I understand that no one
has actually seen the face of God. But, many of us believe that at one
time there must have been some kind of god-like being which established the
Earth, the many forms of life on the Earth, and then organized physical forces
of great complexity, which today generally give predictable results in their
actions. There seems to be some order in our universe.
So, wouldn't the
benefactor who did this want to protect that investment ----- not declare the
work done and simply walk away? However, despite such thinking, sometimes
the people of this creation today DO contract a deadly disease, DIE
in a natural disaster, or are KILLED arbitrarily in an automobile
accident where the other driver was at fault. Does God just let this
happen?
A complete understanding
of how God works certainly is beyond our mortal abilities. But,
over the centuries much thought has attempted to explain the mystery of whether
and how God is present in our lives. The result has been the development
of a number of alternative theological theories, which take us into the realm
of religious faith.
Many Christians point to
the earthly presence of Jesus two thousand years ago, as convincing evidence
that God does care about us and is present in our lives, even
today. In addition, the Bible is seen as confirming that God is with us
today by the many quotes from Jesus about God. In addition, the Bible is
thought to evidence God's presence for us by what it calls the Holy Spirit,
which it says dwells in each of us Believers. But we must remember that
none of this has scientific proof ------ it is a beautiful expression of faith.
Recently, I was teaching
a Sunday School class of teenagers. It happened shortly after one of the
tragic mass shootings in America. One of my students raised his hand and
asked, "Where was God when this killing of innocent people
occurred?" I had been asking myself the same question! Does
our Creator no longer care about us?
I told the class that
some people, whom we call "agnostics", do want absolute proof
that there is a real God who remains active in our lives. They are
not prepared to accept God as a reality based on their faith, nor can
they simply trust that He is out there somewhere for us. In the
overall spectrum of belief in a God currently active in our lives, this
position is the most challenging.
Well, could it be, I
asked the class, that things could happen to people for no reason ------ that
God has lost touch with the world, and nobody is in the driver's seat? If
God is not in charge of all things, then who is? Worse yet, could
it be that God does not care what happens to us? Bad things do
happen to good people in this world, but it may not be God who wills it.
For example, could it be that God does not decide which families will give
birth to a handicapped child. Perhaps God would like people to get what
they deserve in life, but He cannot always arrange it. Are we forced to
choose between a good God who is not totally powerful, or a powerful God
who is not totally good? The Bible repeatedly speaks of God as the
special protector of the poor, the widow and the orphan, without raising the
question of how it happened that they became poor, widowed or orphaned
in the first place.
The opposite extreme would
be that God not only is strongly present in our lives, but that our lives are
not independently lived ----- that God is totally in charge. That,
although we may believe we think for ourselves, we actually have no
independent discretion. Therefore, in times of human tragedy or hardship,
it is totally God's doing and we have done nothing to prompt it.
For many folks, this wide
range of uncertainty about God's possible plans for us is a huge worry, so
theology has developed a number of intermediate theories, which are thought to
be at work alone or jointly in any given situation. .
Some people believe that much of God's work is actually done through
human beings, which gives us some power to modify or even thwart what
God wants. So, our personal relationships with God may determine what God
actually does with humankind. Here are some of the many alternative
theories about God's presence in our lives:
Theory #1:
Sometimes victims of misfortune try to console themselves with the
idea that God has His reasons for making this happen to them, reasoning that
they are in no position to judge God. They believe there is some purpose
in this suffering, but that it is beyond our ability to understand that
purpose. Furthermore, if God has initiated the tragedy or hardship on us,
how can we now, in our prayers, ask God to help us?
Theory #2:
Tragedy in our lives is for our own good. It teaches us to be
strong. Perhaps God does painful things to us as His way of helping us
----- like a drill sergeant in the Marine Corps. Can't suffering be
educational? Perhaps it can cure us of some of our faults and make us
better people, just as a parent must sometimes punish a misbehaving
child.? Theory
#3: In troubled times, we are not compelled to feel that
God has judged and condemned us. We can be angry at what has
happened, but without feeling that we are angry at God. Furthermore, we
can see that our anger at some of life's unfairness is coming from God,
in our instinctive compassion upon seeing how other people suffer. He
teaches us to be angry at injustice, and to feel compassion for the
afflicted. We can feel that our indignation is God's anger at
unfairness, working through us.
Theory #4:
God may not even be doing this to us. He is a God of justice and
not of power. Thus, He can still be on our side when bad things happen to
us. He can know that we are good and honest people who deserve
better. Our misfortunes are none of His doing, and we can turn to Him for
help. Regardless of how our tragedies are caused, God stands ready to
help us cope with the situation, if we can just get beyond the feelings of
guilt and anger that separate us from Him. Could it be that, "How
could God do this to me?" is the wrong question to ask. We should
ask, "God, see what is happening to me? Can you help me?"
We will turn to God, not to be judged or forgiven, not to be rewarded or
punished, but to be strengthened and comforted.
Theory #5:
Assume that God is the cause of our suffering. But, our
God is a God of justice and righteousness. Our God is all powerful and
causes everything that happens in the world. Nothing happens without His
will. Our God stands up for people getting what they deserve, so that the
good prosper and the wicked are punished. He gives people exactly what
they deserve.
Friends and family
of victims sometimes think the victim should be blamed so that evil doesn't
seem quite so irrational and threatening to themselves. They believe that
because God punishes people for their sins, it is one's misdeeds that have
caused their misfortunes. But, what if one does not know what that
causal misdeed was. Some will ask whether pointless suffering for some
unspecified sin is really a contribution to humankind? Blaming the victim
helps fortunate people believe that their good fortune is deserved, rather than
being a matter of chance. Finally, why does there appear to be such an
unfair distribution of suffering in the world? Does God really give
everyone just what they deserve and need? Why do totally unselfish people
suffer, people who never do anything wrong?
Theory #6:
When all else fails, some people try to explain suffering by
believing that it comes to liberate us from a world of pain, and in the case of
death, leads to a better place. Death takes us out of this world of sin
and pain. The victim is now in a happier land where there is no pain, nor
grief.
Sometimes
when our souls yearn for justice, because we so desperately want to believe
that God will be fair to us, we fasten our hope on the idea that life in this
world is not the only reality. Somewhere beyond this life is another
world where "the last shall be first" and those whose lives are cut
short here on earth will be reunited with those they loved, and will spend
eternity with them. No living person can know anything about the reality
of that hope. The non-physical "body" leaves us when we die,
what we call our "soul". Belief in a world to come where
innocent souls are compensated for their suffering on earth, can help us endure
the unfairness of life in this world, without losing faith. But it can
also be an excuse for not being troubled or outraged by injustices around us,
and not using our God-given intelligence to do something about it.
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These thoughts are brought to you by the CPC Adult Spiritual
Development Team, hoping to encourage your spiritual growth this summer.
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