God’s omnipotence

By Hugh Noe

Probably the most difficult aspect of organized religion to "swallow" is the concept of god's omnipotence. Believers will often tell you that god is omnipotent – all powerful. Their god is responsible for every occurrence on earth, all the good things and all the bad, every birth, every medical condition, and every death that occurs. It’s all within god’s control, and part of god’s plan. And, if you want a particular outcome, just pray to god, and your chances are good, because god loves you, and he can make it so.

So let’s look at god’s handiwork. On the afternoon of May 18^th, 2011 a local TV station’s web-site offered two prime examples of god’s omnipotence, or perhaps the absence of a god.

One story discussed the death of a 3-year-old boy, who fell into a grease pit outside a southern New Jersey food market. Store employees who tried to get him out were unable to find him. The NJ EMS Chief and two firefighters removed the boy from the grease after two to three minutes but were not able to revive him.

The faithful say this is all part of their god’s plan. “He” had a reason for taking this young life so roughly – a reason that we could not possibly understand – a reason we MUST take on faith. Amen! If god did have a plan for this young lad, a reason why he had to be removed from this earth - perhaps to “be with his father in heaven”- could “he” not have chosen a less bizarre method to take the boy? Ending up in a disgusting pit of grease and choking to death drastically increased the grief his parents suffered when compared to a simple, instantaneous, and kind brain aneurism.

This family's story was much luckier than that of the following girl. Her mother and her aunt are charged with attempted murder and felony child abuse. Police say they bound the toddler's wrists, eyes, ankles, and mouth with tape before leaving her in a tub with the shower running. When police arrived, the little girl was unconscious and not breathing and had black tape marks on her wrists, ankles, eyes, and mouth. She was pronounced dead at 3:10 pm.

Certainly the women involved had “free will” to do what they did. An omnipotent and loving god has a motive and the power to intervene. But what happens next? Just after 4 pm., detectives were told the child was breathing again. Oh my god, a miracle. “He” must truly “be at work.”

However, the “rest of the story” is as follows. According to case workers, the little girl is in a persistent vegetative state with no likelihood of improvement. She is unresponsive and cannot communicate in any manner. She is being fed and hydrated through a nasal tube. She cries and moans non-stop. They also say she has severe brain damage and will most likely never have any higher brain function. Her father, who is seeking custody of the girl from his estranged wife, will probably have to care for the child for decades to come.

All of these travesties can always be explained away. “It’s god’s will!” “It’s all part of god’s plan!” Is such a line of reasoning really tenable?

Published in the Colorado Springs Independent June 16-23, 2011 with the following quotation and footer.

I don't know if God exists, but it would be better for His reputation if He didn't.      Jules Renard (1864-1910)

"Hugh Noe" works in the Colorado Springs defense community and chooses not to reveal his identity due to the possibility of professional repercussions.