We have received a fair amount of letters and calls from people who do not know us since the article about our family was printed in The Post Star. The vast majority of them have been filled with kind words of support. A few...a very few...have asked me how dare I question God, especially during such times.
I really would like to be snippy in response. In particular, when is the appropriate time to question God? I wasn't aware there was a schedule or list of appropriate times/events. Hmmm...I guess I was being snippy there. I don't want to be. Instead I want to tell you about my friend Heather.
Heather and I have known each other since junior high. We went to the Soviet Union together (back when it was the Soviet Union) and survived (note that there was no drinking age when we were there and I vividly recall one less-than-stellar evening in a hotel bar). Then we graduated high school and didn't stay in touch until Facebook brought us back in touch. Heather read one of my questioning blog posts and wrote to me saying, telling me that it was okay that I was questioning things, but that our loss of Cora and my diagnosis and prognosis actually strengthened her faith.
I know being snippy will not get me anywhere with people who cannot understand the movement of my faith, but when such statements start to get under my skin I think of Heather's words and they pull me away from being snippy, and refocus my energies on more useful thoughts.
9 comments:
YOur brother the philosopher has to weigh in on this one. If we cannot question God than our belief is just vacuously true, it has no substantive foundation. I argue that we are obligated to question God, otherwise how would we come to know anything about our own relationship with God... I say question on!
I second Andy! Life is an ever teaching journy and we learn new lessons by asking questions.
wow Suzanne, your friend Heather sounds like a really smart girl, not to mention a lot of fun. Just kidding!! I've thought about those days (and evenings) in the Soviet Union many many times, especially since your diagnosis. what a wonderful once in a lifetime experience and to have experienced it with such an amazingly awesome friend made it even better!! I am so incredibly thankful that we have reconnected over the last few years. yay for FB (and summer visits). Your life, your circumstances, your journey, your reaction to all of this has changed me in ways I can't even begin to share on here (but will when I see you this summer) and it all still continues to strengthen my faith daily in ways that I never really conceived as possible!! can't wait to get together this summer and hopefully Dee doesn't read this particular entry on your blog... I don't think I ever told her ALL the details of our trip. Lol.
If God did not want us to question Him, He wouldn't have given us free will, or the Kardashians...
Those people criticizing you for questioning God have big issues of their own that have nothing to do with you. It is shameful that they feel the need to slap you in order to make themselves feel better about their lives and faith.
I'm not religious, but I'm pretty sure that "do not judge lest ye be judged" is part of the doctrine. Of course, I'm being all judge-y of them in this comment, but then I'm not the one telling people what to believe.
Hugs to you.
hmm, lets see, I am pretty sure that God has been questioned all along, I do believe that if you read the bible Jesus even questioned him. It's fine for you to question him, I have a few questions for him as well.
What's wrong with being snippy? Even Jesus lost his temper from time to time.
Andy and Vicarious are dead-on - I echo them both!
Everyone who commented, actually...you have some smart people in your life. :)
Seems to me it also applies that until they've walked a mile in your shoes, they have absolutely NO right to make judgments.
Heather has it right - you reach out with love and kindness, not judgments and forced beliefs.
Not question...just accept...wow, how stupid is that..I question more the humans that spout God more than God. I remember telling Fr. Nugent that I felt hypocritcal being on altar because I have many doubts and concerns about what we are taught in the catholic church. He said,,,,and I quote "I am more concerned about the people that come to church beating their chest " So question away and p.s....don't beat your chest too much!
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