So I’ve attempting to form a truce with a former partner of mine. When we had first gotten together, I noticed that she had a little collection of rubber duckies. In the throes of love, I sacrificed a beloved ducky that I had had since my first bathing days in the tub. Now, 2 1/2 years later while the relationship has been flushed away I had run across my ol’ splashin sidekick and figured I could do a little duckie-napping. After all, she wouldn’t notice until a couple years later when she finally got the rest of her duckie gang out of the box they were residing in. Well, long story short, she visited me later and spied him sitting proudly atop of a shelf in my bathroom. Arg! She protested and took him back, with me claiming that I wanted to see how long it took for her to notice – that I knew she would see him and steal him back. Well… this WAS true. Partially. The phrase Indian-Giver popped into my head. I don’t know if this is a COMMON phrase (all over the US? Probably not in the UK?) but it’s basically someone who gives something up and then takes it back. (Durr… like you couldn’t figure this out from that I had just written!)

My ex has faith with the Christian religion, and I wanted to make a little joke that popped in my head, but didn’t – for fear of too much offense being taken. I wanted to say something along the lines of “God – the Ultimate Indian Giver: He giveth and he taketh away”. While I was attempting to find the exact verse(s) (for your entertainment, of COURSE) I ran across a blog far more interesting than looking up the origin.

This is the post here . Now she’s got some interesting points. She’s saying here that it does NOT say that in the bible. She mentions a few more things, but she’s basically saying that God is not bad and would not put someone through evil crap like that.

I quote “I heard it when my son, Jacob, was stillborn. ‘Well, the Lord gives and the Lord takes away. He just needed Jacob in heaven.’ WHAT? God NEEDS little babies in heaven?? He TAKES them from us because he NEEDS them??? And this is a good God??? (all the time?) That is just plain mistaken theology. The Lord does not take our babies away from us because he needs them. What would he need our babies for?? He NEEDS His people on earth, doing the great commission.”

Now, a little background on me. When it comes down to it… I am pretty much agnostic. I went to a private Christian school for all of elementary and middle school. We all had the religious ideas and whatnot stuffed into our already full heads. Now, I respect christianity, I believe it does have good points and reasons, however I just don’t find it to be MY cup of tea. In fact… I haven’t found one religion yet that seems to suit the way I feel. I’m not saying I DON’T think there may be someone out there messing with our little life forms, but I’m not gonna bet on it either way.

Anyway, back to original topic. This blog author also mentions that not only does he not take away, but he GIVES wonderful things to those “living according to the law (a perfect and blameless life)”. But then of course, along came Jesus and forgave us for all that fun trouble we can get into.

Now, I’ve got two seperate ideas I’d like to bring up. First off all, on the taking-away-lives deal… I (almost) firmly believe that there are generally no coincidences. I prefer to believe that things happen for a reason. My mother died when I was 16 and I have no resentment against it. At the time, my mom was having quite a hard time with life, which… while I was in her care, I was getting dragged down with it. Okay, that sounds a little harsh, but I’ve come to terms. Simply (not bitterly!) put… I would’ve probably been better cared for had my mom taken better care of herself. I don’t regret anything that went on – in fact… I’ve learned many a things from my mom and what she had gone through. Now maybe you could argue that she had already spent her time on earth and that she had done all that she was meant to do here. But what about a baby. If there IS a higher power out there, maybe He had not taken the baby away because He needed the baby in heaven… maybe it was more of a learning experience for the parent(s) or whoever else’s life the little one had touched. Maybe someone needed to have some sort of experience and that’s the reason the baby had made it only this far. So in this case, God would not actually be EVIL, but “working in mysterious ways”. (Which I think is a funny term… so very broad… but that’s a WHOLE ‘nother topic there!)

NOW… two my second idea! If Jesus came to forgive us for sins and whatnot… and we’re supposed to live a beautiful life… (note this quote: “Not only that, but he has taken away sickness, sorrow and grief! Isaiah 53:4-5 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows,…and by his scourging we are healed.”)

Now, a question! If you believe in God and do all that necessary stuff… why do people get sick and die? Are you saying the Devil took hold of them because they were unpure? But I thought Jesus took care of that! I had heard a few years back that in a part of Africa, men with AIDS believed if they had sex with a virgin, it would cure the AIDS. (See what happens where there’s no Sex Ed?!) Now, say a (probably very young) girl comes along and this guy rapes her… she contracts HIV and then along comes AIDS. Wow. What happened there? Okay, you could argue that she “doesn’t know Jesus”. What about if she was already schooled on all of that and was a deeply devout Christian? What’s your answer now?

And then… she also states “He gives me freedom from sin! Romans 8:1-2 ‘Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death”. Wait… hold on… WHAT?! Jesus set us free from death? Then how come no matter how devoted you may be… everyone dies? Are you meaning to tell me that when we die… it’s actually the Devil doing it? So the Devil wins over each and every time? Boy, I see why people are scared to die now! Okay, but seriously… explain that one to me.

This is just me throwing out my ideas, and the reasons I’m not exactly jumping on the religion bandwagon. But… I do respect the different ideas and don’t try to stuff my “belief’s” down other people’s throats…