Down near Ajo Arizona there is a hamlet at a three way intersection called "Why." The story is that it was named for the "Y" in the road. However it every well could be a question we all ask ourselves from time to time. Why do bad things happen to good people? Why do good things happen to bad people. These questions are frequently used by unbelievers to argue that there is no God - otherwise he would not permit the obvious evils and inequities in the world.
Those who make that argument fail to recognize the purpose of our existence. God, being omniscient and all-powerful could easily stretch forth his hand and stay the murderer's knife or bullet. Yet he does not. To do so would be in contradiction of the free agency man was promised from the beginning. We live in a wonderful world, marvelously created to take care of us with some effort on our part. With that world come problems, usually brought upon us by one of the following:
1. A world of nature. Earthquake, flood, fire; accident; wind; and other disasters are naturally a part of our environment. We have to learn to cope with them, but many good people die as a result of them, and that through no fault of their own. Job is the classic example of how the good are subject to natural phenomena which may cause much harm. Job's "friends" were sure that the evils which befell him were due to his own misconduct, though it was clear he was a blameless and virtuous man. The same with the good people today - evils from a world of nature may befall them throught no fault of their own - just a part of an imperfect world which we live in and are subject to whether we are blameless or not.
2. A world of Man. Many of the evils that befall the good are caused by the actions of other people. Crime, in all of its manifestations, causes much misery and pain and even death, when the victim has done nothing to deserve such a fate. To prevent this, our Creator would have to take away the free agency of the criminal. This he will not do, though he has promised that all will face the consequences of their own (mis)conduct on judgment day. Meanwhile, the rain falls on the just and the unjust.
3. Ourselves. Many of the evils that befall us are the natural consequence of our own actions. We do things that may seem good at the moment, but which bring harm, ill health, unhappiness to ourselves and others, and many other evils. The insidious thing about personal misconduct is that the temptation most always seems quite attractive at the time. We do things that we know we should not do. These things are often done because of the enticement of the moment though we know that bad consequences will surely follow. However, we have a clear guide in the Scriptures and can avoid bad consequences by following the directions given.
Just some thoughts. I have never had a problem with why evil exists. Seems clear that it is and was meant to be a part of our earthly existence to be overcome by hard work, perseverence, faith and righteousness.
6 comments:
Yes, I hear this all the time, and I always give the same answer. Agency. You can't have a world with agency when God is always interfering. What's hard for me is the stories people tell when lives have been saved or inspired due simply to the faith of the saved, etc. We prayed, and the hurricane didn't touch our house. I'm sure it's true, but that doesn't mean that God doesn't love those whose houses were hit by the hurricane. We mortals cannot understand the "why" too many times to try to make sense of it. We just have to trust God and pray to know His will for us.
Thanks for the though-provoking post, Grandpa. It seems that asking "why" is often linked with a victim mentality. Trusting in an omniscient God will help us to overcome this. How much happier we are when we live in faith.
When I end up talking to someone who fears not God, they always use those lame points you make to justify their disbelief. A waste of time to try having a discussion with them on these things. I am grateful to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His Gospel. Thanks for giving us those things for our consideration.
I always feel more educated after reading your blog. I loved your insight. I have friends that tried to convince me that if there was a God than ... wouldn't happen. They even went as far as saying that is there is really a god, than he's a dumb one to let all the bad happen. I stopped them right there, but I couldn't get my point across to them. Melody is right. People like to use the question why to pity themselves. It's sad, but at least we know the truth.
Well said Grandpa. Thank heavens for agency. Those bad things that happen are indeed in most ways a good thing, not only to remind us of our humanity at agency, but to turn us to God. Whether by nature or by man, everything that happens is more reason for us to need God in our lives. Very well put Grandpa.
I absolutely love how you said this. I have one thing to add. What if you do what you feel is the right thing and it turns out to be the wrong thing or falls short? I have found that I do this a lot no matter how hard I try. So I am very grateful I have a Savior. I used to want my gravestone to say, "she tried." Now I want it to say, "she believed in Christ."
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