An Open Letter to God

[Professor]

Note: I recieved this in an email, so there is no link. I took out the name of the author and instead put in an * to hopefully keep it from a bipartisan spitting match.


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An Open Letter to God, from *

Sunday, August 31st, 2008

Dear God,

The other night, the Rev. James Dobson's ministry asked all believers to pray for a storm on Thursday night so that the Obama acceptance speech outdoors in Denver would have to be cancelled.

I see that You have answered Rev. Dobson's prayers -- except the storm You have sent to earth is not over Denver, but on its way to New Orleans! In fact, You have scheduled it to hit Louisiana at exactly the moment that George W. Bush is to deliver his speech at the Republican National Convention.

Now, heavenly Father, we all know You have a great sense of humor and impeccable timing. To send a hurricane on the third anniversary of the Katrina disaster AND right at the beginning of the Republican Convention was, at first blush, a stroke of divine irony. I don't blame You, I know You're angry that the Republicans tried to blame YOU for Katrina by calling it an "Act of God" -- when the truth was that the hurricane itself caused few casualties in New Orleans. Over a thousand people died because of the mistakes and neglect caused by humans, not You.

Some of us tried to help after Katrina hit, while Bush ate cake with McCain and twiddled his thumbs. I closed my office in New York and sent my entire staff down to New Orleans to help. I asked people on my website to contribute to the relief effort I organized -- and I ended up sending over two million dollars in donations, food, water, and supplies (collected from thousands of fans) to New Orleans while Bush's FEMA ice trucks were still driving around Maine three weeks later.

But this past Thursday night, the Washington Post reported that the Republicans had begun making plans to possibly postpone the convention. The AP had reported that there were no shelters set up in New Orleans for this storm, and that the levee repairs have not been adequate. In other words, as the great Ronald Reagan would say, "There you go again!"

So the last thing John McCain and the Republicans needed was to have a split-screen on TVs across America: one side with Bush and McCain partying in St. Paul, and on the other side of the screen, live footage of their Republican administration screwing up once again while New Orleans drowns.

So, yes, You have scared the Jesus, Mary and Joseph out of them, and more than a few million of your followers tip their hats to You.

But now it appears that You haven't been having just a little fun with Bush & Co. It appears that Hurricane Gustav is truly heading to New Orleans and the Gulf coast. We hear You, O Lord, loud and clear, just as we did when Rev. Falwell said You made 9/11 happen because of all those gays and abortions. We beseech You, O Merciful One, not to punish us again as Pat Robertson said You did by giving us Katrina because of America's "wholesale slaughter of unborn children." His sentiments were echoed by other Republicans in 2005.

So this is my plea to you: Don't do this to Louisiana again. The Republicans got your message. They are scrambling and doing the best they can to get planes, trains and buses to New Orleans so that everyone can get out. They haven't sent the entire Louisiana National Guard to Iraq this time -- they are already patrolling the city streets. And, in a nod to I don't know what, Bush's head of FEMA has named a man to help manage the federal government's response. His name is W* I kid you not, heavenly Father. They have sent a man with both my name AND W's to help save the Gulf Coast.

So please God, let the storm die out at sea. It's done enough damage already. If you do this one favor for me, I promise not to invoke your name again. I'll leave that to the followers of Rev. Dobson and to those gathering this week in St. Paul.

Your faithful servant and former seminarian,

*

P.S. To all of God's fellow children who are reading this, the city New Orleans has not yet recovered from Katrina. Please click here for a list of things you can do to help our brothers and sisters on the Gulf Coast. And, if you do live along the Gulf Coast, please take all necessary safety precautions immediately.

[Osborn F. Enready]

Please PM me if the person gets a reply from the intended target Professor? ;)

[BoogyMan]

Michael Moore (http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php?id=229) actually trying to invoke God in ANYTHING he writes is comical.

[Osborn F. Enready]

I would argue that praying to the wind to save you from very real, very present threats, borders on either "insane" or "well-wishing".....

