Originally posted by twhitehead
I still think that what you explain as the reason for God telling the man (ie to save the woman from suicide) just doesn't make any sense.
1. It would have been so much easier to talk to her directly or simply stop her by some other means.
2. It directly contradict the Bibles teaching about not testing God.
3. It contradicts your own previous claims th ...[text shortened]... d him to do it) is wrong. In other words your explanation is simply not the parsimonious one.
1. It would have been so much easier to talk to her directly or simply stop her by some other means.WHITEY
Response--
He could have talked to her directly but often people who are in that state of mind get very confused if they think that they have God's voice in their heads. It could have been quite disturbing for her . Also , a "voice in your head" is easier to dismiss as subjectibve than an objective "co-incidence" . Finally , that's not what she asked God for , she DID ask for what she got. Maybe God could have stopped her by some other means , who knows , but in the end God is personal and responds in a relational way. If cartwheels is our thing then God uses it. My experience is that God uses a way of communicating with me that I relate to because he knows me intimately and understands the way my mind works. Cartwheels might not have cut the mustard for me , but it did for her.
2. It directly contradict the Bibles teaching about not testing God.
WHITEY
Response---
This is poor . By this logic any prayer for anything at all is testing God. Jesus asked us to pray for the things we need. Was he saying that we should test God? You need to think about the difference between a mocking "test" and a heartfelt honest prayer. Technically she was testing God , but God didn't mind because it's the spirit in which we pray and ask that counts. A true tester of God doesn't ask God in humility and faith.
3. It contradicts your own previous claims that God providing solid evidence for himself contradicts our free will.
etc WHITEY
Response----
Again poor. If it was solid evidence then you would be asking me how to become a christian . She , you or I are still free to believe what we like about this event (as you are demonstrating) . It is my free act of faith via my own will to believe that it was from God , but I can choose to disbelieve it if I want.