u/tubby_chumpkins

To me there seems to be an uncomfortable problem regarding grace and free will. I'm aware I'm not the first person to think of it, but I can't seem to find a good answer.

What exactly determines whether a person responds to grace? We are all supposed to be given sufficient grace to turn our lives towards God and it's up to our will to make the right choice, but I am not sure how this actually works. There are so many people out there who lack any faith at all and don't respond to anything shown to them. Why? If God's grace is sufficient for us to find him, how is it possible for someone to refuse? Yes we can say things like "their mind is poorly formed towards God" but why would someone be allowed to stray so far from God that grace is no longer efficacious?

There are only a few options but none of them seem to work.

Due to previous human sin, someone's situation is such that no amount of grace can save them.

This seems to violate both God's omnipotence and to reduce someone's culpability. If they couldn't have done otherwise how can Gos hold them accountable?

2. God doesn't predestine everyone to salvation. Some people are "collateral damage" of human choice.

This seems to violate God's omnibenevolence.

I don't find either one very compelling but maybe I'm missing some other option.

How does your particular religion or system of beliefs understand suffering and "evil"? So much has been said and written on these topics from a Christian (Abrahamic in general, but also Buddhism) perspective but I rarely see any other traditions that focus on it. I wanted to know how other people try to make sense of it.

Why does suffering exist? What are we to do about our suffering and why?

Does "evil" exist for you? If so, why and what is it?

I got laid off from my office job six months ago. I'm kind of at a point now where I need a job in the next few months (I mean, I have enough money to keep being a bum but at a certain point this is becoming pathetic). I picked up woodworking and even took a week-long timber framing class in NH shortly before I got laid off and it's been the only thing that I've gravitated towards so I figured I'd try to give it a shot professionally. I sent some emails out to local shops and so far haven't had any luck with that cold approach. Does anyone have any tips? I'm in Southern New England if it matters.

I'm signed up for a six day class at the Heartwood school which begins Sunday. I've been into hobbyist woodworking for a little while now but wanted to explore the timber construction world a bit and thought this would be a good experience. I am still feeling things out but am committed at this point to some transition into carpentry as a craft and was looking for advice. What's a realistic career path look like in the timber framing world in New England?

I'm a Christian but I've always been interested in Buddhist views as well, especially on the mystical side of things. For much of my life I've been plagued by nightmares and sleep paralysis where (what I can only seek to describe as demons) come by and torment me. It made me curious about how different Buddhist schools would treat something like this and what they would "prescribe" as a treatment. I've read that some traditions have something that looks outwardly similar (to me) to Catholic exorists, but I haven't been able to see or read about anyone that has had direct experience with them.