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3、20 e-mailedstoriesReligion NewsGUEST COLUMNISTDont worry - God can handle afew difficult questionsTOM GILSONMay 12, 2007Jamie, a 19-year-old, recently wrote on a Web site: “I wasraised in Christian practices and for quite some time .believed all I was told. . It wasnt until three years agowhen I fou
4、nd a loophole that no one would answer, orcontradict . and instead of answers or help, I receivedcondemnation, and the joy of being ignored byEVERYONE in my churchgoing congregation who. heardof my simple question, that still lies unanswered after solong .“This unanswered question, he goes on to say
5、, is why he isnow an atheist.If anyone should be eager to embrace honest questions, it isfollowers of Jesus Christ. The God we worship is Lord ofall creation and source of all truth. In view of that, everyanswer to every question must surely make sense in light ofwho God is.Not every question can be
6、 answered, for there are mysteries. I often wonder about what Jesus home was like when he wasa boy. We understand that he was sinless through his entire life. What was it like to live with someone like that? Did otherchildren ever say, “You think youre so perfect!“? If so, how did he answer? What wa
7、s it like for Mary and Joseph to raisehim? We have the barest snippets of information in the Bible; the rest I cannot imagine.Beliefs do not stand or fall on questions like that. Jamies question, though, was about where evil comes from, which isindeed a serious question. Why would someone ignore it
8、or condemn him for it?I suppose some may regard hard questions as a personal challenge, or even a threat to their own knowledge. Jamies fellowchurch members may not have known how to answer. Thats uncomfortable. If I may suggest this, I think there are twogood ways to make it through an awkward mome
9、nt like that. The first is to respond honestly, “Thats a good question, andtheres probably a good answer, but I certainly dont know what it is.“ Theres a world of wisdom in “I dont know.“ Peoplelike Jamie can detect faking, yet they respect humility.Then we need to commit to working it through. That
10、 may be uncomfortable in a different way - it takes effort! The Biblecalls on us to be diligent in our studies (2 Tim. 2:15). The writer to the Hebrews (5:11-6:3) finds fault with his lettersrecipients for getting stuck in “elementary truths“ - feeding on “milk, not solid food“ - and not having prog
11、ressed as theyshould have. Learning is a genuine Christian responsibility. Thankfully, we do not have to go it alone. Were blessed withresources - pastors, books, and Web sites among them - to help us learn.Others may reject questions for fear that they are impious: “How dare we question God!“ It ta
12、kes just a moment leafingthrough the Psalms, though, to find questions for God, even hard ones. For example, in Psalm 85:5-6 (NIV): “Will you beangry with us forever? Will you prolong your anger through all generations? Will you not revive us again, that yourpeople may rejoice in you?“ If it was OK
13、for the Psalmist to ask questions like that, surely its OK for us, too.Others may recoil at the possibility that questions indicate doubt instead of faith. But notice how the Psalmist just quotedwas able to join his questions with belief (Psalm 85:8,9): “I will listen to what God the Lord will say;
14、he promises peaceto his people, his saints - but let them not return to folly. Surely his salvation is near those who fear him, that his glorymay dwell in our land.“This writer, very human yet guided by Gods Spirit, was not afraid of his own doubts and disappointments. God wasntafraid of them either
15、. How better it is to look our difficulties in the eye than to try to bury them!The worst response of all is, in my opinion, is, “Dont ask, just believe!“ Belief cant be commanded. Suppose I were totell you, right now, to believe theres a live penguin waddling through your living room, chasing a flo
16、ppy fish. You donthave good reasons to believe it (probably!). Can you make yourself think its true anyway? Of course not. Similarly, ifJamie doesnt know of good reasons to believe in God, or good answers to his questions about God, how could he believe?God can, if He desires, give faith as a gift w
17、ithout showing reasons or evidences for it. That undoubtedly happens formany. For those who do have genuine doubts or questions, though, these cant usually be chased away with a rebuke.They require thoughtful, respectful answers.Jamie provides a tragic example of what can happen when we avoid the ha
18、rd issues. Good questions that lead to goodanswers are good things. Good questions that lead us toward God for the answers are even better. God is glorified inClick the tabs below to view thetop videos in our differentcategories. Click the “More“ tab toview our full video selection.Local News Sports
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22、rs, and in the process of pursuing them.(Dedicated to my late mother, who, until she went to be with the Lord last August, always encouraged the goodquestions.)Gilson is the director of strategic processes for Campus Crusade for Christ. He can be contacted through his weblog athttp:/. More Local New
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