Comments on: Illness As Punishment

By: Donna B.

Donna B. — Tue, 27 May 2008 04:06:59 +0000

I wouldn’t mind a negative response all that much if there was substance to it. But a vacant response is not even amusing.

By: Dianne

Dianne — Mon, 26 May 2008 19:02:13 +0000

I think Randy needs to get a life. If you’re not going to be a positive responder to the topics at hand then your comments are not needed. Have a great Memorial Day!

By: Donna B.

Donna B. — Mon, 26 May 2008 10:35:39 +0000

It’s spelled “nekkid.” At least we know where your thinking is coming from.

By: Randy

Randy — Sun, 25 May 2008 20:24:18 +0000

I think you two need to meet up, get nekid and make sweet love!!

By: Donna B.

Donna B. — Sun, 25 May 2008 17:30:19 +0000

Dianne,
I’m a perpetual questioner about almost everything. My Dad jokes that I still drive him nuts asking “Why?” I agree that more often than not I am somewhat disappointed by answers I get, many of which are “We don’t know.” However, I seldom ask with a preconceived answer in mind.

Your method of looking at each situation for what you are to learn from it is not so different from my questioning. “Quest” and “search” are related in meaning. Yours may be a more peacefully rewarding way to do it.

Though I see your point about Kennedy’s brain cancer being a gift from God to spur him to examine his life, repent, and make amends, I don’t see it as being directly to Ted from God. Rather I see it as one of the “natural evils” that allows a human to make the choice to react to it in a good way or bad way.

For all we know, he took this step years ago. Whenever, for his sake and for his family’s, I hope it’s taken.

Randy,
Please join the conversation, but at least express an opinion we can respond to. Snark isn’t much of way to communicate. As you can see if you read the entire thread, Dianne and I started out sounding as if we completely disagreed on everything. As we’ve explored each other’s thoughts and ideas (and examined our own in doing so), we’ve found we weren’t so far apart.

Randy, what are your thoughts?

By: Dianne

Dianne — Sun, 25 May 2008 16:04:02 +0000

Randy, if you can’t keep up with an intelligent conversation, you need to keep quiet and try not to get into it. It will only hurt your brain.
In case you didn’t know, Opining Online is about sharing opinions on ANYTHING. Including God.

By: randy

randy — Sun, 25 May 2008 15:17:26 +0000

Oh, so now we’re talking about God?? What does he have to do with Kennedy??

By: Dianne

Dianne — Sun, 25 May 2008 14:18:01 +0000

P.S. It is my free will to pray for people and be there to help them in any way I can, and I try to do that as often as possible. If it were not for the kindness of strangers and prayers I would not have the gift of a new day.

By: Dianne

Dianne — Sun, 25 May 2008 14:16:47 +0000

Honestly, I believe that a brain tumor at his age IS a gift from God. God is giving him a chance to reflect on his actions and repent, giving him a chance to make peace and make amends. As I’ve said before, his death will be similar to Mary Jo’s in the sense that she had to sit and wait for salvation, not knowing if it would come. I only pray that he can see that and that he takes this as a blessing in disguise.
I don’t question why anymore. I have come to a point in my life where questioning why mostly leads to disappointment because more often than not, you are not going to get the answer you were hoping for. Instead, I look at each new challenge and I search for what it is I am supposed to learn from it.
Each day is a gift for me now and I look for the good tings that can arise from a bad situation. i.e., a natural disaster as a gift which allows us to choose to do good by helping those suffering from one. It helps to teach us tolerance, compassion and love for others and that is a gift that will live on, if you choose to do the right thing.
I am not just talking monetary, material or physical help. I know there are a lot of people out there who can barely afford to feed themselves, but to just take a minute out of your day to pray for someone else is also a blessing for both you and them.

By: Donna B.

Donna B. — Sun, 25 May 2008 04:14:29 +0000

Yes, I know that “an eye for an eye” is not meant to be taken quite as literally as I did. It means, I think, that the punishment should fit the crime. I believe that and that is why I do not oppose the death penalty for murder or other crimes that result in death, although I do think intent should affect the sentence.

If an individual sets out, plans, PREMEDITATES a murder, by all means punish him by taking his own life. If, however, through negligent action or lack of action he causes the death of another, I think imprisonment is the more appropriate punishment. Ted Kennedy escaped being tried, convicted, and sentenced to any punishment that man can bestow for the death of another. I regret that. We (our society, judicial system, etc.) failed.

To my way of thinking, a brain tumor that will likely cause his death is actually insufficient punishment for the death of Mary Jo Kopechne, therefore I don’t think it is imposed by God. At Kennedy’s age, it would almost be the same as saying that dying a natural death of “old age” is punishment. That is if you are not one of those believing that aging is a “disease.”

It seems what we’ve come to here is the age-old question “Why does God allow evil?” You’ve acknowledged free will, and I think the answer is partly that free will would be meaningless if only good were allowed, just as joy would be shallow without sorrow.

That doesn’t consider the question of diseases and natural disasters, but I’ve heard it suggested that nature is both a gift for us to study and a gift which allows us to choose to do good for those suffering from one. That is not quite satisfying to me, but it makes more sense to me than God punishing us now, on earth for earthly actions, when he’s got eternity to do it. I don’t see us having free will in any kind of afterlife I can imagine, but I wonder why we got such a gift on earth.