[Consort]

I believe in God, but i'm not buying your pat answer.

There is no such thing as a pat answer.

Certainly you're not suggesting that he initiated his own death experience because he happened to get into a malfunctioning elevator at that precise moment?

People die in many ways: they kill themselves on purpose or by accident, they kill others on purpose (murder or sanctioned execution/war), or by accident. He initiated going on the elevator with the expectation that it would function as intended. The elevator safety system was designed poorly, or maintained poorly, or inspected poorly, or was tampered with, etc. People, not God, made the elevator.

Is there no room for accidents--with no one to blame?--in your life view?

Did I blame anyone? Did I rule out accidents? Someone once said that an accident was a way of experiencing an event that you would not intentionally or consciously cause to happen. If things just happened and we had no part in bringing them about, then how can we be held responsible in this life or judged later on?

[MightyMouseToSaveThe Day]

"If things just happened and we had no part in bringing them about, then how can we be held responsible in this life or judged later on?"

I don't think we're judged by the things that happen to us accidentally. I think we're judged by our REACTIONS/RESPONSES to what happens to us. But, i'm just guessing, like you. Won't know until I face our Maker.

[MightyMouseToSaveThe Day]

"There is no such thing as a pat answer."

by the way, uh, yes. you've just provided an excellent example of a 'pat answer'.

[ChemistCat]

Hi Richard Bach. Didn't know you FReeped. :-)