Bad things to good people

[J Jack]

The current griping I've been hearing about religion is along the lines of

"Why would your so called God let the world fall apart?"
"Why does your God allow children to be raped and murdered?"
"Why does this God of yours let people suffer, why is there pain?"

I've always answered the same way, I heard it before, but it works. If you had a son, and he wanted to try riding a bike, or skateboarding, would you stop him just because you knew he would fall and be hurt? Or would you let him try, and when he fell, be there to pick him back up with love?

I want to hear your thoughts on why our world is the way it is, without God meddling, as it were. Why doesn't he (to semiquote Narnia 2) come roaring in to save us like the last time? Are we afraid to believe by ourselves, to feel no fear and trust in Him?

[veritasseeker90]

Hmmm, I'm actually dealing with this a lot lately with people.

I believe, much like you, that God gave us freewill. He's not going to, in effect, hold a gun to our skulls and say, "Do this or else."

That's the beauty of freewill, but we humans--because we chose the worst fate we could have ever chosen when we had it so good-- just don't get it. We can't stop, yet, when we're reminded of his Grace the world looks much more beautiful.

I'm rambling, and I apologize. I do this, late at night.

[Divides the Waters]

Feb 18, 2009 23:51:10 GMT -5 J Jack said:

I've always answered the same way, I heard it before, but it works. If you had a son, and he wanted to try riding a bike, or skateboarding, would you stop him just because you knew he would fall and be hurt? Or would you let him try, and when he fell, be there to pick him back up with love?

I think the real question is not if you would stop him from riding the bike in the first place, but why, if it was in your power, wouldn't you stop him from riding it over a cliff?

[Jeff Gerke]

The problem of evil. One of the classic dilemmas of the life of faith.

"If God is who you faith people say He is, why doesn't He prevent all this bad stuff from happening?"

In theological circles, the doctrine is called theodicy. The justice of God.

The underlying assumption here is that if God is God, He would never allow anything bad to happen. We would all live forever, disease-free, on the good ship Lollipop. That God could be all-powerful and all-good and all-knowing and all-present, and yet allow evil and suffering to happen is a true mystery.

You guys have already mentioned free will, which I think is the key here.

I addressed this issue in my fifth novel, Operation: Firebrand--Crusade. Not that I solved anything for all mankind [grin], but I've found it useful in this discussion. Here's the passage (note that Jason is upset about pedophiles in this scene; Trieu is a woman):

***

She squeezed his hand and let go. “You asked me how I deal with this kind of bad thing. I wonder if you’re really asking another question.”

“Like what?”

“Like ‘How could God allow these innocent children to be taken?’”

Jason nodded. “Yeah, I guess that’s right. I mean, we teach kids that God’s going to take care of them, and then this kind of thing happens. What are they supposed to think?” He stretched out on the chaise. “What am I supposed to think?”

“It’s a very old question, Jason. Theologians call it theodicy, I believe: the justice of God. It’s the ancient riddle: ‘If God is all-knowing and all-loving and all-powerful and all-good, how can He tolerate such terrible evil?’”

He swallowed. “Well, how can He?”

“I don’t know. But I think it has something to do with His love.”

“His love? God lets little girls get sexually violated and killed because of His love? Girl, that’s just crazy.”

Trieu sighed. “Yes, Jason, I know it sounds wrong, but listen. God is a lot more upset by all this than you are, okay? Don’t you think so? Don’t you know He was there holding little Samantha’s hand the whole time, that He was right there to welcome her into His arms the instant she died?”

A single tear escaped each of Trieu’s eyes.

“Don’t you know He’s so sick of this world, Jason? That He’s wanting to destroy the earth and bring judgment because of what people do to other people? But He holds off. And while He holds off, little girls keep dying.”

Jason opened his hands. “This is what I’m saying. Why does He—”

“Why? I don’t know why. But I know that you and I both owe our salvation to Him for holding off.”

Jason blinked. “Come again?”

“Jason, God’s been ready to wipe out the human race for a lot longer than you’ve been upset about pedophiles. It’s only by His mercy that any of us are still here after so many centuries of evil. Now, what if His patience ran out, say, the day before you became a Christian? Did you ever think of that? One day He’s going to pull the plug, Jason. He’s going to draw a line in the sand and whoever’s on the wrong side of that line is going to be in big trouble. One day He’s going to say, ‘That’s enough!’ What if that day had come the day before you became a Christian?”

“I…guess I’d be up a creek, wouldn’t I?”

“Exactly. But He didn’t. He stomached who knows how many injustices and innocents being killed just so that you and I would have the chance to come to Him.”

Jason shook his head. “Wow. I never thought of it th—”

“And you and I sit here and wonder what’s taking Him so long. We hear about terrible things and we throw our hands up and say, ‘God, where were You? Why won’t You hurry up and end all this?’ But He still waits. Why? Because there are millions of people out there who might just come to Jesus if they were given only one more day. Just one more day to hear the Good News and come to Him.”

She picked up her book. “So, yes, Jason, I think God allows bad things to happen—even though it makes Him sick to do it—out of a hope that someone’s eternity will be changed. He does it out of love.”

***

Jeff

[tris]

nicely written, Jeff.