I appreciate the thoughtful response, Mike. I largely agree with you. And yes, this topic pushes my buttons, largely because of the experiences of people close to me.
mike wrote:I have been in many discussions over the years with friends and with my wife about whether we can say that God causes things like this. I don't like saying so. But I am comfortable with saying that God allows tragedies, and I have come to the conclusion that there isn't much difference philosophically.
This is one point on which we disagree. I think the philosophical difference is significant. It's similar to the difference between Calvinist and Anabaptist views on predestination.
mike wrote:My guess is that your strong objection has to do with a failure to take into account human choices and their logical consequences, thus failing to take adequate responsibility for the tragedy and making changes that would decrease the chance of it happening again. Being careless about safety and then if something happens, just call it an act of God. Do I read you correctly?
Yes, that's part of it. An even bigger factor for me is the unbiblical view of God and His sovereignty that this perspective on tragedy promotes. God, as you said, is not the source of evil. But what else are those who experience tragedy supposed to think when told, as they sometimes are, that it was God's will for them to go through these things? Scriptures such as 2 Cor. 12 and the Book of Job teach something very different, whatever the superficial similarities might be.