Hi everyone, I felt a sense to post this post. I read an article about an MP called Kemi Badenoch in the UK that was about their faith. They said that they had lost their faith in Christianity because of a case in the media about a woman called Elizabeth Fritzl which proved to be the final catalyst for them leaving the faith to adopt Christian values. In the article Kemi argued that God didn’t intervene in a case for over 20 years. On reading this I felt that we will never know how God may have been involved and God may have intervened in this case. The Christian faith does not work on giving messages to strangers to others to resolve cases of crime. This is consulting mediums and also may be known as the spirit of divination which the faith does not support (Deuteronomy 18:10-12). In this case the mother didn’t know that their child was in captive. I will say here, we failed as a community in this case to help Elizabeth earlier. We do not know if God through their spirit however tried to give Elizabeth instincts to help them to escape earlier and they didn’t respond to them earlier. This is more information about the case.
The father exhibited evil behaviour whether he was mentally ill or just evil himself and this is not the fault of God, but of sin, man or evil. People can behave in an evil manner because of temptation and they have their own will to act but this not the fault of God who only does good. Original sin came into the world with Adam with creation. God calls us to be obedient and Christ is the only perfect one and we are to imitate him and we need to have our identity in Christ and do his will (2 Thessalonians 3:7-12). People have their own will and choices and may choose to behave in an abominable manner and paths of evil (1 Corinthians 6:9). God has a perfect will for us and evil leads to corruption and a rejection of God’s light. God can and does respond, in sometimes unknowing ways to us, he always listens and sometimes his response isn’t a worldly one.
Trauma too is complicated, it can have a paralysing effect on the body leading into inaction and this is when we need to step in and help. Elizabeth to may have had other conditions early in life that affected her thinking. Being lost and afraid and still in a youth’s mind as a adult, they are vulnerable. Autumn Miles spirit of God told her when being abused she wrote in her own testimony of her life to find a way out.
We do not know what happened inside or what was happening with Elizabeth. There is a law in Leviticus not to partake in incest (Leviticus 18:6-26). This pertained to the Israelites , and we are under Christ's law as Christians. This case though is outside of Christian law the behaviour with a form of slavery. axis of evil carnal behaviour by the father and unequal domination over another. Unequal domination over another the Bible to does not support (Galatians 3:28). I must state although this was not Elizabeth’s fault and was her lived reality and God loved her this may have been a barrier for intervention from God along this timeline this possibility and this I do not know, but it is thought. Also, was Elizabeth baptised to allow more communication from God's spirit to communicate with Elizabeth during this time.
I also did not see reports myself that Elizabeth was praying during this time every day as claimed in the lead article. I imagine that her soul was overwhelmed at many points during this time (Psalm 143). I have been unwell at times in my life and then I needed people to pray for me. After some time with trauma your lived reality may become normalised to you. We also need to stop an activity sometimes for God to manifest. God though cares for the afflicted and this is his promise to them and it is written in Psalm 72 "May he defend the afflicted among the people. For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help. He will take pity on the weak and the needy." God hates violence to as Psalm 11 tells us "The Lord trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. God is about justice and takes retribution himself for evil in the end. God's spirit will not striveth with man forever (Genesis 6:3).
The below is from Autumn Mile's extract-
In that moment, the Spirit of God said: “Do you remember me?” I knew it was the Lord. When the creator speaks to the created, their soul stands to attention. I knew he was referencing my childhood. I said: “Yes, I remember you, but if you’re so real, how could you let this happen to me?” Then I said: “If you’re actually real, you’ve got to speak now. You’ve got to show me.”
I saw a Bible in the corner of the room. I flipped it open on Psalm 91:16: “With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” Nobody knew I was contemplating suicide, but God did. Psalm 91 saved my life that night. It was my moment of conversion. I literally fell on the floor and asked Jesus to come into my heart and save me.
Being a Christian doesn’t mean that things will always be easy and we can be tested as the Bible says, but Jesus gives us his Holy Spirit the Comforter to make things easier which is his promise to us in John. God's intervention today largely happens through the Holy Spirit. The spirit of God can overshadow someone with a presence, that can overpower an enemy temporarily. One clear example of this in Christianity is Mary being overpowered by the spirit of God to receive conception. I have seen the Spirit of God's presence overpowering someone to and them fell into a stupor and a person could make time to flea that place in me, it gave me time to recover from an incident which was critical. God's Holy Spirit can also make people supernaturally strong temporarily divinely to cope with tragedy and to overcome evil. "He gives power to the faint and increases the strength of the weak" (Jude 1:24).
