Monday, September 6, 2010

Thoughts on Acid Victim's Faith in God

You've probably read the story by now about the 28 year old girl who had acid thrown in her face as a seemingly random act of wickedness. She's being released from the hospital after having her face burned all over. In the story from CNN, they do quote her briefly talking about God, and I wanted to share what she said:
"God is watching over me," Storro, of Vancouver, Washington, told CNN affiliate KATU in Portland, Oregon, last week. "I believe in him. That his hands are on me and I can't live the rest of my life like that -- in fear. I can't let what she did to me wreck my life."
Now, on the one hand there is nothing terribly deep or profound here. On the other hand, it is glorifying to God, I believe, when somebody goes through something like this and blesses God rather than cursing him. But just like Job, who had his own hecklers, so too with young Bethany Storro. I normally don't read comments at the bottom of news stories, but I was curious what sorts of people statements like these would draw out.

Here is a very representative sort of comment from what I saw from a sweet fellow named MrMajestik:
God was watching over you? I have never understood this line of thinking...Why didn't he just prevent you from being at wrong place at wrong time? Or better yet protect you as the bible says he will...if you are faithful!
Now, MrMajestik seems to be of the perspective that God would not "want" something like this to happen to Ms. Storro. And yet the event did occur. And so, MrMajestik believes it to be self-evident that this God must be a "fairy tale" (he says so in a later comment). Ms. Storro, however, said that God is watching over her and that he "has his hands on her." Presumably, based on her statements, Majestik is not justified in assuming what he does about God as Storro conceives of Him. What is so horrible and incoherent about Storro believing that this event was part of God's plan for her life, and that perhaps God might have decreed such an event for His own glory and for Storro's joy?

Also, does anybody else detect a bit of a "name-it-and-claim-it" sort of a theology in Majestik's assumption that faithfulness will yield protection from God?

I am sometimes dumbfounded at the arrogance of the people who think they have such an intelligent angle on issues such as God and His existence, and yet they are unwilling to consider a more thoughtful position might possibly exist on the other sides of these debates. If only everyone were just simple-minded strawmen, wouldn't life be so much easier, and issues that much simpler to work through!

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