Difficult Times And God

[fiveleaves]

Do difficult times draw you closer to God or repel you from Him?
People respond to tragedy in different ways, some turn to God and find some solace in Him, others are so angry or hurt they turn away from God.
I was thinking the other day perhaps this is it. Perhaps pubs and restaurants will never re-open. What if we are never allowed to travel abroad again?
I wouldn't mourn the demise of Weatherspoons but never being able to travel again would be very hard to take. Would it affect my faith? I would hope not

[pixie374]

Neither for me. God never crosses my mind, except on AB religious threads... and that is usually only to be grateful it doesn't affect me.

[naomi24]

And ... he’s advertising a money making scheme, khandro. Want to buy? He’ll show you how.

[TrevorThePug]

If it meant every Wetherspoons pub was turned into a church/temple/synagogue and Tim Martin could disappear up his own beer python....

I'd pray for it.

[Khandro]

Atheist, Nobody's ideas are truly original (including yours I'm afraid) :0)

[fender62]

whats wrong with spoons, ill admit some of there places are a bit rough and ready, others are very very nice, drink and food is resonable
i like the chicken wings myself..

[Atheist]

Khandro, I don't think I have any original ideas; but I do feel sceptical about other people's ideas unless they have justifications or arguments in their favour. Never trust anyone, especially the ones with the strongest beliefs.

[burlyshirley]

I would mourn the demise of Wetherspoons to be honest !

[10ClarionSt]

Witherspoons in Heywood is wonderful. So wonderful that your feet stick to the carpet. Only been once. Never again!

[burlyshirley]

Been loads of times to my local one. Always again !

[fender62]

we could have thread on spoons best item on food menu...

[fiveleaves]

I don't think there are many people to whom God is a total irrelevance.
Surveys show that some atheists will pray in times of trouble.
People say they have no interest in God yet read posts in a message board called Religion and Spirituality. Go figure.
I read a comment the other day. "If it's not ok, then its not the end."
This is certainly true for the Christian in the long run, although Jesus never promised that things will turn out to be ok in this life.
Without vision the people perish. I see no sense of vision in the main political parties just short term solutions. The SNP have their independence vision, Sinn Fein want a united Ireland and the Greens have their green thing, but the main parties?
Things may be bad for a long time. Perhaps there will be no going back to Feb 2020 normality.
God however has a plan and purpose for your life and a future happinness beyond anything you could imagine.

[pixie374]

//some atheists will pray in times of trouble//

Erm... they aren't atheists.

[nailit]

I remember been a Pentecostal believer ^^ as well!

[vulcan42]

\\ God however has a plan and purpose for your life and a future happinness beyond anything you could imagine//
The first person that said that has been dead for a few thousand years.

\\ Surveys show that some atheists will pray in times of trouble.//
What surveys would they be?

[nailit]

//God however has a plan and purpose for your life and a future happinness beyond anything you could imagine//
You seriously need to read your Bible fiveleaves.
It says no such thing.
Quiet the opposite.

The Biblical illiteracy of so called Bible believers never ceases to boil my p! ss.

[Neveracrossword]

Fiveleaves, if 'God's plan' brings you comfort, that's good. Your assumptions on atheists are... skewed (that's based on decades of life. Go figure.)

[fiveleaves]

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope"
(Jeremiah ch12 v 11)

[Neveracrossword]

Fiveleaves, regurgitating passages from the Bible is hardly 'discussion', let alone 'reasoned discussion'.

[fiveleaves]

Of course, God has a plan and purpose for your life. In you are a Christian it means that you are God's child. What father doesn't have hopes for his children.
I am certainly not saying that everything will be easy, far from it, but God's promise is that He will be in it with you.
Many people have had bad or none existent relationships with their earthly father. This, unfortunately, makes accepting God as a loving Father very difficult for them.
My relationship with my own father was very awkward and never got fully reconciled. It's taken me many years to get to this point.

[nailit]

fiveleaves,
typical evangelical, pentecostal, born again-believer!
Just like a typical JW believer.
Or a typical Mormon believer.
Or a typical Moonie.
Or a typical Seventh Day Adventist believer....

They all think that they are right and all the others are wrong.
Just like Theland thinks that only HIS version of Christianity is right...