Thanks for engaging.
No, I am not a Calvinist (although I somehow implied that).
Horrible things have happened to whole civilizations in the past, yet from the ashes new ones arose. We are each called, by God, to do our part in helping others, whether our community or nation or the world is improving or declining.
Agreed.
It is depressing to see once free nations going under (Great Britain?), but then there are new bright lights elsewhere (Argentina?). Do you see Italy as resilient?
Agree on Argentina. Could we have more presidents like him please?
(Mileil??)
Italy was more socialist when I moved here.
It's become more private.
But, alas, it now belongs to the European Union and has lost its sovereignty.
(another layer of government to maintain also).
Europe calls the shots.
We can only beg for them to do what is good for us.
The left has done nothing but add more rules and regulations.
The right tries but at least it's holding up....Italy has had a new government almost every years except
for the government of Silvio Berlusconi (right).
What I fear is that our freedoms are being eroded so slowly that most don't even notice it.
Is the United States resilient? In any event, if 1984 happens, it won’t change my beliefs, in particular to forge on as best I can (relying on God). My sphere of influence is limited: family foremost, and then (ever decreasing) community, county, state, . . . , but that appears to be the role God assigned me.
Ditto. I feel the same.
I must say that I'm sad for the future generations.
But guess what? They don't know how it USED to be!
John Lennox said that if we fear for the future we're not trusting God.
Maybe I just don't trust God enough - at least for the future of our countries.
My perspective re Adam & Eve is slightly different (perhaps even un-biblical): God created us through A&E as social mammals who have the potential to be better than them: caring & sharing for one another, being gentle & peaceful, embracing marriage between men & women, and preserving harmonious communities through community discipline.
Agreed. Nothing unbiblical.
God created us in His image.
Animals are not created in God's image.
The problem here is that Adam disobeyed God and the sin nature entered into all creation....
It affected everything:
our relationship with God
our relationship with each other
our relationship with ourselves
and our relationship with nature.
But He also gave us free will, so as a result of our basic social mammal nature of self-centeredness, coveting, & rationalizing ends to accomplish selfish means, people have created societies far worse than any social mammal’s: with murder, enslavement, grudges passed to the next generation . . . .
Agreed.
So what can God’s long, long, long-term plan be: He will help those who love Him and their neighbors, He will turn intended evil into eventual good, . . . .
Enough rambling.
Peace be with you.
Man means it for evil, but God means it for good.
Genesis 50:20
No rambling.
Nice conversation!
Pace
