This is how I know it, and how I believe. God gave us our own minds to make our own dececissions. And if greed leads to hell so be it, but it was a personal choice. Also god is not fair but just, and depositing wealth would be a fair action, god does what he feels is just and right.

I used to wonder these same things, but in diffrent ways. Like how I could bury a child, have difficulty getting pregnant and keeping them when people were beating and murdering their children. We don't have all the answers, and we wont untill God calls us home. I just have to have faith, and know that soon I'll get to heaven and all I know about money and pain will seem so triavial.

How much of an answer do you want? I could give you my opinion, or quote some books where I found some of my answers and other people's opinions and theories, but either way it'd be long.

>^..^<

The doctrine you are struggling with is called Predestination.

If your Bible has a concordance, look it up and do your own study. Paul had a lot to say about predestination and election.

I hope you find your answers.
paul
:)

Hey Tinoz, this probably won't help, but I thought I'd leave a comment anyways.

I personally think that God gave us our own minds to make our own decisions, but he's the one who gives us the choices. Like he's the one who decides what choices you have, but your the one who chooses which one you choose.

Does that make any sense? Later...

~Bree~

I do believe in predestination, but more in a karma sense, then a religious one. I think maybe you are taking some of it too literally, but you'll find your way. Good luck.

Hi Tinoz,

I don't think God (if there is one) has a hand in our day to day lives. There may be a higher power guiding the human race, but he/she/it doesn't give a damn about what happens in the first life of average citizen John Billy Bob whatever. I also don't believe in Heaven or Hell. I believe in the opportunity to live life again, not reincarnation as such, but a chance to make things right, either from the other side of a spirit world, or by starting the whole thing over again in another body, with no recollection, other than that inexplicable deja vu feeling, of your previous mistakes. I am probably not making much sense, one day I am going to have to set out my beliefs logically, instead of just ramblin in emails and diary comments.

I look at the bad things in the world, children who are abused, children who are homeless, and I cannot fathom that if there was a higher power up there who cared for us all equally, how this could take place in the world? But maybe in their last life these children were the abusers? It is a horrible thought... one i try not to dwell on. It doesn't really make the point I was trying to make... grrrrr...

I think organised religion is a load of crap, and that the idea of religion and spiritualism should be left to each individual person. Religion is about being good to your fellow inhabitants of earth, it is about helping people, it is about having faith in the goodness in others,while being prepared for the evilness that sometimes leaks out.

I think praying is really done to yourself. It is a way of acknowledging that things need to change, that you yourself, needs to change things. We set out our prayers to a higher power, but the higher power, will inevitably found inside your own soul. That is where "God" is. It is the goodness in yourself, and the strength to go on, to face another miserable day, because your miserable life, may just help someone else. Just by living, you may be enabling someone else to live.

Those who have deidcated their lives to "God" have dedicated themselves to whatever is deep in their own soul. If you are a good person, then you will be a shining example to others, such as Mother Teresa, Ghandi, even Princess Di. But if you aren't you get people like Fred Nile, and all those other "priests" who preach death to homosexuals, and hurt children.

So I think we are each our own "God", and it can be projected onto a higher power.

Does any of this make sense?

~hidingbehindmyself~

I don't know what to say...but since you help me i'm gonna try...God gave us our own minds...we can't help where we are born...what status we are borne with...but the thing we can do is not get depressed. and with God that is possible...with God you can drag yourself away from the status you were born in...with....ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE...God assures us that he will be with us no matter what...we are in total control of our lives...if we wanna be depressed then we will be, if we wanna be poor we will be, if we wanna be rich we can be...its all down to us....just some of us may have to struggle more than others. and thats what gets ppl down, Takes them away from God.

Happykatz