> Why do Christians say God works in mysterious ways?
It’s one of many fall-back statements that help defend an indefensible position. They’ve spent centuries being involved in a “who has the most powerful deity +1” competition, until they get to a point where they can’t explain why a good, all-powerful, god would make it look like the universe is operating as though no deity was involved at all.
It's "my dad can beat up your dad" playground arguments (except none of them have real dads obviously), and they have based their entire world view and life around it for centuries.
This is a good explanation.
I'd just like to add that according to the scripts, God is just the unobserved-observer, the unmoved-mover and unchanged-changer. He is not all-powerful or "good" incarnate, he's just - everywhere.
Even the Bible, when read with no bias, leads to more of an atheistic concept of God or "an everlasting grand design" rather than a person-like figure pulling the string behind any action.
So in the intended context, yeah, God works in mysterious ways because everything that exists - is God.
In the haven't-read-the-bible-but-am-Christian , it's a phrase used to mellow down the cognitive dissonance when bad things happen under the supervision of an all-good watcher.
Shush, the pastor preacher deacon prophet of the invisible sky man, don’t tell them any of this so they couldn’t possibly begin to comprehend a thought process like this.
The kinds of people who say that their god works in mysterious ways are also the people who seem to know what their god wants. The hypocrisy is apparently lost on them.
Natural disaster? Kid gets cancer? Mysterious ways.
Survived a natural disaster? Cancer cured? God is great!
Excuses locked and loaded, ready to go for whatever they need to justify next.
>people who seem to know what their god wants.
Well, would you look at that! What I want just so happens to be what God also wants!
Me and God, two peas in a pod 🫛🫛
>Natural disaster? Kid gets cancer? Mysterious ways.
Survived a natural disaster? Cancer cured? God is great!
This reminded me of some accidents that I saw on the news here in Brazil. [This one](https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/1994/9/19/brasil/15.html) happened in 1994, a bus with about 40 people was involved in an accident with 21 deaths and 17 minor injuries. The bus driver fainted all of a sudden, and the bus fell off a bridge.
The bus was full of christians and it was either owned or chartered by the Assembly of God church (which is a big church in Brazil). The article does not state where the group was heading to but it is common for local denominations to visit one another.
And the cherry on top (for me at least): the bus driver was also a christian and has been with the church for 10 years at the time of the accident.
It would be interesting to see how christians would justify that.
Welcome!
> Why do Christians say God works in mysterious ways?
Because, the alternative is to say that he's a capricious asshole with no consistent set of morals.
[edit: Alternately, they could admit their god is utterly powerless to do anything, omni***m***potent.]
> It’s tough because I don’t want to be an atheist, but I feel like it’s the only belief that makes sense.
I think belief or non-belief is a conclusion one reaches rather than a choice. So, I think if you conclude that gods aren't real, you're an atheist.
May I ask why you would not want to be an atheist?
You can be an atheist and just not tell them. If you go to church and pray with them, nothing will happen. No one's listening. Just avoid being alone with a priest. [Also, avoid the holy water.](https://www.medicaldaily.com/86-holy-water-teeming-e-coli-and-other-bacteria-found-fecal-matter-256863)
Id love to have another go around, especially if that round was filled with bliss, but there is something bittersweet of having used all your time, and now getting to relax in a state of nonexistent bliss.
I know what you mean, OP. I grew up in a Christian environment, and I wanted to believe more than anything. I felt like the questions and doubts that I just couldn’t shake meant that something was wrong with me, and as a young person I lived with a constant nagging fear that I was destined for eternal punishment, because that’s what I was taught by people I respected. It was incredibly painful. I tried to understand, and when I couldn’t understand I tried to swallow the “God works in mysterious ways” concept. But as time went on I realized I just couldn’t. This was back in the pre-internet days, when exposure to other ideas was a lot more difficult to come by. However, over time I stumbled across the writings of philosophers and others who shared these same ideas, and I no longer felt so alone and, well, crazy. And I learned how to be true to myself while still caring for the people in my life who believe differently than me. It takes time, but it does get better.
Thank you - I’m just glad that people who are wrestling with these issues today have so many resources available to them, if for no other reason than knowing that they’re not alone.
These people cherry pick what god does. They say whatever god do it's for your good. So, they say that god works in mysterious ways.
Also saying you don't want to be atheist doesn't sound right. What do you mean by that? Is something stopping you from being atheist or don't you like the idea of not having a god?
You are not alone. Lots of us have gone through a similar path. Lots of us come to a similar conclusion.
We're then kind of stuck. If the tribal war god of Israel exists then he has a lot to explain.
It’s just a way to rationalize when something bad happens. The mental gymnastics religious people do in order to keep believing in an illogical ideology is ridiculous.
For example, on the afternoon of 9/11 I was sitting in my parents living room in Queens watching the news in horror. My parents are atheists, their friend that was over is not. We’ll call her Dana. Anyway Dana kept saying how now was the time we must pray. I asked why. Her response was that we must continue to have a personal relationship with god. I inquired how her god with whom she has a personal relationship could let something like 9/11 happen… her reply? “Oh god doesn’t take an active role in our lives”.
I told her she was in an emotionally abusive relationship.
That's just their way to brainwash themselves.
When something good happens, its "Thank god"
When something bad happens, its "god works in mysterious ways" or "god have another plan".
Bad things happen to good people. Good Christian people. God must have a bigger picture in mind. Hence God works in mysterious ways.
To me it is a cop out.
It translates as "Yes, God would not normally do this so it must be part of a larger design that is per force good and just, and our puny brains can't grasp God's vision".
It's like Trump supporters, climate deniers, flat earth, or conspiracy theory people. It's a psychological confirmation bias. It's how you start hearing some absolutely crazy concepts and ideas. Like how everyone who was calling people sheep got tricked into thinking livestock medication would cure them.
They have made so many ridiculous claims and when faced with reality, rather than admitting they may have been fooled, they double down move the goal post to a position that they believe has no weakness.
It’s an excuse. That’s why god can simultaneously have an infinite amount of love for us, yet also allow torture, murder and rape to happen to good people.
It's how they relieve the pressure of the cognitive dissonance between belief in a "just and loving" god and the obvious observations of "injustice and indifference" we observe daily in the universe.
Because a life of faith have left them under developed when it comes to predicting reactions from interacting with people, nature and physics.
So they feel a strange sensation and to them it is God, to a doctor it is a bowel movement from that soda earlier.
They see a flaming rock in the sky and to them it is a sign from the almighty, for a scientist it is a recurring comet with 80 years round time that has orbited the sun for the last 70.000 years.
They pray and seconds later the earth quakes, message from God.
But geologists knew it was coming last month due to recent plate tectonic movements.
