“The Judgment of God”

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The insurgent group al Quaeda has declared that its killing of Egypt’s envoy to Iraq was “the judgment of God.”

The statement had a familiar ring:  Many of my fellow Christians seem to like to make their own pronouncements about God’s will.

The difference is one of degree. 

We may well think that God wants X.  It’s entirely appropriate to adopt this as a tentative conclusion.  It’s entirely appropriate to cautiously act accordingly. 

It’s another thing entirely to worship our tentative conclusion as immutable fact. 

It doesn’t matter whether we’re Christians, Muslims, Jews, or whatever.  The instant we start thinking like this, we start down an incredibly dangerous path.

(And I always wonder:  How can such people be so invincibly certain about it?)

Comments

3 responses to ““The Judgment of God””

  1. David Huff Avatar
    David Huff

    Hey, D.C. Good to see you “back” ! 🙂

  2. Caelius Spinator Avatar
    Caelius Spinator

    “(And I always wonder: How can such people be so invincibly certain about it?)”
    God is suffused throughout the created order. But human beings live in these little niches where they sometimes directly experience the presence of God (or something like God, my psychologist friends suggest the brain can be fooled). But we are all convinced our little niche is the best niche and that God must be mediated in the way God was mediated for us. And whatever our little niche, we will say that whatever is held about God and the world in our little niche must be the revelation of God confirmed by the angel’s fiery hand (or what you will).
    And despite my scientific training, I will agree that the surest form of knowledge is divine revelation. I just don’t think the process I have described counts as divine revelation most of the time. But I can see where religious certainty comes from. For me, however, it comes and goes. Most days, religious certainty feels like a form of temptation.
    Glad to see you back.

  3. John Wilkins Avatar

    Hi DC, as always are are astute and precise.

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