No offense intended, but prayer in the face of dire threat rarely if ever yields "positive results" that could be attributed to the prayer in and of itself.

[gpruitt54]

Yes indeed, God does answer prayers. The other thing God does is to bring low, those who mock him. A so-called man of God, Rev. James Dobson sought to use Gods power for ill purposes. He has mocked God, beveling that God would perform a nasty joke on Rev. Dobson's behalf.

Rev. James Dobson, and people like him are the tools of the evil one. This is the kind of slime that supports the deeds of jackals. These people are a curse to this nation. This is evident by the desolation of everything that they have put their hands to.

From Katrina to Iraq, from Georgia to Russia, Afghanistan to Pakistan, there is nothing that these under achieving megalomaniacs touches that has not turned to shit. But, hear again, as evidence in the cascade of Republican failures, we see that God has not aligned himself with evil that they do.

These neo-cons and their sycophant lackeys have turned out to be the greatest source of instability, deception, lies, and plain-ole corruption this nation has ever seen. Let's look at a shortlist:

• Fomenting and using fear for selfish political ends.
• Violating several areas of the United States constitution for self serving political purposes.
• Misleading this great nation into a war that has costs the lives of tens of thousands of human beings.
• Misleading congress into a war that has costs Billions of dollars.
• Illegal surveillance of US citizens in violation of the US Constitution.
• The United States Government leaders condoning torture.
• The president setting dumb founded after receiving word that this nation is under attack.
• Katrina (this one speaks for itself). The shame will follow the Republicans for as long as the party remains.
• K Street and the institutionalized culture of corruption.
• Molestation of congressional pages and the protection of those who committed these sinful acts.

Remember, this is a "short list". There is much... much... more.

I know that this started out addressing a deed of Rev. Dobson. However, Rev. Dobson supports a system that, by it’s own deeds represents the curse that these people are to this nation. Yet, Rev. Dobson believes that God would play a joke on the DNC Convention for the amusement Rev. Dobson.

Well, it seems that God does have a since of humor, and the joke is on Rev. Dobson.

[Dawkinsrocks]

There is no evidence to suggest that prayer brings about any change at all.

In fact, the whole idea of prayer is very ridiculous.

Is it that god sits on his cloud letting tsunamis and hurricanes and volcanoes and earth quakes and disease and famine and war all happen unless someone starts begging him to stop it?

Is that how it works?

If so, it isn't very effective.

If we was a nice guy why create a world where most people live on the edge of starvation, war and disease? And then get burned forever for thinking the wrong way.

In fact, why, after existing for eternity, did god create a universe and some poor wretches that would suffer massively and that would need him to procreate and then murder his own son?

What happened, did god get bored after eternity and suddenly invent this hideous scheme to amuse himself?

Because if he hadn't made the world nobody would have missed anything and millions of people would have been spared a life of misery and an eternity of agony.

god is a sod

[Professor]

Michael Moore (http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/index.php?id=229) actually trying to invoke God in ANYTHING he writes is comical.

Yeah, it's Moore.

[gpruitt54]

There is no evidence to suggest that prayer brings about any change at all.

In fact, the whole idea of prayer is very ridiculous.

Is it that god sits on his cloud letting tsunamis and hurricanes and volcanoes and earth quakes and disease and famine and war all happen unless someone starts begging him to stop it?

Is that how it works?

If so, it isn't very effective.

If we was a nice guy why create a world where most people live on the edge of starvation, war and disease? And then get burned forever for thinking the wrong way.

In fact, why, after existing for eternity, did god create a universe and some poor wretches that would suffer massively and that would need him to procreate and then murder his own son?

What happened, did god get bored after eternity and suddenly invent this hideous scheme to amuse himself?

Because if he hadn't made the world nobody would have missed anything and millions of people would have been spared a life of misery and an eternity of agony.

god is a sod

In your zeal to find clever ways to be insulting, you have missed the entire point.

The point is that, this so-called man of God, Rev. James Dobson, ask God to bring a storm to the outdoor event of the DNC Convention. He, Rev. Dobson, asked God to assist him in his hatred of people who do not share his politics. But you already know that.

