Hello,
I am back in Essex now for the summer, which is nice! I like being home having everyone around its nice. Looking for jobs which isn't as nice but hey! God will provide....and he has with interviews which is a blessing, so I am thankful.
Anyhoo....back to my blog. I hope you enjoyed the last one as I enjoyed writing it. This blog is probably the only blog that I have really struggled with, in a sense that I don't know the answer. Its not something that has shaken my faith or something that I have struggled with spiritually but it is it something that confuses me.
I have asked so many people about this topic of coincidences, whether they exist therefore meaning that God has a hand in everything or whether they do not in fact exist at all. There is one friend who I have had the biggest discussion with and he basically concluded that "he didn't care" which I feel maybe the right attitude towards this topic. However, I do think it should be given some thought. Before we begin properly I have already come to the conclusion that I am not going to find the answer, as there is absolute answer.
With this is mind I want to start by apologising, however hopefully this blog will raise some interesting questions in your head and I pray through this you will seek to know God's will and purpose. For this blog in particular I have undertaken some immense research! I asked about twenty people, this is market research and my solid research I have gone through and read about six other people's blogs hoping this will shed some light but as of yet it hasn't, and the little in voice inside of me is saying that it isn't going to. Sad times.
So, there types of definition of coincidences according to Google, one quite positive and one negative.
"an apparently chance or unlikely event which creates an unexpected and significant situation"
"an event that might have been arranged although it was really accidental"
The first definition is the nice meaning that coincidences have some positive or purposeful meaning, however the second suggests that could be seen as pre arranged but they weren't it was just one big accident.
One thing that the same friend suggested that I thought was pretty good, was that due to the fall and the consequences of sin things do happen that are out of God's plan, which could therefore be seen as coincidences. Yet situations which that have an effect on us spiritually or may advance the kingdom then they are God.
This is a good opinion and no he isn't going to get a shout out, but thanks anyway. I would have stolen it as my own but I know he reads these so I wouldn't be able to get away with it. It is an interesting concept, maybe at the time we see it as a coincidence but later on we realise a purpose. We have to remember coincidence is a man made concept there is no where in the bible that suggests coincidence as everything was perfectly crafted by God.
It is becoming clear to me now that the term coincidences doesn't really affect a Christian but when asking a non-christian their responses are interesting. Quotes such as "well I think everything happens for a reason" or "yeh somethings are coincidences". It is pretty obvious they are not going to say well I believe if it advances God's kingdom.... but it is important that they note some events are unexplainable. I think as Christians its these events are opportunity for us to share our opinions i.e. evangelise!
Coincidence does run parralle with God's plan and I believe that we can determine a difference we to stick close to him and constantly seek his purpose and will.
I am going to leave you with a verse from proverbs that hopefully will make you think. I pray that you draw close to God so his will is evident.
"In his heart a man plans his course,
but the LORD determines his steps" **---Proverbs 16:9---**
Til next time!
xx
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10 comments:
If you believe that coincidence is part of God's plan, why does his plan include the Burma cyclone coincidently happening within the same area of the world and within two weeks of the Chinese earthquake, which coincidently killed thousands of people, was this part of God's plan to kill innocent people? Coincendences are going to happen it's a mathematical inevitability, not the work of a higher being created to explain all that man couldn't explain 2000 years ago.
I may also remind you Hollin Einstein was an Atheist the same as most highly intelligent people.
Einstein said " The idea of a personal god is quite alien to me and seems even naive", "I am a deeply religious nonbeliever"
I never said it was god's plan for them things to happen. Who knows but maybe they are result of global warming therefore an event created by man?
Also I am not claiming that Einstein was a religious man so therefore making that part irrelevant.
Also again the most intelligent people I know are in fact Christians. So once again "was an atheist the same as most highly intelligent people" is invalid argument and cannot be proved.
Im afraid your wrong Hollin, Highly intelligent people do consider them atheists. The evidence is a bit crude but it's there!
"Professor Richard Lynn, emeritus professor of psychology at Ulster University, said many more members of the "intellectual elite" considered themselves atheists than the national average.
A decline in religious observance over the last century was directly linked to a rise in average intelligence, he claimed."
A survey of Royal Society fellows found that only 3.3 per cent believed in God - at a time when 68.5 per cent of the general UK population described themselves as believers.
A separate poll in the 90s found only seven per cent of members of the American National Academy of Sciences believed in God.
Source
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2111174/Intelligent-people-'less-likely-to-believe-in-God'.html
The fact that as intelligence and education and scientific understanding has increased in developed countries religious belief has decreased, COINCIDENCE? I think not!!
I am not arguing over my blog, david. If you have an issue ring me and talk about it. I don't appreciate it I think it is rude and all you are doing is trying to justify yourself. Your arguments to me are invalid and I live and I know how church popularity is rising. I think if you look at the actual church stats from 2003 I believe you will be proved wrong. http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/pr0106.html
Also I would like to point out that the most intelligent people I know are Christians. I am not denying there are intellectual atheists, I am simply pointing our that there are intellectual Christians and it would be naive to suggest otherwise.
I like an arguement dave and I don't mind arguing about my beliefs but I don't believe it is helpful over my blog. These are here simply to state my attitude on topics. They are there to be thought provoking. At the bottom is my email address if you have an issue. I dont think aruging like this is helpful. This is not admitting to defeat at all I just think this isn't the believe. The only reason you argue so much about it is because you are unsure yourself of what you believe. You attempt to justify yourself by man ideologies which in the end when we die are meaningless. If I die and this is all untrue I have lost nothing, if I die and this is true I have gained everything.
Fair Enough Hollin, I will cease the arguing over your blog. But I am just doing what you are trying to do (show my way of feeling and my beliefs) just in a more antagonistic manner cause Im a bastard. I am very sure of what I believe in, evolution, natural selection and science, which are man ideaoligies but wasn't the bible written by men and Jesus was in a human state when he did all of his teachings. I just feel that science is a method of understaniding how things work and religion holds it back sometimes/ But anyway I just wanted to give another side to the argument and I didn't like the way you brought Einstein in to the argument as it was misrepresentation. I apologise for arguing, but I do loving winding you up!
I wasn't wound up. lol. There is arguing your point and then there is being rude.
Science shows you how things work not how they were made or who made them, The majority of scientist Christian or not would state that.
Indeed the bible was written by man but that is where you need to believe in divine intervention. As if you look back into the oldest transcripts there is hardly any difference. There are secular written evidence about events in the bible as well. If you notice as well I didn't bring Enstien into my argument at all. He is not mentioned in the entirety of the blog, he is simply quoted as the title. It was not misinterpreted, if I had said the big jesus lover einstein said this or this is what coincidences are according to Einstein then yes that would have been. I simply quoted which the man said himself therefore not misinterpreted. I like that you read my blogs and find them interesting and I do like to be challenged but I felt that you were being rude and ignorant. I understand your arguement and not denying that any of it is true but you need to look further into your sources and validate your answers fully.
Blog debate alert! Seems like you've struck a chord with Mr White Hollin. I liked your post. Keep up the thoughts and reflections. And keep asking tough questions.
And for Mr White to sign in without a contactable email or link is a bit cowardly! Anonymously blog debating is against blog etiquette!
This quote by Einstein is one of my favorites. I also like his, "God doesn't play dice."
As far as Christianity goes, if it works for you, then its right. Simple. Thinking one size fits all it rather arbitrary. I believe there is One True Church and I am the only member.
I cover this and other random thoughts in my blog jimdillingham.blogspot.com
I enjoyed your blog and welcome slightly different thoughts than my own.
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