Is God the source of all powers?
This hub is a continuation of my hub, “prayer for or against an enemy.” The mentioned hub confirmed that people use prayers or invocations to attack their enemies. It is obvious that God is seen as a loving God especially in the Christian perspective and understanding of God mostly based on the New Testament of the bible. For this reason and others, some Christians may claim that God does not answer a prayer that is said or made to kill an enemy or an innocent man. Then the question would then be who answers such prayers or invocation made to harm others?
It is said that God created all things and if that is true then it follows that God created all powers. However some schools of thought, even Christians, are of the opinion that the devil has powers and he could use such powers to influence things or people or to cause harm by various means. Astoundingly, same religious schools of thought do agree that God created all things. Some of them are of the opinion that God failed to retrieve the powers he gave to Satan while he was still an obedient angel and that is the reason the devil and his agents are using such powers for evil. Yet, again, if that is true then it means God created powers that could be used for both good and evil. Whatever may be the case most religious people especially Christians do not belief that God can commit evil and as such he has no evil powers. That is all good things come from God while all the bad things are of the devil.
The writer had the first option of writing on this topic because of a group debate on http://www.facebook .com between Muslims and Christians. The Christians claim that the Islamic God loves to kill people so that is why Muslims are involved in all forms of terrorism even against innocent people. Well, the reason for this accusation is so clear because those Muslims that are involved in terrorist act claim to be doing the will of Allah. Then a Muslim that replied to the accusation said that the God of the bible killed more people than the Christians claim they do today. He quoted some verses in the Old Testament to support his claim. Some of those verses which got my interest and which are in line with the topic of the hub are 2nd Kings 1: 10-12 “ And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty…”and 2nd Kings 2: 23-24 “…And he turned back and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the Lord. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.”
In the first story Elijah killed the men in fifties until the captain of a set of fifty beg for their lives to be spared. The writer having journeyed with an unborn child, in his unpublished work, condemned such act by Elijah for the simple fact that those men did not attack him first. Moreover, they only obey an instruction by their king and they also called him “Man of God” which is a sign of respect so it is obvious that Elijah used his powers just because he had the powers and not because he was in danger. Then who answered such a prayer or command? Is it not same God of the bible? In the second story which is a story of Elisha, he was insulted and he took a decision which some people except Christians may consider harsh and so extreme for the “little children” then again, the Lord and not the devil answered his prayers.
Some Christians may not think deeply into the matter because their God did it so it was right or because it was done by a prophet or a man of God so there was nothing wrong with it. However, the powers employed towards such ends have been acknowledged to belong to their God. This shows that just as the witch crafting, the occult powers, and other spiritual powers can be used to harm others so can the God of the bible or his powers be used to harm people. Then why would Christians speak evil of others for using their own powers when even the God of the bible can harm people?
Let us go further in this matter by considering another verse in the bible, Luke 9: 54-55 “And when his disciple James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did? But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.”
In the verse that followed the quoted verse, Jesus said he came to save lives and not to destroy lives. The writer recalled that there are others places in the New Testament where Jesus accused others that came before him as being destructive while he brought live. They main subject is that Jesus and these other men/prophets used the power of God but some of them used it for both good and bad while Jesus choose to use it for good only. Before, the discussion can proceed, it is important for the Muslim who made the comment and others Muslims who may base their views and actions on that to realize that their act of killing can never be compared to that seen in the bible. This is because though he quoted some bible verses where God sent Moses and others to war and asked them to kill people, yet that can’t still be compared to the terrorist activities we witness today. However, if he believes they are fighting for their God; and if he thinks they have a God that loves to kill just like the God of the Old Testament in the bible, then let them command or ask their God to come and fight the battle himself just as those men did in the bible.
From the forth going, it becomes clear that the same power that was used to save was also the same power that was used to kill and harm people. The writer was tempted to think that Jesus had a source of power which was different from that used by those that came before him but he learnt from his mystic journey with an unborn child that the power or its source was never a problem. The problem has always been who had/has the power. That is who controls or commands the powers or forces. For instance, Jesus did perfectly well in terms of mercy and kindness in his dealing with his fellow man but that may not same in all things as the said journey revealed. It simply means that Jesus decided what to do with his powers and abilities and as such he could not use his powers to destroy life even when his life was endangered. For instance, when they came to arrest him, he claimed that he had the powers to ask his father for help but he did not do that. Yet again and surprisingly why the writer still applauds and respects him (for the writer loves justice unless when mercy is asked for and earned so as such would demand justice in such situation) and acknowledged that he earned his reward and praises for the simple fact that even unto death he said, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” It is very rare to find a man that could do that. Maybe that act alone earned him the crown he wore today.
Like it was mentioned above, the problem is not the power but those that controlled the power. Jesus said to his disciple “ye know not the spirit ye have” and one may think it was a different power from that used by Elijah. However, let us recall that Jesus handed over same power to his followers and it was same power that killed Ananias and Sapphira. Yet, again Elijah was said never saw death despite how he used the powers in his possession. Therefore, we may never really understand God and his powers. Yet it always seems the instruction to the righteous is simply “command ye me” and I shall do what you ask.
Just as always we often fail to look at the obvious facts and in this case, those that hold unto the ideology that the devil has some powers, which may be true, fail to reason and understand that God does not need to capture or confront the devil before he can make him powerless. All God needs is to command it and it shall come to pass. After all, it is said that he created all things with command.
Finally, if actually the devil has powers then it simply means that God decided to let him have it or God did not really create all things as was alleged especially the powers. Whatever may be the case what the power does depends on man because it is in our command. That is why it depends more on us than on the power and what it can be used to achieve; either to harm or to heal.
