A Hierarchical Heaven.

[Seminarysnoozer]

Have you looked up the defination of surmount? ie - it includes to stand or be placed on top of.

Do I "contend" with a bug if I step on it, even unknowingly?  ... you have to include the struggle part to make it "contend".

[Traveler]

Do I "contend" with a bug if I step on it, even unknowingly?  ... you have to include the struggle part to make it "contend".

According to the dictionary - stepping on a bug is a way to contend with it. I have met individuals that if they have a gun will contend with other humans as easily as most people will step on a bug and much easier than my Hindu friends will consider stepping on a bug. To me dealing with an issue is contending with the issue – the degree of difficulty and some arbitrary and imaginary line made up to include some degree of extreme difficulty or negative emotional attachment seems to be a very futile and unnecessary exercise in word smithing. In fact I often believe that individuals will try to ignore an issue thinking it will go away on its own – but I believe they are in essence contending with other issues of their own individual worth and purpose. In essence I believe you contend with my different opinion quite brilliantly – even when you surmount my intelligence and squash it like a bug.

[Seminarysnoozer]

According to the dictionary - stepping on a bug is a way to contend with it. I have met individuals that if they have a gun will contend with other humans as easily as most people will step on a bug and much easier than my Hindu friends will consider stepping on a bug. To me dealing with an issue is contending with the issue – the degree of difficulty and some arbitrary and imaginary line made up to include some degree of extreme difficulty or negative emotional attachment seems to be a very futile and unnecessary exercise in word smithing. In fact I often believe that individuals will try to ignore an issue thinking it will go away on its own – but I believe they are in essence contending with other issues of their own individual worth and purpose. In essence I believe you contend with my different opinion quite brilliantly – even when you surmount my intelligence and squash it like a bug.

But thats the thing, I was trying to give an example of doing it unknowningly, there is no dealing, there is no contending, it isn't a problem.

I don't think God "deals" with evil.

 

I believe I have conversations with you or anyone on this forum to better my understanding and not to contend but maybe I am wrong about that.  Sometimes what occurs is just a refinement of my understanding but there is nothing gained by contending with someone in such a way that there is a victor and a loser. 

 

I tend to believe, and obviously you think I am wrong about this, that God's focus is on doing good works and not squashing evil.  His sole focus is to bring about good.  Yes, one aspect of that is to not let evil get in the way of good but I don't think anything stands in God's way of His works.  He says it, it's done.  That, to me, suggests there is no contention, like inadvertently stepping on a bug that you didn't even know was there.  God is not slowed down by evil in any way.  That is what I believe but I could be wrong.  Evil stands in our way until we get to that point that it doesn't but God as did Jesus has overcome all.