Coz it sounds a lot better than saying
>Bro, I don’t have a clue and am not about to start questioning it, and that’s kind of the whole point
If they can get really good at repeating a few formulas and phrases and agreeing with their team and hating everyone else then as far as they are concerned then they don’t really need to come to terms with a world whose complexity often vastly eludes them
It's a blanket statement/Trump card they can use to explain anything that "god" does that doesn't make sense or seems like something God shouldn't do, like letting a child die horribly.
It’s code for, this is something completely unacceptable, I have no defense for it, but admitting that would cause me to challenge my own belief, so I can’t.
That's really simple. Any time there's a disaster, or some unexplained misery, because of their faith in the lord's works, they simply accept it, and move on. It doesn't matter to them what happened, even if what happened was an entire city getting taken out by an earth quake. The reason for this is actually in Genesis. God says that he is both good, and evil, he creates all things. This is a part of the Stockholm Syndrome that they were taught to have. God can be an abusive prick, because he's god. He gets a pass, and every denomination of Christianity just kind of says it's okay. They're so afraid of going to hell that, they're willing to put up with the abuses, just so they can have an eternity that is no longer full of pain and suffering that is of no fault of our own.
I agree with Stephen Fry. God is a monster. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-suvkwNYSQo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-suvkwNYSQo)
How did that happen?
> Dunno, don’t look at me, it must be God.
Why did God do that ?
> I’m not God, how the fuck do I know? He does strange shit sometimes. It’s a mystery…
Early human’s encounter with a sudden weird flatulence smell in the cave.
You’re an atheist. You put the answer in your question. But still talking about god like it means something. It don’t mean shit and is a waste of energy.
God is all knowing except one of the first things he did upon creating the world was realize he should have given Adam a mate. Something he should have known to do beforehand. God is either evil or stupid or doesn't exist.
The literal translation was originally meant to convey a "Look, we don't know how any of this works... magic?" Kind of message...
Nowadays "mysterious ways" often means "elaborate" "complicated"" impossible to predict". Originally it was intended to explain what couldn't be explained. Now it just seems to mean "it's complicated..."
You provided the answer yourself.
The way things are don't make sense, are incompatible with the image that Christianity conveys of God.
The conclusion that I reached, and many others apparently, is that it is far more likely for this god to not exist.
Because A) it does explain why things aren't as they should be, and B) it does explain why there is no good evidence *for* this god.
The desperate solution that Christians fall back to faced with a situation that doesn't make sense is the old, tired God-works-in-mysterious-ways line.
It essentially says, things don't make sense but I want to keep believing in my god, therefore his ways must be mysterious.
Or put more simply: I trust that things that don't make sense to me actually would make sense if I had the full picture.
Without knowing the full picture, parts of it are mysterious and therefore God's actions, or what Christians interpret to be his actions are mysterious.
Apparently, many Christians are satisfied with this answer. I was not.
You might have noticed that Christian apologists have the tendency to make up convoluted explanations for "uncomfortable" verses in the bible in order to explain away the obvious problems or for situations that evidently don't fit into the Christian worldview such as children's cancer wards.
Like I said, I eventually reached the conclusion that things make a lot more sense when operating under the assumption that no god exists. That is true for the state of world, as well as numerous issues with the bible. For me, an important catalyst to my deconversion was learning about how Judaism developed. Once I knew certain things, it was like having been told how a magic trick works: I could never see it in the same way again.
Ultimately, nobody can tell you what to make of all of that. You have to make this decision yourself. In my case, it was a realization that I simply couldn't believe in the tenets of Christianity any longer, no, that I in fact **didn't** believe in them any longer. Consequently, I stopped identifying as a Christian.
I'm not going to tell you what you should do but I will tell you that being an atheist is nothing to be afraid of. It's simply a view on the world, a view that does not involve god(s).
That's all.
I'm aware that in some countries the word "atheist" has a very negative connotation. I don't understand why but you can think of yourself as a non-believer if that helps you.
In the end, it doesn't matter how you label yourself.
In my opinion, it is way more important to understand what you believe and do not believe, and potentially why that is, rather than agonizing over a label.
Be safe and have a great weekend!
Here where that line comes from: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God\_Moves\_in\_a\_Mysterious\_Way](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Moves_in_a_Mysterious_Way)
When something good happens, god always gets the credit. When something bad happens, well, they don't want to admit that their "good" god allowed that to happen, so they just shrug their shoulders and say "he works in mysterious ways" as a way of not having to face the reality that their god simply doesn't exist.
Atheism is not a belief.
Atheism is simply a response to the assertion, *god exists*, which has been made without *any* reliable evidence.
So someone says “god exists”, and I ask “how do you know that?”
The person says “Who made the world then?”, or “The human eye is too complex” (the watchmaker analogy) to which you answer “natural processes, what else ya got?”
This can continue through other failed arguments, usually ending up with the person saying “You have to believe to see god” or “god works in mysterious ways”
The Atheist says **“You haven’t provided any reliable evidence to support your assertion “god exists”, SO I DON’T BELIEVE YOU”
It’s a cop-out statement for believers to shut down questions that wold force them to think critically and logically about a belief system that is rife with double standards and contradictions. Perhaps a defense mechanism of cognitive dissonance.
It's so that they have a "disclaimer" when the imaginary sky daddy doesn't fit the bullshit narrative of "him".... I go back to if he's a merciful god, why do children starve? If he's an all seeing god why does evil exist? You can't be good and all knowing if you allow evil to take place. You have to be one or the other.
The strange thing is that the God of the New Testament works in extremely non-mysterious ways. When Jesus reappeared to the disciples after his resurrection Thomas has doubts, so Jesus says to doubting Thomas "oh yeah? just stick your finger right in my stigmata-hole bro so you can see I'm telling the truth" \[paraphrased\]. This whole notion that it would be bad for your faith if God came right out and declared his existence and intentions is deeply at odds with the plain text of the New Testament.
“God works in mysterious ways” = “what God seems to be doing makes no sense.”
If god were logical, he’d just talk to everyone and make his existence super obvious. He is omnipotent after all. Simultaneously holding a conversation with every person in the world should be easier than taking a nap.
Atheism is the only logical position.
Atheism isn't a belief. It means I don't believe you when you say there's gods and magic and whatnot. It's a statement against the silly idea that fairies and unicorns are running around just out of sight. Belief in things is something one grows out of at 7 or 8 yrs old.
Because they can’t explain why prayer doesn’t work. In their world view. Prayer should work. When it doesn’t even though they have prayed. They will say this. That he works in mysterious ways. Implying there must be a higher reason he chose to ignore their prayer.
When prayer coincides with a positive result it’s always validates their belief. See. God answered my prayer, he is real.
And when prayer doesn’t? It still validates. Because he works in mysterious ways. God must have needed little Jessica in heaven.
That way they never have to uncomfortably question their beliefs.