God also doesn’t give people what overwhelms them and if this happens he will provide a way out and we have to be ready to hear it. This is truth and man will be at fault if this occurs and sin and not God. (1 Corinthians 10:13) promises that God will not allow believers to be tempted beyond their ability to endure, and will always provide a way to escape the temptation. We have to trust him and do not have to actually try and work out all his actions, but just trust as the Book of Proverbs say (Proverbs 3:5-6). Jesus said that the yoke that he gives us is light to carry, but if it is not-the Beatitudes are in line with that we will be glorified for the persecution and test if it is the will of God in the eternal life and justice will come.
Sometimes if people do not do the will of God, God may appear silent or he may leave that place until they respect his word. Sometimes his answers to may not provide the solution we are looking for but they may provide a better alternative and we need to keep going and leave our old ways behind until we learn to let go of our way of doing things.
Natural disasters are a part of the world and we know with the end times that will have affliction to, but we need to hold on as Christians for the promise of eternal life. We need to hold onto our faith and Holy Spirit to survive the afflictions. Some people think we are in the end times now.
There is something to called God’s perfect timing for a person and it is an individual thing for each person and we all have our own relationship with God, Moses was on probation for a full 40 years until he saw the light. Nelson Mandela the President of South Africa who was imprisoned for 27 years in Robbin Island he was a Christian and after came out strong still with a formidable spirit and character. Kemi rejected God and we all have our own walk in life. It is not a good idea to leave your faith over how you think God handled a case that we do not have full details of. This is about your eternal life to and the chance of it, but you may make this choice. Suffering and tests can help to shape us and give us discipline as well, whilst we have a loving just God. God can still show his hand after suffering has been endured and he can restore when things are broken down as the book of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 29:11-13).
This was an exceptional bad thing to happen. The community failed however though and we all need to learn from this. We have the attributes of God and need to use them as human beings. Check if someone is missing, is somebody appearing strange in the home, try and follow that hunch. This can be God inspired to. We need to keep the suffering of others in our prayers to. I hope that Elizabeth and her family are doing better today.
I think Christian values are better than no values and it can provide a framework for respecting others in society. There are remnants to in the very system itself like the NHS caring for others and the benefit system as well, caring for the poor when in need.
Sometimes in great cases of abuse, Christ I think may allow someone to end their mortal life and justice will be given I have been mistreated at times in life and this is not God’s doing, but the sin of the other person and I have considered that they may not wish to repair some peoples body who have very badly been beaten apart by another person mentally or physically, but let them come to him. I have not experienced this, but some Saints clearly have such as Saint Agatha who had her breast severed and who was taken by Christ eventually. Catherine of Siena was beheaded to, who is now a Saint.
God in my experience too likes crimes to be reported and people to seek medical attention for mental or medical issues if present as well before action at times. God can also rescue people out of tragedy at times to and is often done by collective effort of the people using the attributes of God at times as well. This is just one case where God intervened in human tragedy and he intervened in mine to, with much less prayers needed as well. Bernadette Morieau a sister was to healed without asking God for a cure for her condition at Lourdes in France. God can welcome you back after some time away and always as St Theresa of Avila found to after suffering from illness, she returned to the church.
This blows me away to, but it is God at his best-"(Isaiah 44) Thus says the Lord, the Kind of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: I am the first and the last; besides me there is no God. "who is like me? Let them be proclaim it, let them declare and set it forth before me. Who has announced from old the things to come? You are my witnesses! Is there any God besides me? There is no other rock; I know not one.
These articles are on this case-
https://premierchristian.news/en/news/article/kemi-badenoch-reveals-how-she-lost-her-faith-in-god
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/mar/19/josef-fritzl-austria
https://www.premierchristianity.com/testimonies/from-domestic-abuse-to-new-creation/14330.article
I wanted to post these views of Christians on their views below why evil and bad things can happen in the world, but God always prevails.
The collective thought of members of Christ are very important and helpful when considering topics on this question.
God is always righteous.
Some of the bad events
that happen in the world. It is not God who caused these things to
happen. It is man and their own disobedience and sin who have caused
many of these actions. Sometimes this action is down to a legacy of
colonialism and corruption too as you well know. Natural disasters are a
part of this world too and this world has been abused by humans. God
asked us to be care takers of the world and we have failed at this. God
made men who else did. We have one creator and he made the rain and
animals to and I never forget this.
God instructs us to follow
his law and seek salvation and the forgiveness of sins through his Son
Jesus Christ. None of us are perfect, but we have to repent of our sins
to have a relationship with Jesus Christ on our walk with him.
People
need to pray to God for their family. This protection you cannot expect
it to extend to those who do not worship him, although he is the
creator of all.
Still, traumatic things can happen and God I
think will give them grace and put them under his wing. They will never
be left alone and taken care of. They will be so pure and will likely
see God in my opinion.
