Question: Does giving thanksgiving or acknowledging God’s blessing imply anything about God’s non-intervention (i.e. absence of blessings/curse)? This week I got into a conversation with some friends from class about this one in a talk about theodicy. Ever since I saw a woman on the news in New Orleans during Katrina giving thanks to God for saving her dog, I’ve been wrestling with the question of the implications of such statements. Immediately after her testimony, the cameras began showing heartache and despair and a story of a family that lost a child was then aired. Seeing a lament for a lost child and a praise report for a spared dog really shook me up. Does God care more for canines than little children? Can I praise God for something when others are in the middle of theodicy? (Contexts and settings that make me go “hmmmmm.”)