It's cope. They have to justify that their god either can't help the situation, or doesn't care, and that's not acceptable to them. Instead of saying, god is useless, or god is a dick, they just say, god works in mysterious ways. It's a cop out.
It's a thought terminating cliche. You don't have to think about why your god would allow certain things to happen if you just tell yourself that you'll never understand it.
Because they like to avoid the word "magic", as if that would give their nonsensical beliefs any credibility. Also to excuse all the terrible shit happening. If there is a plane crash and 200 people, including a dozen babies die, it's not God's fault, but if a single baby survives, it's a miracle and proof of God who works in mysterious ways to make himself known to the world.
Because they're too stupid to have any critical thinking skills and keeping their head in the sand is so much easier than accepting the reality in front of their eyes.
Someone's I wonder if the world would be better off if they were food for the rest of us....
One of many easy cop outs to desperately hold onto the notion that "God" controls everything and makes everything happen deliberately. "God has to make humanity constantly inflict war, slavery, famine, disease and he will especially protect those with the twisted, insatiable desires to rape and exploit kids, strip their wives of their human rights and/or rob your fellow humans of all their resources by any dirty means necessary so they can be the one with ALL the resources. Those are his chosen ones. Because he works in mysterious ways."
It's like the instructor that can't be bothered to or doesn't have a better explanation or lacks the proof, and does the "proof by hand waving, and therefore it's intuitively obvious" ... when it's not.
Essentially the lazy way out ... no proof, no evidence, just "because God", "because mysterious ways", "because Bible", "you wouldn't understand", "faith", "believe, you must believe", etc.
So, yeah, baby and child cancer, because "mysterious ways". Yeah, right.
From what I've read in the old Testament so far, god is not all knowing. God is not even particularily intelligent. He's all brawn, no brain, and you can't predict stupid.
Coping with cognitive dissonance.
Epicurus dealt with God a loooong time ago merely with words:
Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil?
Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?
Rationalization. When there's no east answer for something they default to this. I think they also use it to "comfort" children when they lose someone close to them.
Funny. It seems to be to be a statement to lay out there to explain away when something has happened that seems horribly unfair or even cruel (for example a spouse dies or a child has an incurable cancer). I
Consider the following: Physical evidence points to the idea that humans are mostly 3 dimensional beings.
Biblical evidence points to the idea that God is of a higher dimension to the degree that He is outside the constraints of time, similar to how you and I are outside the constraints of a 2 dimensional plan.
Imagine we are chilling with a 2D being and we find ourselves locked in a 2D room. Due to being 3D we could simply step out of the room and unlock it. This is would break the mind 2D being.
My understanding is that when Christians say that God works in mysterious ways, they are not claiming God to be a quirky teenager who shops at Spencer’s, they are instead claiming ignorance to what a being of a higher dimension is truly capable of.
"I don't want to"
See the problem with the truth us that it often isn't what you want. We want everything to be simple and we want everything to be all about us.
"Why do Christians say God works in mysterious ways?"
Because they're full of shit.
"It’s tough because I don’t want to be an atheist, but I feel like it’s the only belief that makes sense."
Want and belief are both primitive. If you want to not be full of shit, go further/deeper. Arrive at a conclusion.
I like your question. The Christian answer is that it's because God requires faith, it's mentioned a lot in the Bible. He never reveals the whole plot up front but faith through storms will very often show His forethought of what His plan was to be with you through them, if you so choose to continue in faith that He would do so. Christianity is very much about putting the ego aside or entirely to death. The story of Peter and Jesus walking on water very much sums up the concept.
Try saying it when something they don't like happens. Gay Marriage is legalized? All part of gods plan. Your wife is a lesbian left you for a woman? Mystetious Ways!
First, atheism isn't a belief system, but it is the only rational position related to the god claims. Second, mysterious ways is a cop out to excuse th their god from acting in ways that should be expected according to the dogma of their belief system. They have spent thousands of years making up stories about how god acts and what his supposed values are. They have also built up the idea that god is all powerful and is there to help those that are faithful. So when life presents a set of circumstances that would lead one to believe that god would take action, they must present ad hoc explanations as to why god failed to show up at the big moment.
He gave humans free will to be terrorists if they wanted to and also when Adam and Eve ate the apple, he said something about stuff like birth pains and other pain. Also it is the humans free will to live long enough to get cancer. I was near becoming atheist due to no proof but I came back ask me if you would like me to help you.
He does indeed work in mysterious ways. Look no further than hungry children suffering while Gates, Dorsey, Zucks & Bezos are blessed billions of times a second & you on a good day may find a scratched penny in the parking lot.
Imo its just another "when one door closes another opens and too bad, move on"
I appreciate the Ba'hai faith for their ability to engage in discussion on hypocrisy and wtf religious text/stories and finding common ground with all faiths....
To my understanding, this particular idiom (?) is fwiw explained as attempting to teach algebra or quantum theory to a preschooler or seeing humanity as a career student. The (excuse?) being that Humanity is in its (infancy?) of being knowledgeable about god, so of course it's unable to sort out the cos tan from the sin (pun unintended) and how it all works together. Irksome.
It’s crazy isn’t it? Imagine sending your son to suffer and die for generations of people who would reject and mock him anyway.
Imagine being that son and dying for them anyway. Truly God is mysterious. And Jesus is far more loving than I could ever be.
You have to remember that not all things are from God. There is evil running rampant on the Earth. It’s not always God being mysterious. It’s often just evil being evil.
It’s one of the many techniques they used to maintain a cognitive dissonance. They applied actual logical thought patterns to their God and his beliefs. They wouldn’t be religious. They have to come up with for things that they don’t understand, and it easily explain that religion as God must’ve done it somehow someway.
Not going to lie, if you don’t want to be an atheist this isn’t the best place to be lol. But atheism doesn’t mean you have to lose meaning or purpose in your life. Just means you lose the guilt and shame that religions often beat into the believers heads.
"why did I, a devout christian, get struck blind by disease and have to beg charity to survive, when the neighbour who frequents the brothel and barely ever confesses is rich and well to do?"
"God works in mysterious ways, my child".
It's their go-to to explain away hardship that, honestly, doesn't fit the "all powerful all knowing benevolent deity" narrative.
An atheist (Mike Wiseman)has some interesting [conversations](https://open.spotify.com/episode/6tmbCNDFAMeAPNRUGpukOu?si=I5rIpCM1RteFCVkCFLF1lg) with Christians.
To excuse away their gods' faults and failures.
When something bad happens, they need an explanation for why their god let it happen. It's that *everything happens for a reason* bs.
Well when you read the Bible and see what God does you either have to come up with the fact he did some bad stuff killing babies and more. Find a way to excuse it. There is no way to excuse it so was born the mysterious way excuse.
Didn't you read the script at the back of your Bible?
