Category Two
Today, I was on YouTube, and happened to notice a video entitled, "5 Bible Passages That Caused Me To Lose My Faith". I clicked on it, and the video was, exactly, as I had suspected. When I finished watching it, I knew that I wanted to respond to the person who created it. This is because she seemed to be genuine, and had raised questions that, to her, made lots of sense. They were questions that I had heard, before, and I knew the answers to all of them. So, I was on a mission to respond, due to the serious nature of the topic.
I knew that responding to the creator, directly, would be nearly impossible. This is because, often times, YouTube creators don't provide an easy way for viewers to contact them. I could leave a response in the YouTube comments section. However, answering these questions would require a lot more time than a quick comment. As a result, I've decided to write an article. This article is the result of my motivation.
If you want to watch the YouTube video that inspired this article, here's a link to it. I provide it for the sake of reference.
I'll go through all of the passages that Kristi, the video creator, addresses. However, ultimately, they all boil down to a single mentality, and nearly all of her criticisms are based on a single theme. It's one that goes something like this, "How can a good, loving, all-powerful God, allow X, Y, and Z? Because this so-called God, allows X, Y, and Z, this is evidence that God doesn't exist, or it's evidence that God is not loving or all-powerful."
This line of thinking can, easily, be addressed, by focusing on one simple concept... perspective. The perspective, that Kristi touts, is based, entirely, on that of a human's. Because of this, it resonates with other humans, extremely well. However, the problem with perspective, is that it's just that -- perspective. It doesn't, necessarily, reveal actual truth. All it does is provide a particular view, pertaining to a given set of facts.
When dealing with the issue at hand, it's problematic to only focus on the human perspective. This is because we're talking about things that invoke aspects of God; who isn't human. Unlike humans, who are limited in every way, God is unlimited.
Humans have a lifespan. Our physical bodies will only last so long before they wear out. They can only run so fast, lift so much weight, and they can only go so long without sleep, food, water or air. However, God has no limitations.
Humans, also, have psychological limitations. There are limits to how much patience a person can have. We're only able to memorize so much material. Some of our memories will only last for so long, and most consequentially, there are limits to human comprehension.
In my view, it is this last limitation -- the limitation of human comprehension -- that hinders us, most, when we try to talk about God. This is because it's something that isn't readily obvious. Often times, it doesn't occur to us, that our minds, simply, aren't capable of comprehending all things. Nevertheless, it's a fact that this is the case. If this weren't the case, then humans would have no problem with paradoxes.
Here's one simple paradox, that a child may try to use, in order to prove that God isn't all-powerful. They may ask the question, "Can God create a rock, that is so big, that even, he, can't lift it?"
It's a clever little paradox. However, it proves nothing, in terms of God's capability. What it really exposes, is a limitation of the human mind.
This paradox will cause a child's mind to run in circles. However, that doesn't mean that God can't satisfy the given requirement. It just shows that, because God's thoughts and ways are above ours, he'd satisfy this requirement in a way that we may not be able to comprehend, or in a way that may not occur to us.
So, when dealing with the important observations that Kristi raises, it's important to remember the fact that, unlike God, we have limited comprehension. There are concepts that we're simply not capable of understanding.
Unfortunately, Kristi doesn't take this critical fact into account. As a result, all of her observations are severely flawed, and lead to inaccurate conclusions.
So, with all of this in mind, lets take a look at the five Bible passages that bother Kristi, and, likely, others.
The first Bible passage, that Kristi mentions, is Romans 9:16-18, which reads as follows:
"So then, everything depends, not on what we humans want or do, but only on God's mercy. For the scripture says to the king of Egypt, 'I made you king in order to use you to show my power and to spread my fame over the whole world.' So then, God has mercy on anyone he wishes, and he makes stubborn anyone he wishes. But one of you will say to me, 'If this is so, how can God find fault with anyone? Who can resist God's will?' But who are you, my friend, to talk back to God? A clay pot does not ask the man who made it, 'Why did you make me like this?' After all, the man who makes the pots has the right to use the clay as he wishes, and to make two pots from the same lump of clay, one for special occasions and the other for ordinary use.
And the same is true of what God has done. He wanted to show his anger and to make his power known. But he was very patient in enduring those who were the objects of his anger, who were doomed to destruction. And he also wanted to reveal his abundant glory, which was poured out on us who are the objects of his mercy, those of us whom he has prepared to receive his glory. For we are the people he called, not only from among the Jews but also from among the Gentiles.'"
-Romans 9:16-24
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