Monday, December 25, 2006

Relying on evidence...

My sister has recently gone inactive. Actually she has become Agnostic. She says that she doesn't beleive in God anymore because bad things happen to people. She's currently in the Job Corps, is surrounded by the dregs of society. Most of the people there are kids that society (and their family) have given up on. They are mostly high school dropouts and have been in trouble with the law etc. They are often people who come from abusive homes etc. One kid she knows has been addicted to Meth since he was like 10. His mother made him do it, to get him to help out around the house or some such nonsense. My sister thinks that a just God wouldn't have allowed that to happen. She is taking evidence around her and basing her decision on that.

I guess I can understand her frustration. Many people go through the period she is going through. She is seeing some pretty messed up people. It may be years before she comes back, she may possibly never come back. Believing in God can be difficult to do, I understand that. I have seen my fair share of messed up people on my mission. What I don't understand is why she started drinking and smoking.

My sister is taking evidence around her to base her non-belief in God. Why is she not using evidence in her decision to drink and smoke. Hasn't she seen how alcohol and other addictions have destroyed these very same people she is basing her decision to not beleive in God on? Alcoholism runs in my family. My father had it, my grandfather, grandmother and a few of my uncles had it. Hasn't she seen people who have died from lung cancer, how it becomes a ball and chain, controlling peoples lives.

What about that evidence?