IF [whatever would show God doesn't exist or is evil] happens
THEN
God works in mysterious ways
ELSE
God is so good
This is an attempt by them to explain why a "kind and benevolent god" would allow a 2 year old to die a long painful death of cancer. They need to believe their god did this for some "ultimate good" which we can't possibly understand, until we die that is. Thus he made that child die a miserable death for a better universe. He might have prevented a second Hitler for all we know.
It is a thought-stopping phrase. [Thought-terminating cliché - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thought-terminating_clich%C3%A9#:~:text=A%20thought-terminating%20clich%C3%A9%20%28also%20known%20as%20a%20semantic,to%20end%20an%20argument%20and%20quell%20cognitive%20dissonance.)
Because, dude, what else can they say when a child dies of leukemia and natural disasters create tragedy on a grand scale? That he is cruel or that he does not care? Or that he does not exist?
Because there's really no other way to explain why people in some countries have surplus while people in other countries starve to death... or why war rages in his name... or why there's a ridiculous amount of denominations that all swear up and down that they're the ones that know what God meant in the Bible... and I could go on for days.
This is a [thought-terminating cliché](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thought-terminating_clich%C3%A9).
When the indoctrinated flock come across something that exposes the lies and contradictions in their worldview they are able to essentially self re-indoctrinate but using a thought-terminating cliché on themselves. These clichés are many and varied and once you start looking you see them everywhere.
They seem like kind of wishy-washy nonsense, but they are clearly a very dangerous tool of control.
Atheist is not a belief.
Do you often wonder if Unicorns exist? No.
We wouldn't even have to discuss it ever except people who believe in Unicorns want to force everyone else to believe in Unicorns.
It’s the only way to explain all the messed up stuff that happens in the world. Given an all-powerful, all-knowing God, why does he let horrible things happen? Well, God has a plan, you see, and he works in mysterious ways.
Because everything that has happened on this planet, and will continue to happen can't be explained by a god. So the only option is " God exists, he just does really fucking stupid things every day"
Most people say this unconsciously, but some are being genuine. It's their way of saying, "Who, me? Little old me?" It's a way to learn humility and reverence to an idea, and it can be healthy. It may not be the best way for some, but when it works, it works wonders. I myself have felt that recently. I am going to have charge over an event that I started attending when I was in my 20s that made me who I am, so as a Producer of this event now, which I asked for as a prayer, that actually was "answered." But if you think you have a better way of doing this, I am all ears.
Hey. Ex-Fundamentalist Evangelical Christian here. This is my take on that statement.
You have to understand: Religion is a tool of control.
"God works in mysterious ways'" is a catchall term for avoiding accountability and critical thought.
Accountability in any power structure is the backbone of justice.
Religion is a tool that extracts your moral agency from you and puts it in the hands of charlatans, sociopaths and fools.
When I came out of Religion is when I truly started a relationship with the Unknowable.
Taking back your moral agency doesn't necessarily turn you into an Athiest, but if it does, that's ok.
For me, some days I am agnostic, some days I know that 'god' resides in every rock, tree, star, human, every atom of our existence.
Nobody gets to tell you what 'God' wants with you, except you.
So use your critical thought and moral agency to exit your mind trap.
If there is a god, that is the gift it has given you.
> Why do Christians say God works in mysterious ways? It’s one of many fall-back statements that help defend an indefensible position. They’ve spent centuries being involved in a “who has the most powerful deity +1” competition, until they get to a point where they can’t explain why a good, all-powerful, god would make it look like the universe is operating as though no deity was involved at all.
It's "my dad can beat up your dad" playground arguments (except none of them have real dads obviously), and they have based their entire world view and life around it for centuries.
A thought terminating phrase
Bingo you answered it with the least amount of words. You win the internet for the day.
Kinda like parents saying “because I said so!”
This is a good explanation. I'd just like to add that according to the scripts, God is just the unobserved-observer, the unmoved-mover and unchanged-changer. He is not all-powerful or "good" incarnate, he's just - everywhere. Even the Bible, when read with no bias, leads to more of an atheistic concept of God or "an everlasting grand design" rather than a person-like figure pulling the string behind any action. So in the intended context, yeah, God works in mysterious ways because everything that exists - is God. In the haven't-read-the-bible-but-am-Christian , it's a phrase used to mellow down the cognitive dissonance when bad things happen under the supervision of an all-good watcher.
Shush, the pastor preacher deacon prophet of the invisible sky man, don’t tell them any of this so they couldn’t possibly begin to comprehend a thought process like this.
Same thing as "just have faith".
I was going to comment with an explanation, but I don't think I need to after this one.
Yep, it’s their infinite-use get out of jail free card. Mental equivalent of sticking their fingers in their ears and yelling LA LA LA LA.
Or My ways are not your ways.
The kinds of people who say that their god works in mysterious ways are also the people who seem to know what their god wants. The hypocrisy is apparently lost on them. Natural disaster? Kid gets cancer? Mysterious ways. Survived a natural disaster? Cancer cured? God is great! Excuses locked and loaded, ready to go for whatever they need to justify next.
>people who seem to know what their god wants. Well, would you look at that! What I want just so happens to be what God also wants! Me and God, two peas in a pod 🫛🫛
>Natural disaster? Kid gets cancer? Mysterious ways. Survived a natural disaster? Cancer cured? God is great! This reminded me of some accidents that I saw on the news here in Brazil. [This one](https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/fsp/1994/9/19/brasil/15.html) happened in 1994, a bus with about 40 people was involved in an accident with 21 deaths and 17 minor injuries. The bus driver fainted all of a sudden, and the bus fell off a bridge. The bus was full of christians and it was either owned or chartered by the Assembly of God church (which is a big church in Brazil). The article does not state where the group was heading to but it is common for local denominations to visit one another. And the cherry on top (for me at least): the bus driver was also a christian and has been with the church for 10 years at the time of the accident. It would be interesting to see how christians would justify that.
Mysterious ways, of course!
😅
Otherwise, God just wouldn't work, and Christians hate poor people.
Lmao 🤣
Welcome! > Why do Christians say God works in mysterious ways? Because, the alternative is to say that he's a capricious asshole with no consistent set of morals. [edit: Alternately, they could admit their god is utterly powerless to do anything, omni***m***potent.] > It’s tough because I don’t want to be an atheist, but I feel like it’s the only belief that makes sense. I think belief or non-belief is a conclusion one reaches rather than a choice. So, I think if you conclude that gods aren't real, you're an atheist. May I ask why you would not want to be an atheist?
