by JT 39 Replies latest jw friends
We have a group of friends over right now, some are former jw and some have never been involved.
we are watching the news about the little girl death and the question has come up:
Why did God let this little child die like this?
I thought about how i would have responded if i was still in the Org, but now i would respond differently, but i would like to pose this question to you.
How do you Now answer this question-- How Could YOUR GOD watch as this little girl was brutally rape?
thanks
James
Reconciling God and Suffering, the age-old theological dilemna. I read a book by Peter Kreeft (Catholic writer and philosopher) where he took a stab at the question. He didn't pretend to have all the answers (like some arrogant religionists that we're all familiar with) but I think he made some good points.
In the book, he quotes from a Rabbi named Abraham Heschel - "The man who has not suffered, what does he know anyway?"
Suffering disturbs me as much as anyone else. But I do not find atheism to be a satisfying answer.
To me, it all boils down to one thing - was Jesus resurrected? I'm still trying to figure out if I believe it.
I even wonder how could God watch Jesus die...my friend Lou die...my friend Malcolm die...my grandfather's and grandmother's die...my father die...my uncle die...
Me?
My faith is, God can fix that which is/was broken.
Not one thing at a time...all at once.
But that's me.
God gave us freewill and unfortunately some people use it to evil purposes. If He could step in any time and change things we really would be puppets on a string. I know that this is no comfort to the parents.
This won't comfort them either, but when that subhuman piece of slime is caught he's going to spend some time being everybody's sex toy in prison until they get tired of him and somebody sticks a screwdriver between his ribs when the guards are all looking the other way for some reason.
Well im going out on a limb here but first of all God has a history of violence so he isnt exactly some Care Bear. I tend to think of an ant farm, we are his ants. He has lots of ants! Some die but there are always more ants! If all the ants die, he can get new ones! Hours upon hours of entertainment! Yes, allowing His only Son Jesus Christ to get cruxified kind of throws my whole theory in the trash, but some times it seems so true.....
Edited by - crazy151drinker on 17 July 2002 19:10:31
I think personally that the difficulty of conceiving an answer to this question lies in our very concept of the nature, character, and reality of God. We have been taught that the universe is controlled by an interventionist God who is consumed with intefering with the day to day lives of his children on this planet.
I don't believe that this is an accurate conception of the Absolute Reality. The death of one beautiful little girl pales beside all the horrors that have accompanied life on this planet from the beginning. Horrible diseases, mutilating accidents and injuries, wars by the thousands and all their horror, the utter injustice which dominates life on this planet, the disappointment and terror consequent on growing old and dying, all these things have been man's lot.
But we have been evolving from the total animal savagery where we began to the point that now we really do work for world peace, and for justice. But evolution is slow by definition, and I believe that man's wisdom must evolve. In the US for instance, we have allowed sentimentality to corrupt our system of justice. This misplaced and inappropriate idealism is blowing up in our faces. The liberal approach to criminal justice does nothing but force the innocent populace of this country to admit into its neighborhoods the worst criminal elements. I call it idealism gone berserk.
Why blame God? We have no need to look further than our mirrors to discover the real culprit. Our easy and uncritical acceptance of the real lack of anything like a system of criminal justice that is swift and implacable is IMHO the real culprit. God is merely allowing us to live out the meaning, and to realize the responsibility of the gift and burden of free will.
I'd be willing to bet the murderer of this little girl was: out on parole, a known sexual offender, awaiting trial on an unrelated charge, has a long criminal record, was abused as a child, and/or some combination of these characteristics and more. Why is it God's fault that we won't use our free will combined with common street smarts to protect ourselves and our children for this kind of animal?
We have created a society in which no one is responsible any longer for their own actions. I give you the example of Abu Jamal, cop killer, to whose cause thousands of liberal elitists in the media, hollywood, the church and other places have rushed.
And there's another weakness in the very fabric of our existence; this irresponsible abandonment of rational, adult evaluation of society's ills to hollywood actors. Who gives a shit what they think? They're just actors for chrissake, making a living by pretending to be someone they're not. And they're not equipped to make evaluations and decisions for the American people. Barbara Streisand? She's only a singer for God's sake. Remember when she suggested that everyone hang their wash in the California sunshine instead of using clothes dryers during the energy crisis out there? When asked if Babs was going to take her own advise her spokesperson, horror stricken at the very idea, replied that of course Barbara never conceived that she would be expected to take her own advice. And we look to these dilletantes to advise us?
No, it's not God's fault. It's our own, for being such easily led, superficial, nincompoops!
My $1.98
Francois
Dad was out of town with his college buddies getting drunk when she was killed. Sorry about that.
I would like to thanks all of you so far and my quest have enjoyed you all thought proking comments JeffT |
This won't comfort them either, but when that subhuman piece of slime is caught he's going to spend some time being everybody's sex toy in prison until they get tired of him and somebody sticks a screwdriver between his ribs when the guards are all looking the other way for some reason. Jeff myself and another person here at the house found your post to be very interesting in how you express how a Human would met out some type of "justice" such as what would happen to him in prison and this takes us back to the orginal question, While even Jail birds would see the need to DO SOMETHING why is it that Your God does not? We look forward to your thoughts James |
Its far easier to conclude that there isn't a god or there isn't a god that cares than the obscure reasons why the all powerful all seing deity would allow an innocent 5 yr old to suffer an out and out traumatic end to her life.
ISP
I would like to thanks all of you so far and my GUEST have enjoyed you all thought proking comments JeffT |
This won't comfort them either, but when that subhuman piece of slime is caught he's going to spend some time being everybody's sex toy in prison until they get tired of him and somebody sticks a screwdriver between his ribs when the guards are all looking the other way for some reason. Jeff myself and another person here at the house found your post to be very interesting in how you express how a Human would met out some type of "justice" such as what would happen to him in prison and this takes us back to the orginal question, While even Jail birds would see the need to DO SOMETHING why is it that Your God does not? We look forward to your thoughts James |