You asked a question that is typical of those who want to blame God for the things that man does to his fellow man. The answer to why people suffer, is Free Will. A large percentage of human suffering has its basis in the free will of other human beings, to cause, stop, or do nothing about human suffering.

No other creature who share this earth has free will, except mankind. All other creatures are driven my instinct. We are free to go good or evil. You name the vice, and you can follow its origin to this simple yet earth changing thing.

[PostmodernProphet]

The point is that, this so-called man of God, Rev. James Dobson, ask God to bring a storm to the outdoor event of the DNC Convention. But you already know that, don't you?

that's been repeated several times recently on this board...it's not true actually....Dobson didn't do it.....

[Dawkinsrocks]

The free will argument is risible.

God made free will too.

He made the world knowing how it would play. He made free will. He knew how this free will would be used and he still ploughed on.

There is no way out. If god is omniscient he knew it and nobody had a gun at god's head forcing him to make the world.

He must be a very nasty character.

I'm glad he doesn't exist.

PS which bit of free will makes tsunamis, volcanoes, earth quakes and hurricanes kill lots of people?

[PostmodernProphet]

PS which bit of free will makes tsunamis, volcanoes, earth quakes and hurricanes kill lots of people?

are you arguing that it's God's will instead of man's that they build homes on fault lines and below sea level?.....

[Wndrtch]

I would argue that praying to the wind to save you from very real, very present threats, borders on either "insane" or "well-wishing".....

No offense intended, but prayer in the face of dire threat rarely if ever yields "positive results" that could be attributed to the prayer in and of itself.

In order to escape rising flood waters, a man climbed atop his roof. When the waters reached the roofline, a man in a small fishing boat came by...

"Hey buddy, why don't you jump in my boat here, and I will take you to safety". The man on the roof replied "No thank you. I'm a praying man, and God will save me from the flood". "Suit yourself, but those waters are still rising. I wouldn't stay here if I were you". And with that, the boater left the man on the roof.

Several hours had passed, and now the water was half-way up the roof, when another small boat came across the man on the roof. "Hey mister, we have enough room in here for you, jump in!". The man replied "No thank you. I'm a praying man, and God will answer my prayers and deliver me to safety". "But the waters are still rising, and I don't know if we will can get back to this area again". "That's alright, I'll be fine. God will save me". And the second boat left the man on the roof.

Several more hours had passed and the water was now half-way up the man's chest, when a helicopter swooped in from above. The helicopter pilot told the man on the roof that he is going to lower a harness, and wanted the man on the roof to put it on, so they could lift him to safety. The man on the roof, waved off the harness, all the while screaming that he was praying and that God would save him. The helicopter could not wait any longer, and left the man on the roof.

Not long after, the man on the roof succumbed to the currents and was washed away. He had drowned.

As his soul ascended, he found himself standing before the Pearly Gates. There was God, waiting to receive him. The man approached God in dismay, and asked "Why did you not answer my prayers? I prayed, and prayed, and prayed for you to save me, and you never saved me. Why did you forsaken me?" To which God replied "I don't know what you wanted of me. I sent you two boats and a helicopter."

:innocent:

[gpruitt54]

The free will argument is risible.

God made free will too.

He made the world knowing how it would play. He made free will. He knew how this free will would be used and he still ploughed on.

There is no way out. If god is omniscient he knew it and nobody had a gun at god's head forcing him to make the world.

He must be a very nasty character.

I'm glad he doesn't exist.

PS which bit of free will makes tsunamis, volcanoes, earth quakes and hurricanes kill lots of people?

If, as you say, God does not exist, then you are spending time here talking about nothing, Right? And that’s OK too!

What makes tsunamis, volcanoes, earth quakes and hurricanes kill lots of people? Well, let's see:

• Tidal forces and Plate Tectonics cause tsunamis, volcanoes.
• Winds and the heating of the Oceans and atmosphere cause hurricanes.
• If an acorn falls out of a tree and hits your head, well, that would be a little thing called gravity and the laws of physics.
• In the Midwest, where I live we have tornadoes. These have something to do with cold and warm air masses colliding or something like that.

