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<DIV>Art,</DIV>
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<DIV>I had another thought. Your friend is focusing on the negative aspects of the Holocaust. However, even in the most horrific evil God can send His Grace to bring about good. What about all the good people who helped those who were being persecuted? What about all the conversions that took place? I would highly recommend a book called "With God in Russia." It's the story of Fr. Walter Ciszek. <SPAN id=Web-Details-1-C>Walter Ciszek, S.J., was a Polish-American born in Shenandoah, PA, one of the state’s coal regions. He spent 23 years in Soviet prisons and gulags, and was presumed dead by his family, his Jesuit order and the Church. He was released from Soviet oppression in 1963, exchanged for two Russian spies held by the U.S. government. Father Ciszek is now being considered for beatification in the Roman Catholic Church.</SPAN></DIV>
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<P><SPAN>Dianne</SPAN></P>
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<DIV><EM><FONT color=#0000bf face="Comic Sans MS">Like a deer that longs for running waters so my soul longs for you, O God.</FONT></EM></DIV></FONT></EM></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT color=#0000bf><EM><FONT face="comic sans ms">Ps 42:1</FONT></EM></FONT></DIV>
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<B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">From:</SPAN></B> Art Kelly <arthurkelly@yahoo.com><BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">To:</SPAN></B> Apologetics Group <apologetics@gathman.org>; Ward Collins <wcollins@netins.net>; Jim Murphy <jmurf80@bellsouth.net><BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Sent:</SPAN></B> Sunday, July 12, 2009 11:37:39 PM<BR><B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Subject:</SPAN></B> [Apologetics] Your help with an apologetics question<BR></FONT><BR>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3>I have a question from a friend that I would like your assistance in answering.</FONT>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3>My friend, who I’ve known a long time, was an Eastern rite Catholic (I don’t know what religious education he had growing up) who became enamored with Robert Schuler and then John Hagee and is now an agnostic.</FONT>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3>I’m not sure, but perhaps his lack of belief in God is somehow related to deep depression which struck him two and half years ago and for which he is taking prescription medicine.</FONT>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3>I have an expertise in some aspects of Catholic vs. Protestant apologetics, but I’ve never really had a discussion/dialog/debate with anyone who doubted the existence of God.<SPAN> </SPAN>Obviously, Catholics and Protestants believe in the Holy Trinity, so whatever disagreements we have are relatively minor when contrasted with someone who does not believe in God.</FONT>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3>To me, the existence of God is so evident, I really cannot relate to someone who is an atheist or agnostic.<SPAN> </SPAN>When you look at the world with all of its complex life forms, including human beings, it is totally inconceivable that this could have happened through random chance.<SPAN> </SPAN>There must have been a supreme being who created all of this.</FONT>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3>People who think this is all some kind of cosmic coincidence are extremely unreasonable.<SPAN> </SPAN>I don’t know how to get through to people like that.</FONT>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3>Anyway, my friend’s question to me is:<SPAN> </SPAN></FONT>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><B><FONT size=3> </FONT></B>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><B><FONT size=3>If there is a God, how could he ignore the prayers of the devout Jews in Hitler’s concentration camps and allow all of these people to be killed in the gas chambers?</FONT></B>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3>He further asked:<SPAN> </SPAN>If your answer that God created the world but does not intervene in it, then why should we pray to him?</FONT>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3>My friend is of Lebanese descent and told me that, when he posed the question to Arab friends, they replied that all things that happen are God’s will.<SPAN> </SPAN>They told him that every squirrel that dies does so because of God’s will.</FONT>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3>In regard to those who perished in the Holocaust, this tragedy has not disturbed the belief in God among Jews, so why would it bother my friend?<SPAN> </SPAN>That leads me to believe that he found this question in some atheist publication or website.</FONT>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3>Since my friend doubts the existence of God, he does not regard Scripture to be inspired, so quotations from the Bible are of no use in persuading him.</FONT>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3>I have a reply to his question, but thought perhaps you might come up with additional comments that would be better than mine or, at least, supplemental to my answer to him.</FONT>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3>I will compile all of the thoughts I receive and then send my friend a comprehensive answer to his question.</FONT>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3>My reply would be:</FONT>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT size=3>God does not control everything that happens on earth.<SPAN> </SPAN>We are not puppets, whose every action is because of strings that are pulled by God.<SPAN> </SPAN></FONT></SPAN>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT size=3>Furthermore, God does <B><U>NOT</U></B> will evil. I can assure you it is <B><U>NOT</U></B> God’s will that anyone be robbed or killed.</FONT></SPAN>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT size=3> </FONT></SPAN>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT size=3>God created humans with a free will.<SPAN> </SPAN>They can choose to do good or evil.<SPAN> </SPAN>God provides actual grace to help us do good and to repent of our sins, but we are free to reject that grace and act in opposite ways.</FONT></SPAN>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT size=3> </FONT></SPAN>
<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT size=3>At the same time, God hears and answers every prayer.<SPAN> </SPAN>In come cases, he may answer a prayer in a different way than we asked for, but every prayer is heard and answered.</FONT></SPAN>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT size=3>God can see that, sometimes, what we have asked for is not in our long-range best interest, so he gives us something else instead.</FONT></SPAN>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">Those Jews (and others, including Catholics, such as Father </SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'" lang=EN>Maximilian Kolbe</SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'">) who died in the gas chambers will certainly share eternal life with God if they had true contrition for their sins.<SPAN> </SPAN>Since everyone will die, the only question is why their lives were shortened by years or decades.</SPAN></FONT>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT size=3>While we cannot know the mind of God, it is possible that the horrible events of the Holocaust will serve as a reminder to mankind throughout history and be a deterrent to some future atrocities.<SPAN> </SPAN>The Holocaust Museum in Washington , D.C. reminds us of what happened during World War II.<SPAN> </SPAN></FONT></SPAN>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'"><FONT size=3>It could be that, because of the deaths of many religious people at the hands of Hitler and his associates, the lives of many millions of other people for centuries to come may be spared that otherwise would have perished.</FONT></SPAN>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3>I would appreciate your thoughts on my answer, including anything you would like to add or change.<SPAN> </SPAN>If you have a completely different answer, I’d like to see that too.</FONT>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3>If you would be willing to talk with my friend, please let me know. I can make your name and phone number available to him, if you’d like.<SPAN> </SPAN>I don’t know if he would talk with you, since he does not know you, but if he would, you might be able to explain things to him orally in such a way that would sense to him.</FONT>
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<P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal><FONT size=3>Thanks,</FONT>
<DIV><STRONG><FONT color=#0000ff size=3>Art</FONT></STRONG></DIV></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><BR></DIV></DIV></div><br>
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