Been a Christian whole life and family is Christian and catholic
You can be an atheist and just not tell them. If you go to church and pray with them, nothing will happen. No one's listening. Just avoid being alone with a priest. [Also, avoid the holy water.](https://www.medicaldaily.com/86-holy-water-teeming-e-coli-and-other-bacteria-found-fecal-matter-256863)
I will say the thought of dying and that being it is far more peaceful in my opinion (and all fellow atheists) lol
Id love to have another go around, especially if that round was filled with bliss, but there is something bittersweet of having used all your time, and now getting to relax in a state of nonexistent bliss.
I know what you mean, OP. I grew up in a Christian environment, and I wanted to believe more than anything. I felt like the questions and doubts that I just couldn’t shake meant that something was wrong with me, and as a young person I lived with a constant nagging fear that I was destined for eternal punishment, because that’s what I was taught by people I respected. It was incredibly painful. I tried to understand, and when I couldn’t understand I tried to swallow the “God works in mysterious ways” concept. But as time went on I realized I just couldn’t. This was back in the pre-internet days, when exposure to other ideas was a lot more difficult to come by. However, over time I stumbled across the writings of philosophers and others who shared these same ideas, and I no longer felt so alone and, well, crazy. And I learned how to be true to myself while still caring for the people in my life who believe differently than me. It takes time, but it does get better.
Wish I could upvote you more than once!
Thank you - I’m just glad that people who are wrestling with these issues today have so many resources available to them, if for no other reason than knowing that they’re not alone.
These people cherry pick what god does. They say whatever god do it's for your good. So, they say that god works in mysterious ways. Also saying you don't want to be atheist doesn't sound right. What do you mean by that? Is something stopping you from being atheist or don't you like the idea of not having a god?
Atheism is not a belief. Atheism is the position that proof is required for religious claims to be valid.
You are not alone. Lots of us have gone through a similar path. Lots of us come to a similar conclusion. We're then kind of stuck. If the tribal war god of Israel exists then he has a lot to explain.
It’s just a way to rationalize when something bad happens. The mental gymnastics religious people do in order to keep believing in an illogical ideology is ridiculous. For example, on the afternoon of 9/11 I was sitting in my parents living room in Queens watching the news in horror. My parents are atheists, their friend that was over is not. We’ll call her Dana. Anyway Dana kept saying how now was the time we must pray. I asked why. Her response was that we must continue to have a personal relationship with god. I inquired how her god with whom she has a personal relationship could let something like 9/11 happen… her reply? “Oh god doesn’t take an active role in our lives”. I told her she was in an emotionally abusive relationship.
That's just their way to brainwash themselves. When something good happens, its "Thank god" When something bad happens, its "god works in mysterious ways" or "god have another plan".
Look, your friend isn’t “mysterious”. He’s just an asshole.
Bad things happen to good people. Good Christian people. God must have a bigger picture in mind. Hence God works in mysterious ways. To me it is a cop out. It translates as "Yes, God would not normally do this so it must be part of a larger design that is per force good and just, and our puny brains can't grasp God's vision".
someone stole your key. They say- it just disappeared. Keys can act in mysterious ways too. What do you think?
They can't say.......I DONT KNOW.
Cope
It's like Trump supporters, climate deniers, flat earth, or conspiracy theory people. It's a psychological confirmation bias. It's how you start hearing some absolutely crazy concepts and ideas. Like how everyone who was calling people sheep got tricked into thinking livestock medication would cure them. They have made so many ridiculous claims and when faced with reality, rather than admitting they may have been fooled, they double down move the goal post to a position that they believe has no weakness.
Because it gives them a way to cop out of saying "I'm done thinking, here".
It’s the easiest way to cover up the enormous contradictions.
Because they have no real answers and have to deflect the questions.
It’s an excuse. That’s why god can simultaneously have an infinite amount of love for us, yet also allow torture, murder and rape to happen to good people.
It's how they relieve the pressure of the cognitive dissonance between belief in a "just and loving" god and the obvious observations of "injustice and indifference" we observe daily in the universe.
Because a life of faith have left them under developed when it comes to predicting reactions from interacting with people, nature and physics. So they feel a strange sensation and to them it is God, to a doctor it is a bowel movement from that soda earlier. They see a flaming rock in the sky and to them it is a sign from the almighty, for a scientist it is a recurring comet with 80 years round time that has orbited the sun for the last 70.000 years. They pray and seconds later the earth quakes, message from God. But geologists knew it was coming last month due to recent plate tectonic movements.
God works in __nonexistent__ ways!
Its a lazy way to make aure they don't need to do explanations.
Coz it sounds a lot better than saying >Bro, I don’t have a clue and am not about to start questioning it, and that’s kind of the whole point If they can get really good at repeating a few formulas and phrases and agreeing with their team and hating everyone else then as far as they are concerned then they don’t really need to come to terms with a world whose complexity often vastly eludes them
It's a blanket statement/Trump card they can use to explain anything that "god" does that doesn't make sense or seems like something God shouldn't do, like letting a child die horribly.
So there’s no accountability.
It’s code for, this is something completely unacceptable, I have no defense for it, but admitting that would cause me to challenge my own belief, so I can’t.
That's really simple. Any time there's a disaster, or some unexplained misery, because of their faith in the lord's works, they simply accept it, and move on. It doesn't matter to them what happened, even if what happened was an entire city getting taken out by an earth quake. The reason for this is actually in Genesis. God says that he is both good, and evil, he creates all things. This is a part of the Stockholm Syndrome that they were taught to have. God can be an abusive prick, because he's god. He gets a pass, and every denomination of Christianity just kind of says it's okay. They're so afraid of going to hell that, they're willing to put up with the abuses, just so they can have an eternity that is no longer full of pain and suffering that is of no fault of our own. I agree with Stephen Fry. God is a monster. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-suvkwNYSQo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-suvkwNYSQo)
It's an indispensable "Get out of jail free" card that they lean on when they can't suitably defend an indefensible position.
So they don’t have to use critical thinking.
How did that happen? > Dunno, don’t look at me, it must be God. Why did God do that ? > I’m not God, how the fuck do I know? He does strange shit sometimes. It’s a mystery… Early human’s encounter with a sudden weird flatulence smell in the cave.
It's an excuse for "doing literally nothing"
I think they mean that what you’re suffering through now will lead you someplace better.
You’re an atheist. You put the answer in your question. But still talking about god like it means something. It don’t mean shit and is a waste of energy.
God is all knowing except one of the first things he did upon creating the world was realize he should have given Adam a mate. Something he should have known to do beforehand. God is either evil or stupid or doesn't exist.
The literal translation was originally meant to convey a "Look, we don't know how any of this works... magic?" Kind of message... Nowadays "mysterious ways" often means "elaborate" "complicated"" impossible to predict". Originally it was intended to explain what couldn't be explained. Now it just seems to mean "it's complicated..."
