Is God *Really* in Control of Everything?: Heaven and Hell, part 2

About a month ago, when I posted about why I don't consider Christianity a religion, @theliz13 tweeted to me and mentioned her problem with religion. I found what she said so interesting that I decided to write this three-part series in order to address her comments. This is the second part of the result. Here's part one.

The third tweet from @theliz13 in our conversation, and the one 
that caught my attention the most (the whole conversation 
is posted in the first part of this series).

The traditional interpretation of sovereignty

There's this funny word that Christians like to use in reference to God's power and will, and it is sovereignty.

(It's part of the vocabulary of what I refer to as "Christianese", which is made up of words from the King James translation of the Bible that most people who aren't Christians don't know the meaning of, and that Christians use all the time when talking about anything to do with Christianity. Much of the time, Christians don't really know what those words mean, either, but we know how to use them.)

What's up With This Whole "Chosen People" Thing?: Heaven and Hell, part 1

About a month ago, when I posted about why I don't consider Christianity a religion, @theliz13 tweeted to me and mentioned her problem with religion. I found what she said so interesting that I decided to write this three-part series in order to address her comments. This is (part one of) the result. The foundation of Christianity, which underlies all this, can be found here.

First of all, I want to say how much I love how this post series came about. Being able to interact with people on the topics that I'm passionate about and being able to answer their questions about those topics (if I can) is awesome. You are wonderful, you have so much to offer, and it is a privilege to be able to converse with you.

Now, to what sparked this. I posted about my definition of religion, my issues with religion, and why I don't consider Christianity a religion, and this happened:

What she had to say echoed what I've heard from so many people, both Christians and not, so closely that I knew it was time to talk about one of the most difficult issues people have with Christianity.

Here is my understanding of what she was saying (@theliz13, please correct me if I'm wrong, so that I can address what you're really saying, because me addressing anything other than that would be lame):

If Rumpelstiltskin Were 100 Times More Snarky

Or: I Totally Forgot How Random the Ending Is

(Announcements: I wanted to let you know that there won't be a post next week -August 15- because I'm taking a week off from the computer in order to go to camp. Yay for camp! Now, the show is about to begin. Please turn off all cellphones and other distracting devices, and put away your cameras, as photography is strictly prohibited. Thank you, and enjoy the show. :) )

Act 1: The Miller Meets the King

Scene i: The Miller is Also an Idiot

The Story Behind Christianity

I tried to write this as if it was only one possible way that the world works, as if I were simply reporting the claims of the Bible, out of respect for those that don't believe the same things I do. Unfortunately, writing that way impedes my words and ruins my voice. Because of this, I am writing this post like a story, in order to say what I believe without requiring you to agree with me. 

"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."

Aristotle

In the Beginning

Before anything else existed, there was God. One God and yet three persons: Father, Son, and Spirit. He was complete, lacking in nothing, and yet, because it is the nature of love to give love, he desired a family. From the moment he imagined them, seeing their lives laid out before him before they even existed, he loved them unreservedly, passionately, and with the whole of his heart. 

Then he spoke what already existed in his heart, and so created the universe.

He created humankind to be like him, placed them in Paradise, where their every need was met with abundance, where they and he were never separated, and he gave the universe to their care.