Quote:
Originally Posted by Timmy
What, don't you think God told this Pastor to make a movie, colonize space, etc.?
|
Well, I don't either. But
you guys are
Pentecostals. You believe that God speaks to people, personally, for instruction and guidance. What makes you so sure God didn't tell this Pastor to do some amazing things?
Did God tell Abraham to sacrifice his son? Did God tell Moses to speak to a rock? Has God ever told
you to do something, or helped you with a decision? Maybe something that didn't make much sense to you at the time, but you trusted and obeyed anyway, and it turned out to be something wonderful? Or maybe it didn't. Guess it depends on whether you were right, that it was God talking to you.
I think you'll agree, sometimes people get it wrong. Maybe they just imagined it, and couldn't distinguish the random daydream from God's voice. I suspect that happens a lot! Even that
audible voice we hear about so often can be unreliable. People hear voices sometimes, and they're not (always) God's voice! And the Bible even warns us about hearing from angels! Dreams, visions, interpretations of tongues -- irritating how unreliable they are, isn't it?
I've asked a few times on AFF, how can you tell if it's really from God? And I've asked Pentecostals elsewhere the same question. I've never gotten any better answer than "you just know" or "if it lines up with the Word" or "you learn to recognize His voice". Or my favorite, for predictive prophecies: "if it comes true, it was from the Lord". I don't really have to explain why that's bogus, do I? Nor the others?
Got an estimate of how many purported messages from God are genuine -- that is, are actually from God, by His specific action to deliver it (by whatever medium)? Of course, there is no way of knowing, even of the examples we are personally familiar with (such as Pastor G's). We
can't tell which is genuine and which is not!
It's not just that it is difficult. It is that we cannot tell. Not ever. The recipient of the message cannot tell, and those who hear about it cannot tell. Ever. It's not possible. So the messages could be all genuine, all fake, or any ratio between.
What's the solution? If it sounds too absurd, do we reject it? One problem: everyone has a different level of tolerance for absurdity! Another problem: who's to say that God doesn't want us to do something absurd? One more: even if it's not absurd, it may not have really been from God.
Or should we assume it's genuine until proven otherwise? Sure. If we don't mind the occasional ruined life, or a few dead children, or some dashed hopes. Or we could assume it's bogus until proven otherwise. Oh, but I know what you're thinking: "That's no good, because we'd never actually prove it's true!"
Bingo!
My solution, which you guys must reject, being good Pentecostals, is to assume
every purported message from God, whether it's a prophecy, interpretation of tongues, word of knowledge, still small voice, or whatever, is
not from God, and to reject it as such. Assume it's bogus. You find that unacceptable and distasteful, even heretical. But, if Deanna Laney had adopted this policy, she likely would not have killed her children. She may have gotten professional help, instead, or may not have felt that God gave her that command to kill her kids in the first place.
As for Pastor G, well, the documentary about his project would never have been made. I admit, there's a down side!
Timmy He is probably calling you to the Xavante Indians of Brazil....
Linear Mode