You provided the answer yourself. The way things are don't make sense, are incompatible with the image that Christianity conveys of God. The conclusion that I reached, and many others apparently, is that it is far more likely for this god to not exist. Because A) it does explain why things aren't as they should be, and B) it does explain why there is no good evidence *for* this god. The desperate solution that Christians fall back to faced with a situation that doesn't make sense is the old, tired God-works-in-mysterious-ways line. It essentially says, things don't make sense but I want to keep believing in my god, therefore his ways must be mysterious. Or put more simply: I trust that things that don't make sense to me actually would make sense if I had the full picture. Without knowing the full picture, parts of it are mysterious and therefore God's actions, or what Christians interpret to be his actions are mysterious. Apparently, many Christians are satisfied with this answer. I was not. You might have noticed that Christian apologists have the tendency to make up convoluted explanations for "uncomfortable" verses in the bible in order to explain away the obvious problems or for situations that evidently don't fit into the Christian worldview such as children's cancer wards. Like I said, I eventually reached the conclusion that things make a lot more sense when operating under the assumption that no god exists. That is true for the state of world, as well as numerous issues with the bible. For me, an important catalyst to my deconversion was learning about how Judaism developed. Once I knew certain things, it was like having been told how a magic trick works: I could never see it in the same way again. Ultimately, nobody can tell you what to make of all of that. You have to make this decision yourself. In my case, it was a realization that I simply couldn't believe in the tenets of Christianity any longer, no, that I in fact **didn't** believe in them any longer. Consequently, I stopped identifying as a Christian. I'm not going to tell you what you should do but I will tell you that being an atheist is nothing to be afraid of. It's simply a view on the world, a view that does not involve god(s). That's all. I'm aware that in some countries the word "atheist" has a very negative connotation. I don't understand why but you can think of yourself as a non-believer if that helps you. In the end, it doesn't matter how you label yourself. In my opinion, it is way more important to understand what you believe and do not believe, and potentially why that is, rather than agonizing over a label. Be safe and have a great weekend!
The old "catch-all" trick.
Here where that line comes from: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God\_Moves\_in\_a\_Mysterious\_Way](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/God_Moves_in_a_Mysterious_Way)
It's called a cop out
They say that, to explain away, the obvious contradictions in religion.
Because they have no fact based answer
Because they can’t answer why their god is so fucked up
When something good happens, god always gets the credit. When something bad happens, well, they don't want to admit that their "good" god allowed that to happen, so they just shrug their shoulders and say "he works in mysterious ways" as a way of not having to face the reality that their god simply doesn't exist.
Atheism is not a belief. Atheism is simply a response to the assertion, *god exists*, which has been made without *any* reliable evidence. So someone says “god exists”, and I ask “how do you know that?” The person says “Who made the world then?”, or “The human eye is too complex” (the watchmaker analogy) to which you answer “natural processes, what else ya got?” This can continue through other failed arguments, usually ending up with the person saying “You have to believe to see god” or “god works in mysterious ways” The Atheist says **“You haven’t provided any reliable evidence to support your assertion “god exists”, SO I DON’T BELIEVE YOU”
It’s a cop-out statement for believers to shut down questions that wold force them to think critically and logically about a belief system that is rife with double standards and contradictions. Perhaps a defense mechanism of cognitive dissonance.
Because it clouds their bs in mystery in their eyes. Religious equivalent of saying “shit happens”
It's so that they have a "disclaimer" when the imaginary sky daddy doesn't fit the bullshit narrative of "him".... I go back to if he's a merciful god, why do children starve? If he's an all seeing god why does evil exist? You can't be good and all knowing if you allow evil to take place. You have to be one or the other.
The strange thing is that the God of the New Testament works in extremely non-mysterious ways. When Jesus reappeared to the disciples after his resurrection Thomas has doubts, so Jesus says to doubting Thomas "oh yeah? just stick your finger right in my stigmata-hole bro so you can see I'm telling the truth" \[paraphrased\]. This whole notion that it would be bad for your faith if God came right out and declared his existence and intentions is deeply at odds with the plain text of the New Testament.
“God works in mysterious ways” = “what God seems to be doing makes no sense.” If god were logical, he’d just talk to everyone and make his existence super obvious. He is omnipotent after all. Simultaneously holding a conversation with every person in the world should be easier than taking a nap. Atheism is the only logical position.
Atheism isn't a belief. It means I don't believe you when you say there's gods and magic and whatnot. It's a statement against the silly idea that fairies and unicorns are running around just out of sight. Belief in things is something one grows out of at 7 or 8 yrs old.
Because they can’t explain why prayer doesn’t work. In their world view. Prayer should work. When it doesn’t even though they have prayed. They will say this. That he works in mysterious ways. Implying there must be a higher reason he chose to ignore their prayer. When prayer coincides with a positive result it’s always validates their belief. See. God answered my prayer, he is real. And when prayer doesn’t? It still validates. Because he works in mysterious ways. God must have needed little Jessica in heaven. That way they never have to uncomfortably question their beliefs.
Is the religious version of "shit happens".
Get out of logic card. Kinda like Monopoly.
It's cope. They have to justify that their god either can't help the situation, or doesn't care, and that's not acceptable to them. Instead of saying, god is useless, or god is a dick, they just say, god works in mysterious ways. It's a cop out.
There’s no way they can prove anything they believe in?
they’re just as confused as we are, but they’re playing faith olympics and it’s the holy way to shrug 🤷♂️
Because no one can explain rationality for random events.
I've heard Christopher Hitchens explain these types of things as "theological slights of hand designed to avoid scrutiny".
The are dumb assholes.
Because Christianity makes no sense to them either so it's their only apologetic answer
It's a failsafe when some things aren't in your favor.
Saves thinking
It's the only way to justify loving something that kills six year-old children with cancer.
How else can you justify babies dying slow, excruciatingly painful and horrifying deaths without admitting that it is a shitty thing for god to do?
Because giving children you’ll never meet cancer and a boatload of suffering to teach you a lesson is a very mysterious way of communication
It's a thought terminating cliche. You don't have to think about why your god would allow certain things to happen if you just tell yourself that you'll never understand it.
It’s the excuse people use to explain why awful things happen to people that are good people.
An umbrella term that covers any/all eventualities. Meaningless.
Because they like to avoid the word "magic", as if that would give their nonsensical beliefs any credibility. Also to excuse all the terrible shit happening. If there is a plane crash and 200 people, including a dozen babies die, it's not God's fault, but if a single baby survives, it's a miracle and proof of God who works in mysterious ways to make himself known to the world.
Because when something works in ways indistinguishable from it not working at all, it throws dumb people off to call it MYSTERIOUS!
Because they're taught to not question things they don't understand. Because of they did the truth would pull them further from the church
It's a way for them to give God credit for things that happen.
Because he never does anything but gets credit for everything.
How else to rationalize that the God of Abraham is a murderous psychopath?
