Fortune Cookie

I honestly thought about skipping this one. It isn't well-defined or very straight-forward. It's roundabout and figurative. Figurative things that aren't explained can pretty much mean whatever you want them to. I did, however, want to comment on the second section because I find some very Scriptural things in it.

There's not a statement in 41b that I disagree with; there are some that I'm not sure about, but none that I read and think, "Well, that's just wrong." In fact, it's somewhat ironic to me that an ex-Christian posted that section. What in that can't be applied to the reasons why someone would leave Christianity? The path into light seems dark; true steadfastness seems changeable (the supposed differences between God in the OT and in the NT); the greatest love seems indifferent (the problem with election and free will).

The key word in that entire section is "seems." God's power can seem weak because He allows sin to happen. All these things SEEM - but they're not. They aren't founded in reality.

I also want to address section 72a because I agree with that one, too. I don't generally like the term "religion" because it sounds like what the Pharisees had, but that's not what it is. Pure religion, God-centered religion, is exactly where people should turn if they have no awe. It will cure them. Over and over again, when people see God, they are filled with awe. And rightly so - He is the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent Three in One. That's awing. Seeing Him work? Again, it's something to marvel at.

It also says that when people don't trust themselves, they turn to authority. With this too, I agree, and I think it's exactly what they should do. There's often a very good reason that people don't trust themselves. I do not trust myself to be able to defend myself against a man. I would run and scream and try to get help from anywhere and everywhere before I trusted myself to be able to fight someone off. It would be really stupid of me to think, "That guy is coming at me and he's going to hurt me; I'm not very strong, but I'm going to try to take him, rather than running to that cop across the road." That would be idiotic. I would look for a person of authority - or a person who can call the authorities.

I comment on that section because - it could just be me - but the way I read it, it sounded to me like it was something that ought not to be. Like, "This is what people do - because they're ignorant" or "because they don't know better" or "because they aren't at peace enough within themselves." Or something. I don't know how it was meant because it doesn't pass any judgment (in those sections) on what people ought or ought not to do. But I thought it was worth posting about.