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In Reply to: same old stuff posted by Fred on May 19, 2004 at 08:30:27:
Good points. As long as God's blessings are contingent on Family members doing something--praying, obeying, repenting, etc.--Zerby always has an "out"--the many promised blessings don't come to pass because the Family didn't hold up it's part of the deal. No one thinks to ask, "What if our prophet got things wrong in the first place?"
As in, God never promised a thing to Family members that has not also promised to every other Christian on the planet. Add to that, I think the doctrine of material abundance as a sign of God's blessing is pretty shakey. I don't think God promises Christians an easier, softer life filled with wealth and an abundance of material things. I think Jesus promised to be a living presence and help us carry the burdens that life may bring our way--whether it is poverty or poor health or injustice. This is what is meant by "Blessed are the poor, for the Kingdom is theirs."
Think about it. America & Europe are among the few places on the planet where Christians enjoy abundant material goods, access to really good health care, and legal systems through which they can address injustice. Does this mean African, Asian, and South American Christians--the majority of whom live in poverty, suffer from that poverty in the form of poor health and unjust political systems that favor the ruling elites--do NOT enjoy God's blessings equally?
If material blessings are a sign of God's favor, does it follow that North Americans and Europeans are somehow better Christians who are more deserving than the faithful who had the misfortune of being born in Africa? I don't accept this explanation for the inequality of material abundance that exists in the world.
