by steve chastain on March 17, 2013
I am reading more and more people on my FB feed that continue to use this logic: If something bad is happening to you or you are going through hard times, it’s ok because God is in control, or he is just testing you, or hard times make us love God more… or some other sort of nonsense.
Listen, believe what you want, but can’t you just take a tough time in your life for what it is: A tough time? Trust me, I’m all for looking for the deeper meaning of things, but that deeper meaning is nothing but my own mental gymnastics. I’m pretty certain that unless I’m living in complete la-la-land most of my hard times, problems or struggles can be traced back to some earthly cause or consequence – most of which would be of my own doing.
Even if you believe in God, the above logic just astounds me. God allows bad things to happen to you as a test? To make you stronger? To show he’s in control? Why would people subject themselves to this?
I guess it makes things easier to think that something outside of us can give us the answers to situations we can’t comprehend. I get it. But it’s silly. To me it’s not comforting at all to imagine a God who lets bad things happen to me to boost his own ego.
by steve chastain on January 3, 2013
I posted this originally on Facebook, but wanted to share it here. This article from the New York Times talks about one small town’s struggle with the legal but frightening increase in the use of semi-automatic rifles (SARs). The troubling and reoccurring theme I am seeing on Facebook and other sites is the use of freedom as a defense to continue to allow people to own SARs. These guns weren’t allowed until a few years ago, but now people see any restriction on them as an attempt to take away gun ownership from all Americans and an attack on the 2nd Amendment. I think that’s a crock. Anyway, here’s what I wrote.
“He said he was distraught at the school massacre but said guns should not be made the ‘scapegoat.’ Guns are why we’re free in this country, and people lose sight of that when tragedies like this happen,” he said. “A gun didn’t kill all those children, a disturbed man killed all those children.” ~(Excerpt from this article which I encourage you to read)
No… a disturbed man with a semi-automatic rifle and bullet-proof vest killed all those children.
Listen this isn’t really a debate. I know friends who have these guns (semi-auto rifles) – and they don’t need them – they want them. Big difference!! Our country is full of examples of the limitations of our freedoms being established to protect us from ourselves. Guns don’t make us “free” – especially these types of guns… that’s a ridiculous backwoods ignorant argument.
“But the bad guys have them and we need to defend ourselves”, they argue. This kid was not a bad guy, he was a very troubled person who had easy access to these weapons. This isn’t a situation where it’s a drug war, or gangs or the mafia. This was one person who, because of his easy access to these types of weapons, was able to inflict incredible amounts of carnage in a very short period of time.
by steve chastain on January 1, 2013
Happy New Year from our family to yours. I’ve often shared how I love the beginning of a new year. It gives me a fresh perspective and for whatever reason it feels like a new start. I know it’s just another day, but I really feel like it is more than that.
So here’s to a healthy and happy 2013!
