Everything.

                            

Some philosophical and theological systems teach that God is in control of everything, that in some way every event is an expression of God's Will.

Thus the ancient prophets of Israel preached that God's chosen people must have sinned because their enemies had overrun them and destroyed their homeland.

Because God reigns.

This seems to me to be a false notion.

I cannot see how God can be expressing Himself in the wars in Iraq and Syria.
I cannot see how God can be expressing Himself in violence and starvation.
I cannot see how God can be expressing Himself in materialism and evil.

Rather I see these things as the ignorant actions of human beings with free will which are mostly motivated by fear.

God is not to blame.

You may wonder how people who pray five times a day could rape and murder in the name of God.

This is because most of their piety is fear and their prayers are recited by rote - their faith is dead and God does not speak to them or through them.

So, although I believe that God is in everything and everyone and God is everything and more, I do not believe that everything that happens is in tune with God's Will.

God's Will is that we love one another.

The rest is fear.


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