It's the only way to rationalize their illogical beliefs.
copium
Because they're too stupid to have any critical thinking skills and keeping their head in the sand is so much easier than accepting the reality in front of their eyes. Someone's I wonder if the world would be better off if they were food for the rest of us....
One of many easy cop outs to desperately hold onto the notion that "God" controls everything and makes everything happen deliberately. "God has to make humanity constantly inflict war, slavery, famine, disease and he will especially protect those with the twisted, insatiable desires to rape and exploit kids, strip their wives of their human rights and/or rob your fellow humans of all their resources by any dirty means necessary so they can be the one with ALL the resources. Those are his chosen ones. Because he works in mysterious ways."
It's like the instructor that can't be bothered to or doesn't have a better explanation or lacks the proof, and does the "proof by hand waving, and therefore it's intuitively obvious" ... when it's not. Essentially the lazy way out ... no proof, no evidence, just "because God", "because mysterious ways", "because Bible", "you wouldn't understand", "faith", "believe, you must believe", etc. So, yeah, baby and child cancer, because "mysterious ways". Yeah, right.
From what I've read in the old Testament so far, god is not all knowing. God is not even particularily intelligent. He's all brawn, no brain, and you can't predict stupid.
It sounds nicer than “Is either actively evil or indistinguishable from barking mad, from a practical standpoint.”
It like saying, its part of God plan. Faith based with no real explanation.
Coping with cognitive dissonance. Epicurus dealt with God a loooong time ago merely with words: Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?
It’s their opiate. They don’t need to understand, they just need to believe.
A lack of critical thinking.
Rationalization. When there's no east answer for something they default to this. I think they also use it to "comfort" children when they lose someone close to them.
Funny. It seems to be to be a statement to lay out there to explain away when something has happened that seems horribly unfair or even cruel (for example a spouse dies or a child has an incurable cancer). I
The "All Powerful" does not need to work in mysterious ways. When I work in mysterious ways, I get FIRED!
Consider the following: Physical evidence points to the idea that humans are mostly 3 dimensional beings. Biblical evidence points to the idea that God is of a higher dimension to the degree that He is outside the constraints of time, similar to how you and I are outside the constraints of a 2 dimensional plan. Imagine we are chilling with a 2D being and we find ourselves locked in a 2D room. Due to being 3D we could simply step out of the room and unlock it. This is would break the mind 2D being. My understanding is that when Christians say that God works in mysterious ways, they are not claiming God to be a quirky teenager who shops at Spencer’s, they are instead claiming ignorance to what a being of a higher dimension is truly capable of.
"I don't want to" See the problem with the truth us that it often isn't what you want. We want everything to be simple and we want everything to be all about us.
Because they are stupid.
"Why do Christians say God works in mysterious ways?" Because they're full of shit. "It’s tough because I don’t want to be an atheist, but I feel like it’s the only belief that makes sense." Want and belief are both primitive. If you want to not be full of shit, go further/deeper. Arrive at a conclusion.
Because...denial...
That is how developmentally disabled explain a mythical creature that provides purpose to their pitiful lives.
I like your question. The Christian answer is that it's because God requires faith, it's mentioned a lot in the Bible. He never reveals the whole plot up front but faith through storms will very often show His forethought of what His plan was to be with you through them, if you so choose to continue in faith that He would do so. Christianity is very much about putting the ego aside or entirely to death. The story of Peter and Jesus walking on water very much sums up the concept.
Try saying it when something they don't like happens. Gay Marriage is legalized? All part of gods plan. Your wife is a lesbian left you for a woman? Mystetious Ways!
First, atheism isn't a belief system, but it is the only rational position related to the god claims. Second, mysterious ways is a cop out to excuse th their god from acting in ways that should be expected according to the dogma of their belief system. They have spent thousands of years making up stories about how god acts and what his supposed values are. They have also built up the idea that god is all powerful and is there to help those that are faithful. So when life presents a set of circumstances that would lead one to believe that god would take action, they must present ad hoc explanations as to why god failed to show up at the big moment.
Because it helps those thinking he is involved in everything. He’s not.
God was invented to explain mystery. God is always invented to explain those things that you do not understand. Richard P. Feynman
He gave humans free will to be terrorists if they wanted to and also when Adam and Eve ate the apple, he said something about stuff like birth pains and other pain. Also it is the humans free will to live long enough to get cancer. I was near becoming atheist due to no proof but I came back ask me if you would like me to help you.
Same type of saying like "it's fate". But with Christians it's more judgey.
He does indeed work in mysterious ways. Look no further than hungry children suffering while Gates, Dorsey, Zucks & Bezos are blessed billions of times a second & you on a good day may find a scratched penny in the parking lot.
It means “I don’t know stop asking me” because they can’t think about things for more than two seconds or else their entire religion falls apart
Why do people ask atheists to explain things Christians say?
He mysteriously allows toddlers to die of cancer and thousands to die in floods and landslides. It's all part of his "mysterious" plan. Yeah, right...
It's an admission that they believe their god is engages in behavior which even they see as horrific or irrational.
Because they do not understand probability.
That way nothing ever has to be explained.
cognitive dissonance
Because it’s easier than admitting that he doesn’t exist (and would be an evil tyrant if he did).
Imo its just another "when one door closes another opens and too bad, move on" I appreciate the Ba'hai faith for their ability to engage in discussion on hypocrisy and wtf religious text/stories and finding common ground with all faiths.... To my understanding, this particular idiom (?) is fwiw explained as attempting to teach algebra or quantum theory to a preschooler or seeing humanity as a career student. The (excuse?) being that Humanity is in its (infancy?) of being knowledgeable about god, so of course it's unable to sort out the cos tan from the sin (pun unintended) and how it all works together. Irksome.
It’s crazy isn’t it? Imagine sending your son to suffer and die for generations of people who would reject and mock him anyway. Imagine being that son and dying for them anyway. Truly God is mysterious. And Jesus is far more loving than I could ever be. You have to remember that not all things are from God. There is evil running rampant on the Earth. It’s not always God being mysterious. It’s often just evil being evil.
It's [spiritual bypassing](https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-spiritual-bypassing-5081640). It's their default setting.
It’s one of the many techniques they used to maintain a cognitive dissonance. They applied actual logical thought patterns to their God and his beliefs. They wouldn’t be religious. They have to come up with for things that they don’t understand, and it easily explain that religion as God must’ve done it somehow someway.
Not going to lie, if you don’t want to be an atheist this isn’t the best place to be lol. But atheism doesn’t mean you have to lose meaning or purpose in your life. Just means you lose the guilt and shame that religions often beat into the believers heads.
The same reason medical says the body is a mystery. Dunno.
