> > The thing that provokes me is the belief that God "allowed" this to happen "for a reason".
>
> I think we are possibly coming up against a language barrier issue here, because when I read both of your posts, I agree with them, and at first I didn't even realize Travholt was intending to disagree but rather was offering support.
>
> There's a big difference between "allowing something to happen" and "making something happen." God did not do this. Terrorists did.

Yes, I suspect some linguistic confusion here, too.

What I mean, is: Of course God, being almighty and having the power to do anything He pleases, must have "allowed" this to happen. But not as in "not stopping it", but as a fundamental principle of freedom of choice for His children to do what they want. So, in that sense, He allowed it to happen.

What gets to me, however, is that some people believe that everything happens "for a reason". As I said, stuff just happens, for no particular reason at all. We live in a world where chaos reigns. We try our best to create some sort of order in this chaos, either by ourselves or by asking God for help. But every now and then it will get the better of us.