Posted on 11/16/2001 1:14:39 PM PST by notyourregularhandle
Finally, The Truth on National TV...
Billy Graham's daughter was being interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her "How could God let something like this happen?" And Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response.
She said "I believe that God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman that He is, I believe that He has calmly backed out.
How can we expect God to Give us His blessing and His protection if we demand that He leave us alone?"
I know there's been a lot of an email going around in regard to 9/11/01, but this really makes you think. If you don't have time, at least skim through it, but the bottom line is something to think about....
In light of recent events...terrorists attack, school shootings, etc.
Let's see, I think it started when Madeline Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body was found recently) complained she didn't want any prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then, someone said you better not read the Bible in school... the Bible that says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said, OK.
Then, Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide) and we said, an expert should know what he's talking about so we said OK.
Then, someone said teachers and principals better not discipline our children when they misbehave. And the school administrators said no faculty member in this school better touch a student when they misbehave because we don't want any bad publicity, and we surely don't want to be sued (There's big difference between disciplining and touching, beating, smacking, humiliating, kicking, etc.) And we said, OK.
Then someone said, let's let our daughters have abortions if they want, and they won't even have to tell their parents. And we said, OK.
Then some wise school board member said, since boys will be boys and they're going to do it anyway, let's give our sons all the condoms they want, so they can have all the fun they desire, and we won't have to tell their parents they got them at school. And we said, OK.
Then some of our top elected officials said it doesn't matter what we do in private as long as we do our jobs. And agreeing with them, we said it doesn't matter to me what anyone, including the President, does in private as long as I have a job and the economy is good. And then someone said let's print magazines with pictures of nude women and call it wholesome, down-to-earth appreciation for the beauty of the female body. And we said, OK.
And then someone else took that appreciation a step further and published pictures of nude children and then stepped further still by making them available on the Internet. And we said OK; they're entitled to their free speech.
And then the entertainment industry said, let's make TV shows and movies that promote profanity, violence, and illicit sex. And let's record music that encourages rape, drugs, murder, suicide, and satanic themes. And we said it's just entertainment, it has no adverse effect, and nobody takes it seriously anyway, so go right ahead.
Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.
Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with "WE REAP WHAT WE SOW."
"Dear God, Why didn't you save the little girl killed in her classroom? " Sincerely, Concerned Student... AND THE REPLY "Dear Concerned Student, I am not allowed in schools". Sincerely, God.
Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.
Funny how everyone wants to go to heaven provided they do not have to believe, think, say, or do anything the Bible says.
Funny how someone can say "I believe in God" but still follow Satan who, by the way, also "believes" in God.
Funny how we are quick to judge but not to be judged.
Funny how you can send a thousand 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing.
Funny how the lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but the public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.
Funny how someone can be so fired up for Christ on Sunday, but be an invisible Christian the rest of the week.
Are you laughing?
Funny how when you go to forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it to them. Funny how I can be more worried about what other people think of me than what God thinks of me.
Are you thinking?
Pass it on if you think it has merit. If not then just discard it....no one will know that you did. But, if you discard this thought process, then don't sit back and complain about what a bad shape the world is in!
Know what?
FGS
We are in no position to know God's thoughts. On the other hand, I think we need to give Him thanks for protecting us from the bigger evil that was planned for us.
God allowed WWII to happen, but he saw to it that we won. The weather clearing at the last minute making D-Day possible, the fog lifted in the Ardennes allowing air support for our guys at the most critical time in the attack. Development of the A-Bomb just in time to save us from having to invade Japan. All of this was God's protection, IMHO.
While I believe that God uses evil people to punish nations, I firmly believe that any discussion of what God allowed to happen, needs to also look at what He kept from happening. Personally, I thank Him every day for stopping the bulk of the 9-11 attack.
A Godless man to be sure. See what can happen when a country boots God out. We as a country got exactly what we deserved in WJC; no more, no less.
FGS
Then some of our top elected officials said it doesn't matter what we do in private as long as we do our jobs. And agreeing with them, we said it doesn't matter to me what anyone, including the President, does in private as long as I have a job and the economy is good. And then someone said let's print magazines with pictures of nude women and call it wholesome, down-to-earth appreciation for the beauty of the female body. And we said, OK.
Hugh Hefner started Playboy over 40 years before we ever heard of Monica Lewinsky.
And then someone else took that appreciation a step further and published pictures of nude children and then stepped further still by making them available on the Internet. And we said OK; they're entitled to their free speech.
Other than a few NAMBLA wackos out there, there isn't exactly a groundswell of support for child pornography. I must have missed the memo where "we said OK; they're entitled to their free speech." Finally, if you say that God caused September 11 to happen as a way of punishing us for our sins, you're saying that Osama Bin Laden is an agent of God. That's pretty sick, if you ask me.
Nothwithstanding your nitpicking the small stuff, you missed the side of the barn. "Why did God LET" doesn't say God MADE... Anyway, His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and all you really need to worry about is will He do right by you. Do you trust Him to deal with you in a fashion you may not understand?
FGS
God was also supporting the Germans and Japanese from their point of view?
But they lost. How confusing.
I know that many here, and other places love to claim that it is beause we somehow are ALL bad, horrible people, who don't pray and / or love GOD . If GOD woud have saved Sodom, if 10 or less GOOD people could be found, then WHY , when there are SO many GOD fearing, and GOD loving people in the USA, would HE have abandoned us on 9 / 11 /01 ?
It would be far, far better and wiser, to stop this self hatred and condemnation of others for not being " good " enough.
Matthew 5:44-45: But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
I don't care if it's Clinton or Falwell saying that America brought this on herself, it's still garbage.
Hey DEAD! if you don't think it's worth reading, then don't read it...heard of that?
Hey NOTYOURREGULARHANDLE! Who asked you to read my response? Huh? Who asked ya?
Can you God's-gonna-abandon-us-if-we-don't-make-kids-pray-in-school types make up your mind one way or the other and let us know?
Know what?
Maybe if you read both of his sentences in the paragraph, instead of just one, you might have been able to rub enough brain cells together and answer his question. The other sentence was – “Do humans (including terrorists) have free will, or not?”
FREE WILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Correct. But he will allow it to happen. Read the book of Job.
Better to keep ones' mouth shut and be thought a fool, than to open it and remove all doubt.
Of all the foolish questions I've seen on this thread, this one is amongst the leaders. God has given every man free agency, PERIOD! Every man gets to choose who he wants to follow. Consider this: In which DIRECTION are your thoughts and actions taking you? Towards Him or away from Him? And your choice is?
FGS
Realism tempered by a God derived idealism has served me well since I grew up...I'm 44 now...so that was about say 8 years ago!!
regards
Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?
FGS
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.