Dear God!
- Thread starter Johnny Vinyl
- Start date
So it's all God's fault !
Nothing has changed. In the Book of Genesis (Genesis 3:12), Adam blames God (and Eve) for "the woman you gave me" when confronted by God about eating of the apple tree which was the only no-no God gave them. Shedding personal responsibility has been around as long as mankind. It's never our fault and God is as convenient to blame as anyone else since he is not physically present to defend Himself.
God is not the problem with this world. Mankind owns 100% of everything that is wrong.
Nothing has changed. In the Book of Genesis (Genesis 3:12), Adam blames God (and Eve) for "the woman you gave me" when confronted by God about eating of the apple tree which was the only no-no God gave them. Shedding personal responsibility has been around as long as mankind. It's never our fault and God is as convenient to blame as anyone else since he is not physically present to defend Himself.
God is not the problem with this world. Mankind owns 100% of everything that is wrong.
ooh, dunno if I should reply, but hey others are....
does that mean mankind also 100% owns all/any good in the world? I would like to think so, but it seems if anything is bad it is 'not god' (devil, man, nature), anything good then it 'is god'.
Seems rigged to me.
Of course, a completely different conclusion could be drawn from post 3 than the two following posts.....
does that mean mankind also 100% owns all/any good in the world? I would like to think so, but it seems if anything is bad it is 'not god' (devil, man, nature), anything good then it 'is god'.
Seems rigged to me.
Of course, a completely different conclusion could be drawn from post 3 than the two following posts.....
yeah, I wonder how many have asked themselves 'what if I had been born in Iraq..would I still be a christian?' and of course, vice versa.
Some things we just accpet and not question. Often from the folks or general society around us. Those 'everbody knows' just go straight past our filter. Anything contrary to the 'everbody knows' is fought tooth and nail. Because we don't usually question an 'everybody knows'...why?....because everybody knows THAT'S why!!
Not a comment or being derisive about peoples religion, just a comment on human nature.
Personal responsibility
The focus of the song was to "blame" God for all of our ills. My response was that we have been blaming God since the beginning, OR "blaming" anyone else so long as WE don't have to take personal responsibility.
What got me up in arms about this whole "personal responsibility" thing was the original lawsuit against McDonalds by the moron that burned herself with hot coffee.
Now we are blaming MacDonalds again: see http://www.theblaze.com/blog/#post-4897
The focus of the song was to "blame" God for all of our ills. My response was that we have been blaming God since the beginning, OR "blaming" anyone else so long as WE don't have to take personal responsibility.
What got me up in arms about this whole "personal responsibility" thing was the original lawsuit against McDonalds by the moron that burned herself with hot coffee.
Now we are blaming MacDonalds again: see http://www.theblaze.com/blog/#post-4897
If you don't use a parachute, does that mean you would do a skydie?
I couldn't agree more about the personal responsibility thing. A comment from an outsider about that (and ties in with the earlier stuff about cultural influences)...that seems to be a particularly nasty yet american thing.
*We* shake our heads seeing all that stuff go on, and the amazing punitive damages your system can impose. Trouble is, like a lot of american things, it seems to be getting exported. It is becoming less rare to see over here now than it used to be.
Back to the song (not religion as such) I think that may have been part of the intent of the song? For better or worse, the entire concept of 'putting yourself in the hands of an exterior being' leads specifically to lack of personal responsibility?? For the good stuff we can say god (or whatever term you wish) is the cause, the bad stuff the devil (or whatever term you wish).
Like it or not, WE cause what happens in our life. And some of these things can be very hard to spot, hence at times counter intuitive.
I didn't make this point in response to your initial post (quoting genesis), but again that was covered in the song when it was pointed out that the book was written by people. Hence fallible, as all human endeavours can be.
Will read the blog, these things can have a certain morbid fascination, yet another insight into the crazy world of mankind. Point fully taken about personal responsibility, wish there were more of it frankly.
I couldn't agree more about the personal responsibility thing. A comment from an outsider about that (and ties in with the earlier stuff about cultural influences)...that seems to be a particularly nasty yet american thing.
*We* shake our heads seeing all that stuff go on, and the amazing punitive damages your system can impose. Trouble is, like a lot of american things, it seems to be getting exported. It is becoming less rare to see over here now than it used to be.
Back to the song (not religion as such) I think that may have been part of the intent of the song? For better or worse, the entire concept of 'putting yourself in the hands of an exterior being' leads specifically to lack of personal responsibility?? For the good stuff we can say god (or whatever term you wish) is the cause, the bad stuff the devil (or whatever term you wish).
Like it or not, WE cause what happens in our life. And some of these things can be very hard to spot, hence at times counter intuitive.
I didn't make this point in response to your initial post (quoting genesis), but again that was covered in the song when it was pointed out that the book was written by people. Hence fallible, as all human endeavours can be.
Will read the blog, these things can have a certain morbid fascination, yet another insight into the crazy world of mankind. Point fully taken about personal responsibility, wish there were more of it frankly.
Audioguy
This coming from a believer ..but ..but ..God made us ... This can get real complicated, real fast .. I 'll leave it to God to sort this when I meet God (refuse to give God a gender and "it" sounds disrespectful ..)
Yes, cultural, and in a way, destiny plays a role too. My parents were ethnic Chinese who migrated to the P.I. and as such I have grown up to observe a lot of traditional Chinese religious rituals and actually practiced a few. I was sent to a Catholic school from prep to high school by them, so that was where I learned Bible stories and some Catholic practices. At college, I went a Jesuit run university in which Catholic Theology and Philosophy were mandatory subjects. In a sense, I feel this was my destiny, and despite my cultural upbringing, I still tend to be a Catholic in my belief.
The song, I feel, was prpbably written by an ex-Christian who have lost his faith and rejected the religion altogether. And his reasons are what the song is all about. It's part of freedom of speech, imo.
The sixties and seventies had rebellion, the eighties and nineties had nuvo angst. I call it whining while dressed to the nines. 
Hard to tell if XTC meant it or did it just because it was in vogue. That has always been my problem with this song. The song itself is quite powerful.
Hard to tell if XTC meant it or did it just because it was in vogue. That has always been my problem with this song. The song itself is quite powerful.
The sixties and seventies had rebellion, the eighties and nineties had nuvo angst. I call it whining while dressed to the nines.
Hard to tell if XTC meant it or did it just because it was in vogue. That has always been my problem with this song. The song itself is quite powerful.
I feel the same way. Good point Jack!
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