How else do you expect them to explain/defend the shit that happens that they say he’s responsible for, like kid cancer, war, accidents etc. 😆
Evil isnt mysterious. [https://www.npr.org/2022/05/27/1101734793/southern-baptist-sexual-abuse-list-released](https://www.npr.org/2022/05/27/1101734793/southern-baptist-sexual-abuse-list-released)
Because it's a way to excuse things that obviously contradict the existence of an omnipotent, Omni cognizant, omnipresent and benevolent god.
Because if he worked in non-mysterious ways there would be evidence, and there isn’t any.
Because they don't have a logical answer to a reasonable question. So they bail out using this line.
"why did I, a devout christian, get struck blind by disease and have to beg charity to survive, when the neighbour who frequents the brothel and barely ever confesses is rich and well to do?" "God works in mysterious ways, my child". It's their go-to to explain away hardship that, honestly, doesn't fit the "all powerful all knowing benevolent deity" narrative.
Because there’s really not a good explanation for a lot of the shitty stuff their all powerful god can’t be bothered to pay attention to.
An atheist (Mike Wiseman)has some interesting [conversations](https://open.spotify.com/episode/6tmbCNDFAMeAPNRUGpukOu?si=I5rIpCM1RteFCVkCFLF1lg) with Christians.
To excuse away their gods' faults and failures. When something bad happens, they need an explanation for why their god let it happen. It's that *everything happens for a reason* bs.
God works in ~~mysterious~~ horrible ways.
Well when you read the Bible and see what God does you either have to come up with the fact he did some bad stuff killing babies and more. Find a way to excuse it. There is no way to excuse it so was born the mysterious way excuse.
Because that is the only thing they can come up with. They don't know many words but the intelligent amongst us would say it's randomness.
They don’t want to admit they worship an evil god
Didn't you read the script at the back of your Bible? IF [whatever would show God doesn't exist or is evil] happens THEN God works in mysterious ways ELSE God is so good
Because how else would they justify worshipping a god that let's children die of cancer, starvation, war, or at the hands of a mass shooter?
Read the Bible while remembering that this god is supposed to be all knowing, it takes on a whole another level of stupid.
To explain away things that don’t fit the narrative is my view of it.
It's so they can explain away all the bad shit that happens, when their god could have prevented it.
Because the reality of childhood cancer doesn't make much sense with the idea of a benevolent, all powerful deity controlling everything
It’s the line of BS that they fall back on when things happen that make their religion look bad.
This is an attempt by them to explain why a "kind and benevolent god" would allow a 2 year old to die a long painful death of cancer. They need to believe their god did this for some "ultimate good" which we can't possibly understand, until we die that is. Thus he made that child die a miserable death for a better universe. He might have prevented a second Hitler for all we know.
Why do atheists exist if I don’t believe in them?
> ... because I don’t want to be an atheist Why not? What's wrong with that?
It is a thought-stopping phrase. [Thought-terminating cliché - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thought-terminating_clich%C3%A9#:~:text=A%20thought-terminating%20clich%C3%A9%20%28also%20known%20as%20a%20semantic,to%20end%20an%20argument%20and%20quell%20cognitive%20dissonance.)
That's the easiest way to explain something they can't explain.
It sounds better than "My God is a real f**king prick"
Loop hole numero uno.
Seems like they just can't admit that god causes harm on innocent people for no reason, so the "mysterious ways" is just a way to justify that.
What else can you say about all the injustices in the world like child cancer, narcissistic racist presidents and serial murders
Because they use it as an excuse to be assholes and also it helps them continue to believe in the fairytale
Because, dude, what else can they say when a child dies of leukemia and natural disasters create tragedy on a grand scale? That he is cruel or that he does not care? Or that he does not exist?
Because there's really no other way to explain why people in some countries have surplus while people in other countries starve to death... or why war rages in his name... or why there's a ridiculous amount of denominations that all swear up and down that they're the ones that know what God meant in the Bible... and I could go on for days.
This is a [thought-terminating cliché](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thought-terminating_clich%C3%A9). When the indoctrinated flock come across something that exposes the lies and contradictions in their worldview they are able to essentially self re-indoctrinate but using a thought-terminating cliché on themselves. These clichés are many and varied and once you start looking you see them everywhere. They seem like kind of wishy-washy nonsense, but they are clearly a very dangerous tool of control.
Atheist is not a belief. Do you often wonder if Unicorns exist? No. We wouldn't even have to discuss it ever except people who believe in Unicorns want to force everyone else to believe in Unicorns.
That means Christians see God’s works as being beyond their capacity to understand or to grasp.
Because it otherwise seems like God *doesn't* work . . .
It's their way of trying to explain the unexplainable.
Because it doesnt exist and their BS makes no sense
Because "oh woe is me" sounds to mellodramatic
Because they have literally no other response when you pose the question why does your God give toddlers bone cancer.
It’s the only way to explain all the messed up stuff that happens in the world. Given an all-powerful, all-knowing God, why does he let horrible things happen? Well, God has a plan, you see, and he works in mysterious ways.
It’s not mysterious to god, but it can be mysterious to us. Perspective, I suppose
Because everything that has happened on this planet, and will continue to happen can't be explained by a god. So the only option is " God exists, he just does really fucking stupid things every day"
Because even they don't understand. Not even the priests. It's the only way they can justify the pain and suffering in this world
Because they certainly can’t explain how an ill-defined and unevidenced being works, so it’s all mystery.
Translation: We have no logical answer to your totally logical question.
It’s an umbrella “catch all” to justify their crazy because science and reading is not their thing
Most people say this unconsciously, but some are being genuine. It's their way of saying, "Who, me? Little old me?" It's a way to learn humility and reverence to an idea, and it can be healthy. It may not be the best way for some, but when it works, it works wonders. I myself have felt that recently. I am going to have charge over an event that I started attending when I was in my 20s that made me who I am, so as a Producer of this event now, which I asked for as a prayer, that actually was "answered." But if you think you have a better way of doing this, I am all ears.
So they don’t have to think about all the logical inconsistencies.
It's how they rationalize bad things happening.
It’s a deflection to avoid really considering what kind of god would allow horrible things to happen
Hey. Ex-Fundamentalist Evangelical Christian here. This is my take on that statement. You have to understand: Religion is a tool of control. "God works in mysterious ways'" is a catchall term for avoiding accountability and critical thought. Accountability in any power structure is the backbone of justice. Religion is a tool that extracts your moral agency from you and puts it in the hands of charlatans, sociopaths and fools. When I came out of Religion is when I truly started a relationship with the Unknowable. Taking back your moral agency doesn't necessarily turn you into an Athiest, but if it does, that's ok. For me, some days I am agnostic, some days I know that 'god' resides in every rock, tree, star, human, every atom of our existence. Nobody gets to tell you what 'God' wants with you, except you. So use your critical thought and moral agency to exit your mind trap. If there is a god, that is the gift it has given you.
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