf of whomever we're praying for) if he's not going to do anything to limit death in that moment? If you were to fill out perfectly all of the paperwork for the DMV, have proof of insurance, a safety certificate for your car, and property taxes paid, if you then went to the DMV, a picture of good manners and polite asking--apologizing for even daring to ask for a drivers license--and they then said "No," while refusing to offer any explanation beyond "it's my will" or "because we said so" or because "women don't need drivers licenses," depending on your mood and life experiences, you might feel hurt, mad, or just take it and ride a bike.

[Omaha 680]

You sound an awful like an exmormon these days.....

Super mean post.

I agree, super mean. Not all ex mormons are awful.