Poster 2-
I believe that God
loves his creation, and that each of those who die in disasters has now
moved beyond our knowledge to whatever happens next.
I believe that God, through Jesus, understands the suffering of the bereaved, and that he will send them strength.
I believe that as a Christian I have the responsibility to act and to pray to help those who I can help.
I believe that it is not how we die that is important, but how we have lived our lives.
I believe that, in a world where 5 million people each year die of
diarrhea, we must keep things in perspective. When natural disasters
happen it is terrible and shocking, but terrible things happen all the
time and we must not become complacent.
I believe that God is a
spiritual force, who guides us and loves us on our journey through
life. There are no guarantees with Christianity - bad things have
happened to me, like they do to everyone, but my faith helps me make
sense of the world.
I believe that anger can only be destructive, and bitterness will eat away at the soul.
I believe that Love will always triumph.
I was brought up in a churchgoing household, and as a child always
accepted God's existence as a simple fact. When I got to my late teens I
had a huge crisis of faith which took me about three or four years to
work through. I found that in the end, I just had to 'feel' it rather
than 'think' about it.
I remember looking up at the sky one starry
night and thinking,"Well, there might not be a God - but I'm going to
live my life as if there is one anyway, because that's what works for
me".
And it still works for me. I still have times when I doubt and
question, but I always come out of them a little bit wiser and knowing a
little bit more, so i shall carry on with my journey as best I can.
I believe that the world works to certain rules which we all have to follow.
Faith is about trust, and you can't really make a logical, scientific
defence of faith, so I can't give you a scientific, logical answer. All I
can say is that I believe God is Love, and has all the dead and the
grieving in his hands, and I trust him.
Poster 3-
God is .....
Creator of heaven and earth.
All-Loving, Ever-present, All-powerful.
But not a magician.
We simply do not have the language, or the all-knowingness, or the
Holiness, to understand why bad things happen to good people (or why
good things happen to bad people)
He created 'the Big Bang' and the laws of physics. He is the author of the process of evolution, He is ...
He became one of us ... Immanuel.
In Jesus, He shows us how much He loves us. Were it not for Jesus, I
would know nothing about God. He loves me as if there were only me to
love. He loves you in the same way.
The hardest question that a Christian will ever have to answer, or to ask him/herself, is 'Why suffering?'
I believe that the alternative - (why not continual pleasure?) - is pretty bleak.
God knows what He's doing. He's in control. Even though it doesn't look that way.
Poster 4-
But
this is where you are missing the whole point about Christ coming to
earth. He is the fulfillment of the Jewish belief in The Messiah, BUT,
as has been argued incessantly (with notable fundamentalists
disagreeing), God has let Man have a finite time when he will, having
shown himself to be God made man, through Jesus, let man run this earth
as human's feel fit. We've not made a great job of it have we?
If you're going to blame anyone, why not blame the Devil? Or is that too much to believe in, that the Devil exists.
You see, I believe just as much in the existence of the Devil as I do
of Jesus. God says this is the time of the Gentiles. It's up to mankind
how we govern and stewardship our world.
One day, he says, he
will return and take complete dominion over all things. I only have to
look around and see that man couldn't organise the proverbial in a
brewery. As for me and mine, we'll put our trust in what God says
Poster 5-
Please
don't buy into this whole "divine retribution" thing! Bad things
happens, to "good" as well as "bad" people (I use both terms advisedly).
If you're going to blame the bad stuff on God, will you also be
grateful to him for all the good things that you have in your life?
Poster 6
When
God created man and woman, He imbued them with a perfect will, not
free, because nobody has free will, and is always constrained by their
nature.
But when Adam and Eve decided to disobey God, this
resulted in their will being corrupted by sin, and every man and woman
born of an earthly father, being descended from Adam, is born with a
sinful nature and thus a corrupted will, this is original sin in the
world which led to moral immorality in the fabric of human life. God is
sovereign over all things and is mysterious and the final authority on
life in ( 2 Chronicles Chapter 18 verse 22).
(Micah 6:8) He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Poster 7-
My
belief is that everything we ever go through in life, whatever sin,
whatever experience, Christ has been tempted the same way, so he
understands completely what we're going through. The difference is that
while he was wholly man, (yet still God) he never gave in to sin.
The answer to why God allows suffering is one that far better
theologians than I would ever hope to be, have wrestled with through the
ages. The pure and simple answer is "I dont know". I haven't got a glib
answer. I dont understand it, I just believe that Jesus was who he says
he was.
Oh btw, I always thought that while Jesus was on the
Cross, he knew that for the only time, he would be separated from God,
as he died. This fact, that even though it was for a short time, gave
him so much anguish, speaks volumes to me about what separation from God
must be like.
