Talking about fighting against sin and evil in one's own life.
> Gene: Perhaps it is because we *need* the battles, the experience of
> fighting
> and losing against sin, to teach us something important.
>
> Perhaps but it surely appears to be an uncaring god who allows his people
> to suffer when suffering is not necessary.
I was trying to point out how it is thought to be necessary in the
Christian conception of the world. Suffering in this instance would be
necessary because it would teach us, by experience, something we would not
otherwise know. It is similar to laboratory work: I can explain things
to students, and they can grasp it intellectually, but this sort of
knowledge is not the same as actually doing the experiment yourself. A
*fuller* knowledge necessitates experience, sometimes *lots* of it.
> Gene: I let my kids go out and climb trees and hurt themselves in the
> process because it teaches them something about reality (and gravity).
> And there are plenty of better parental examples of this--I would let my
> child fail an exam when my help might allow him to pass or do well because
> I'm not doing him any
> favors by doing his work for him.
> but if you could prevent your children from getting hurt ? Would you not
> do this ? If there was no reason to get hurt ?
Ah, but there is a reason--they wouldn't learn otherwise.
Peace,
Gene
-- ____________________________________________________________Gene D. Godbold, Ph.D. Lab: 804 924-5167Research Associate Desk: 804 243-2764Div. Infectious Disease/Dept. Medicine Home: 804 973-6913and Dept. Microbiology Fax: 804 924-7500MR4 Bldg, Room 2115 email: anselm@virginia.edu300 Park Place Charlottesville, VA 22908 """""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""