For 3 weeks now, our world has had a front row seat for a horrendous event – the earthquake of Japan has become a rallying cry for humankind. There are millions of different voices all screaming for some hope in the midst of such a tragedy. Some use humor as a defense mechanism (and are thus fired from their cushy duck voice commercials) while others look for political reform and restrictions. Others look and blame human greed, not for the earthquake, but for the reactor mess. Still others want to blame some cosmic originator of the event itself – in other words, it’s God’s fault.
For millennia, humanity has wrestled with this “problem of evil” at multiple levels. Now, I’m certainly no philosopher or great theologian. I’m a fellow pilgrim on a journey that has bumps and detours and chasms that have to be crossed. In saying that, I’d like to suggest a couple thoughts about this problem of evil as it’s a pretty big bump that we will continue to stumble over as we journey.
The question is generally posed “why would an all-good, all-powerful God allow evil to exist?” Either God won’t destroy evil, which means he’s not all good or he can’t destroy all evil, which means he’s not all powerful. So either this god is truly limited or he just doesn’t exist. This is the argument and for many it’s one that just can’t be bridged. To be honest, my wrestling with this may not be satisfactory for many. I’ve heard some friends suggest that a better question is “why does anything happen – good or bad?” We’re here and that makes no sense in and of itself. It’s a great starting point.
I’d like to suggest that the “problem of evil” is actually an “all humanity” issue, not just one for Christians. Any conclusion as to why evil exists will require a great level of faith in something. In fact some would suggest that to even have the argument necessitates an existence of God on it’s own. C. S. Lewis said that evils existence was actually part of the reason he had to accept that there was a god. Without a god overcoming sin and evil, then life itself doesn’t make sense. Beyond that he suggested that our inbuilt system of right and wrong demands the presence of justice that could only come from a being of rights and wrongs, or otherness.
But what about the big evil in the world? If I understand correctly, Buddhism understands that evil is just part of life and you can’t have the good without the bad. They go hand in hand. Thus evil is really a part of the package and there is no real reason for any of it. I struggle with that as much as I struggle with the whole “there is evil so there is no God” statement.
I do find it interesting that in comparing the world’s religions, there is often a hero figure in religious talk. Heros abide and martyrs are a dime a dozen. What’s interesting is how in the Jesus story, we have a very different God and human condition relationship. In the Jesus story, God actually enters the sin, evil and suffering of his own creation and then endures it’s judgment. Follow that up with Jesus’ response, in which unlike other martyred hero, this Savior actually doesn’t approach his demise with vim and vigor but with humility and silence. Jesus appears to want to avoid this punishment as opposed to riding into the fray with wild abandon. Jesus also responds passively and with silence to his torturers. Jesus’ death was unique in that it had a deeper sense of loss associated with it.
The christian faith understands a God who is known in three person (trinity). Jesus was a part of the godhead from all time. Thus, as the Son is made incarnate (given flesh and bone) there was an initial separation or loss from that connection, but when Jesus is on the cross, the separation is immense. This is the reason for Christ’s cry of “my God, my God.”. The separation from the Godhead was more pain than Jesus could have ever imagined nor could we. He was isolated from perfection and while he didn’t cease to be God the Son, he did feel the separation.
So, this God entered the story and entered the pain, entered the sin, entered the suffering and felt it’s full force with deep brutality. We could think of if this way, God lost a child because the suffering that we too experience. Christianity is, to my knowledge, the only religion where God comes and suffers alongside of us. Now that doesn’t answer why suffering exists, but it sure let’s us know that it’s presence isn’t due to a God who’s not all-good or all-powerful.
I read this week that Christians ultimately have to have this hope that there is an ultimate reality that we can’t see. Now, I think without great care, that can sound highly insensitive and callous. But, when you see people who have lost loved ones or possessions there is a need for a reason. MADD was started because of moms who didn’t want drunk drivers to kill more children – they hated missing their children, but they also didn’t want it to be for nothing! I think this ultimately is what happens with the evil and suffering in this world – we don’t ultimately know why this stuff happens, but we do know that our God has felt it too and that at some point the joy of being with him will make our hurt go away – as if it won’t be remember-able.
Timothy Keller is a pastor in New York City and he’s a really smart guy. He suggests that the need for hope in the midst of suffering is our hope. He suggests that it’s similar to the end of JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy where Samwise Gamgee realizes that he’s not dead and is very much alive and well. He says, “Is everything sad going to come untrue?”. Keller shares that this is the hope of the Godhead of Christianity. We may not be able to understand the sadness of this life, but the joy and the hope of a better world where hurt and death have NO PLACE will make all our “sad” disappear. It’s an interesting thought…
I think there is more to this question and topic than I’ve been able to delve into here. I look forward to comments and posts and continuing this conversation this week at Antioch and in next weeks Blog.
No comments
The evil problem is a product of asking the wrong question. Instead of asking "why do bad things happen to good people?" we should ask "why do things happen at all?" If we were to ask the opposite of the first question "why do good things happen to bad people?" What would the logically answer be for a Christian? Because God is good and God gives goodness to all. If we say that though, then we have to assume that evil can touch all of us, since we live in a world that has inherently changed because sin entered into the picture. so, "why does anything at all happen to people?" The answer in two parts… Evil exists because our world is infected with sin. God, however, is ultimately good and gives good things to all people. If we think about it in any other way, doesn't our faith become works based? Doesn't it diminish God's grace?Matt has a book of quotes by famous fantasy writers answering the question "why does good always win?" My favorite answer was from R A Salvatore, who said (and i paraphrase) that good always wins because it is stronger than evil and anything else wouldn't make any sense. I think this holds true for followers of Christ as well. Ultimately God has the final say, and in the end, evil won't conquer us because God is ultimately good.