How do you know when God would exersize his providence of life and death, and when it is not God?
Biblical doctrine. God revealed to us how he acts and under what circumstances.
I submit that the Tsunami, Andrea Yates or the 9-11 asswipes could fit into the Bible seamlessly. Can you tell me what the difference is, besides the claim? I still have yet to have a good explanation.
Doctrine covers all three of these cases. The time for the need to demonstrate authority from God is over, therefore we should not find anyone who is granted authority to act for God. Weather events and other so called "acts of God" are also well explained in the Bible as the natural concequence of the degredation and disordering of this world.
Surely, its not so easy just to say "Anything Good = God" since from an independent observer, I see no "Good" that came from the Flood, Moses or Samson, except through the claim of the story.
How can you judge whether God is acting or not, if by all accounts, killing helpless women and children seems, by all measures, Bad?
I see no way that you can reconcile this.
Indeed prior commitements have a way of preventing understanding. It seems futile for me to attempt to explain it to you. If anyone else has a desire to discuss this, please chime in.
Especially since all you have is the Bible. What about events that happen outside the Bible? Are they open to interpretation?
Any true and correct worldview must comport with all our observations.
9-11 was because God wanted to kill gays, lesbians and liberals? Or was it an evil event?
How do you help us figure out which?
How do you "Account for it"?
People have free will and are able to choose to do evil. Those who do not enjoy a degree of direct protection from God are subject to the concequences the effects of this world or the actions of of those who wish to do evil.
So, wait a minute. Did you answer the question? You said Biblical doctrine, but I'm unclear.
Which recent acts were caused by God, or were done by an agent of God? Or, as you say,
"The time for the need to demonstrate authority from God is over, therefore we should not find anyone who is granted authority to act for God."
So, are we to understand that God doesn't work through anyone today?
As you can imagine, I am truly holding my tongue since you know this all sounds utterly ridiculous to me.
It seems that you are saying that you can judge what you subjectively wish and attribute it to God. You say it's in the Bible, but last I checked you have 30,000+ official interpretations - some are literal, some are liberal. And not everyone agrees that God no longer displays his authority through people (not to mention the many other views of God that you reject).
In the end, it all sounds like a lot of woo woo. Plenty of Sound and Fury, signifying nothing.
So, help me understand. What can you point to that was definitely an act of God during our life time. It seems the Bible tells you God DOES kill children, and each prophet has brought his new twist on understanding God, so it seems that a legitimate new prophet would likewise shake things up (as Jesus did, or Mohammad, or Smith).
If fact, if the Bible teaches us anything, it is that God can suprise us. Perhaps God was meaning to send Jesus for a final Hoedown but now has decided to send another prophet. (God has been known to make Provisional Prophesies, correct?)
I know you presume to know God's Will, so maybe you can tell me what God will do next, according to the Bible?