When we live on, in, around, and near these things, well you already know what can and sometimes happens.

On the other hand, if I toss a rock up into the air in a crowded place and that rock hits someone in the head and kills them. Who is at fault? It is Gods fault for creating gravity, the mass of the rock, and the physics that cause the rock to accelerate as it falls, or is it my fault for tossing the rock into the air in a crowed place?

Oops, my-bad, free will, I tossed the rock. I could have chosen not to toss the rock, right?

But, you already know these things. Maybe there is no answer for your question, except the one you REALLY want to hear...

[Dawkinsrocks]

You cannot resolve the problem that if god made the universe and everything it he also made free will knowing how it would be used. Therefore he is to blame.

Answer that instead of avoiding the issue

[gpruitt54]

You cannot resolve the problem that if god made the universe and everything it he also made free will knowing how it would be used. Therefore he is to blame.

Answer that instead of avoiding the issue

That is why it is called Free Will, because how it is used is totally in the hands of the person or entity using it. The angels were also given free will and some of them rebelled against God and lost. These angels are now called spirits of evil.

But you already know this. You simply need to blame God for what you don't understand. And that is OK too.

[Dawkinsrocks]

Again, you are avoiding the issue

If god made free will knowing how it would be used he is to blame.

If he didn't know how it would be used is not omniscient.

If he made something he can't control he is not omnipotent.

I am yet to meet a christian who will address these issues, largely because they can only be addressed by an admission that god cannot exist as he is portrayed.

[PostmodernProphet]

Again, you are avoiding the issue

If god made free will knowing how it would be used he is to blame.



you aren't the first person to make this logical error......it's the same approach used by those who say if a terrorist kills a busload of schoolchildren, it's America's fault for being an evil country....

making human beings capable of making choices does not compel people to make bad ones.....God gave us free will, if we make bad choices they are OUR bad choices, not his......

[Dawkinsrocks]

You are avoiding the issue again

Just answer the questions

God made free will? Yes or no

God knew how this thing called free will would be used? Yes or no

If he made it and he knew how it would be used he is responsible? yes or no

If he made it but didn't know how it would be used he is not god? Yes or no

If he made it and then couldn't control it he is not god? Yes or no.

Please try to answer these questions without obfuscation.

[Dawkinsrocks]

Oh and by the way your point about a terrorist blowing up a bus load of children beggars belief.

It always amazes me how nasty christians are.

A stealth bomber is no different to a suicide bomber except it kills thousands at a time.

[PostmodernProphet]

If he made it and he knew how it would be used he is responsible? yes or nono----simple enough now, wasn't it....

[PostmodernProphet]

Oh and by the way your point about a terrorist blowing up a bus load of children beggars belief.



why?.....because you can't think of a legitimate response to it?.....

[Dawkinsrocks]

Decode of your message...

You cannot answer the questions because you know that to do so would lay bare the truth that if god did exist he would responsible for all the bad in the world which makes him a monster.

Don't fret too much though because between you and me

He doesn't actually exist

[bishop]

ah.. all the good ol' "god-did-its" are at it again.. that almighty tooth fairy always messing around with the jet streams. doesn't he have better things to do like tending to his magic herd of unicorns?

[PostmodernProphet]

Decode of your message...

You cannot answer the questions because you know that to do so would lay bare the truth that if god did exist he would responsible for all the bad in the world which makes him a monster.


the message doesn't need decoding....there is no logical necessity to say that because God created free will and knew it could be utilized to make bad choices that he then is responsible for the bad choices.....the person exercising that will is the one making the choice, and the one responsible....for your argument to be true God would have had to create man capable only of acting badly.....

[Dawkinsrocks]

Oh dear this is really hard.

If you create something knowing that it will be used for dreadful purposes and nobody is forcing you to make it you are responsible for the outcome.

If that is too hard for you to grasp the someone else will have to explain it to you