Interesting words. I admit, this made me think a bit.

I study evolution, so at first I was going to argue that not all animals are provided for by God so it seems that animals who worry about the future will be more successful than those who accept their fate.

But, I must disagree with myself here because, you're right. Preparedness doesn't necessarily mean stress and worry. These things aren't beneficial and are not productive.

I volunteer at a soup kitchen on a monthly basis and many of our patrons have said similar things to me. They don't worry about getting food or clothing, in the immediate sense, because they have learned that God (through man's altruism) will provide.

This is a powerful lesson I think for those of us "behind the ladle" who stress over the little stuff, but don't benefit.

Important words during hard times. Thank you.
 

"Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. ... Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin;"

But reflection shows these observations to be shallow and wrong: while there are moments of respite and surfeit, all life -from the birds of the air to the lillies of the valley - is engaged in a constant struggle for sustenance and to avoid being eaten, struggles against competitors, predators and parasites (from amoeba to governments), for nutrition and mates and so on. Individuals and peoples engage in the same struggles: how many local peoples did the Hebrews extinguish in order to become the Israelites?
 

This said by the guy who "knew" that he would be crucified.
 

In Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand wrote of her character Henry Rearden, “He had never known fear, because against any disaster he had held the omnipotent cure of being able to act.”

Strange bedfellows sometimes agree.
 

Tom,

Zach addressed your objection. Does worry help a creature pass on its genes?

Bar, you're not even trying to see the point. Jesus is not saying, "I promise everything will be roses." I can quote you lines when He says just that. But the point is, well, read the title of my blog post.

So far from proving He's a hypocrite, it shows how much Jesus is following His own advice. If you want to point to the agony in the garden (the night before Jesus is crucified when He asks if the cup can be taken from Him but ends with saying let Your will be done) as a possible example of hypocrisy, then OK that at least makes sense. But to say this particular sermon makes no sense if He knew of his impending murder is silly.

You could just as easily have said, "And here I thought this Jesus was supposed to be wise. Here is here predicting that no one would ever be sick or hungry or beaten for the rest of human history? What a dolt!"
 

To clarify, Bar, I can quote you lines where Jesus explicitly tells His followers that there will be tribulation in this world, but not to worry about it.
 

Zach addressed your objection.

I beg to differ.

Does worry help a creature pass on its genes?

Yes. Prey species are always on the lookout for and quick to react to possible predators. Those that successfully flee or escape survive. The same is true with humans; especially on a group basis, we are very suscpicius of others and alert to possible attacks (that's why we're so susceptible to fear-mongerers).

Why is the "news" mainly full of bad news as opposed to reports of successes? Because we tend to me more attuned to what potentially negative things may be coming down the pike - and that's the way God, through the laws of evolution, made us.

Interestingly, there are various parasite species that affect behavior (such as to be less cautious) in ways that cause prey species to lose their lives, but ensure that the parasite can continue its cycle.

there is a difference between preparation and worry.

It's a difference without much distinction, I'm afraid.
 

TT wrote:

Why is the "news" mainly full of bad news as opposed to reports of successes?

You're citing that as proof that Jesus' words are wrong? You think our society would be worse off if the news didn't focus on serial killers so much? You think the constant scare stories (about killer bees etc.) are healthy?

RPM: "there is a difference between preparation and worry."

TT: It's a difference without much distinction, I'm afraid.

Be not afraid, Tom. God's in control.
 

OK the Google ads are really cracking me up. For this post, American Eagle Outfitters ads are popping up.

I think it is God's way to encourage more spiritual posts; the comedy alone makes it worth the effort.
 

Bob:

You mentioned Christ's lament in the garden. Were the Son's wishes there inconsistent with the omnibenevolent will of the Father?

As for bar's comment, he was probably just being obtuse for the sake of it. He does that sometimes on my blog.
 

Aristos,

I'm not sure how deep you intend the analysis. Since I think Jesus was perfect, then no, obviously He didn't do anything in violation of God's will.

I think what happened in the garden is that Jesus was a man, and He was expressing the obvious fact that He was in store for some serious physical pain, and that He wished this weren't necessary. But He of course decides to endure it since it is the will of God.

What is really intriguing is to ask whether you should ever pray for something specific, at least without putting in a qualifier like, "...assuming that's your will." Like, does it square with the gospels to pray that you get a job? What if God wants you to do something else? If He wants you to get the job, then you'll get it whether or not you pray for it, etc. (I think the resolution of this stuff is that God wants a personal relationship and so wants you to tell Him your concerns, wishes, etc.)

In this particular thread, all I was saying wrt the agony in the garden is that at least superficially, one could argue that Jesus was "worrying" about the next day, and that appears to contradict His teaching that I quoted.

But in no way was Jesus worrying about His death when He issued the teaching, and so even on the face of it Bar's comment made no sense to me. Jesus obviously wasn't telling everyone, "Nothing bad will ever happen to you," so I don't see why His foreknowledge of His death poses any problem at all for His teaching about worry.
 

Like I said, bar was probably just being difficult on purpose. He's a good Lutheran--drinks good, imported beer and everything--, and he probably just wanted to get a rise out of you.
 

You're citing that as proof that Jesus' words are wrong?

Of course not; I offered it to show our nature, which nature I offered in response to your quesry as to whether worrying is evolutionarily advantageous.

I offered other points about the struggles birds and plants face to suggest that Jesus' words about them were wrong. Birds are constantly vigilant for predators, and flowers of myriad types evolved via competition for pollination services.

You think our society would be worse off if the news didn't focus on serial killers so much? You think the constant scare stories (about killer bees etc.) are healthy?

Being concerned about risks and bad events is obviously helpful, to some extent, but of course I am willing to agree that one can worry too much. There are many phobias, too much worry gets in the way of happiness, etc.