Many believe that God wanted people to be free to choose good
behavior. But, being free to choose the "good," they also are
free to choose bad behavior. If God wanted true
"children," rather than robots, there is always the risk that they
might abuse their gift of free will, and choose bad behavior.
A great deal of the suffering in this world really should
not be blamed on God. It results from mean, cruel inhuman choices that people
make. For example, people-initiated acts of greed, social prejudice,
racism or oppression, often lead to the evils of poverty and social
marginalization, resulting in misery and premature deaths that could have been
avoided. Even with natural disasters like landslides and floods, much of
the suffering that results could be alleviated if people helped out
more in the aftermath.
However, this does not explain why God does not block the
harm to others caused by our bad choices. We do not let a child exercise
his free will and run out in front of a speeding car. Without doubt we
would want to block any harm to that child! Why doesn't God do
that? Is the need for our free will a good enough reason for all the evil
that seems to come with it?
As a Christian, I do not believe that I was born morally
neutral ---- it seems that from the beginning, I was biased toward
sinning. So. I am grateful that someone named Jesus made a very great
sacrifice to redeem me. Although I do have some power of decision
in my daily life, I do not always use my free will power effectively. I
sometimes do selfish or foolish things.
There are so many ways any of us can reject God in our daily
lives and then try to serve as our own God. We may seek pleasure
in boosting our own ego, eating to excess certain foods (like high-calorie ice
cream sundaes) or perhaps using certain chemicals which we have found to
relieve our pain and the anxieties of everyday life. In effect, we are
surrendering to an outside factor, but it is not God. Many of us
do this so frequently, it becomes a habit ---- a habit which can be
self-destructive. This behavior is called an addiction. By
definition, we have little or not control over an addiction, even though it
appears to be an exercise of our own free will.
Not long ago, New York City Police found the dead body of
Philip Seymour Hoffman, a highly-regarded film and stage actor.
Apparently, he had struggled with heroin addiction for some time and he
appeared to have died from a heroin-related overdose. A syringe was found
in his left arm. Often an addiction begins with over-use at home of
prescription drugs. Heroin is well-known to be highly addictive, but
there are many other opportunities for addiction.
The smoking of tobacco products is less lethal than heroin
and "pot," but it kills 480,000 Americans a year, reports the New
York Times. Kathleen Sebelius, former Secretary of Health and Human
Services, has said that each day some 3,200 children under age 18 will try a
cigarette and 700 will go on to become daily smokers. That means, she said,
that 5.6 million American children alive today will die premature deaths
because of diseases linked to smoking.
Alcohol consumption is another addiction for some
people. What all addictions have in common is that the victims have
surrendered control of their God-given judgment and capacity to choose
freely. Sometimes, third-parties can help bring an addiction victim back
into self-control, but usually it is not easy and it often takes the continued
support of other family members and friends ---- and even then, it is not a
sure bet.
Perhaps the best course of action is alertness to potential
addictions, and then avoiding them as if our lives depended on it. It may
start as a desire or longing. Temptation starts when we think about
giving in to desire, or about fulfilling a legitimate desire in a wrong way or
at the wrong time. Temptation always starts in one's mind, not in the
circumstances outside us. One finally acts on the thought we have been
toying with in our mind. What began as an idea gets born into
behavior. Now we give in, and the next time we are tempted to take this
action, it is more difficult to say "No". This is addiction,
and it is self-reinforcing. At that moment we think we know what is best
for us ---- we act as if we think we know more than God knows.
_______________________________________________________________________________
These thoughts are brought to you by CPC's Adult
Spiritual Development Team, hoping to encourage you to pursue some personal
spiritual growth this Spring at CPC.
_______________________________________________________________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment