How Could A Loving God…?

Our thanks to Phil Eichman for sharing the following article with us on the problem of suffering.  Dr. Eichman teaches at SouthArk Community College and is one of my good deacons.
 
Thanks, Phil, for sharing this “good stuff” with us!
 
Dan Williams
PREACHER STUFF RESOURCE EXCHANGE
College Avenue church of Christ
1817 North College Avenue
El Dorado, Arkansas 71730
www.cacoc.org
 

HOW COULD A LOVING GOD…?

         When we ourselves are hurting, when we see the pain and suffering of others, or when we hear of some type of tragedy, we are often left with questions.  Often these questions are directed at God.  We may, for example, hear people say:  “Why did God allow this to happen?” or “Where was God when this happened?”

         Left unanswered, such questions can seriously affect a person’s faith.  J. B. Phillips has pointed out that the “problem of evil” and the “problem of pain” are “the most serious problems which face anyone of intelligence and sensibility.” He further points out that when faced with suffering or tragedy, people may ask:  “If there is a God of Love...how can he allow so much suffering in his creation, how can he permit natural disasters such as earthquakes, and how can we possibly reconcile the existence of evil with the idea of an all-wise, all-powerful, all-loving God?” (God Our Contemporary, Macmillan, 1960).

         What is suffering?  Suffering could be described as any physical or emotional pain.  Such a description, however, may be too simplistic.  Some pain, such as that resulting from an illness or injury, may be very intense but only last a short time.  Suffering would seem to indicate a more long-term process, resulting from something such as a serious or terminal illness, death of a loved one, a divorce, an accident, or a natural disaster, for example.

         At one time or another we have all experienced pain and may have also experienced some type of suffering in our lives.  Pain and suffering are universal.  No one is exempt.  All of us hurt from time to time, even Christians.  Different people approach the problem of pain a suffering in various ways.  The way in which a person approaches the problem will depend to a large extent to how he or she views God.  Here are some examples of how people view the problem of pain and suffering.  (Adapted from “Why Would a Loving God Allow Pain and Suffering?” by Jay Lynch, M.D., <http://www.leaderu.com/common/terror/lynch.html>.)

        There is no God.  This is the conclusion of scientism with its naturalistic explanations. It is also the result of reductionism that views everything within the universe as simply the result of chemical and physical processes and random events. Pain or suffering just happen and nothing can be done about it.  It is more a result of “bad luck” than anything else.  Individuals with this view would not necessarily blame God for pain and suffering in the world.  They may, however, use pain and suffering as an argument against God’s existence.

        There is a God but he is not good.   This is not as common in Western culture, but is very common in cultures with animistic religions in which the world is seen as being filled with evil spirits.  It is possible, however, for a person to be angry with God and question his goodness in a time of pain or suffering.  Thus, this response is not as remote as it may seem at first. 

         I recall such an incident when I was a teenager.  A young woman in our congregation was killed when her car was struck by a freight train.  The following Sunday morning a man went to the front of the congregation to lead the closing prayer.  He began the prayer, but stopped, turned and walked out the door.  As far as I know he never returned.  He indicated to those who talked to him that he was unable to believe in a God that would allow such a thing to happen.  For him God was not good.

           Pain and suffering are not real.  This is a common response in Eastern religions that see the material world as a delusion.  Thus, pain is seen as an illusion--something that is not real.

          God is all-powerful and all loving, but he uses pain and suffering to punish us for wrongdoing. This is a common response to pain and suffering and is the main subject of the book of Job.  Even today it is common for a person to say:  “Why did this happen to me?” or  “What did I do to deserve this?”  This is the type of thinking that concludes that good things should happen to good people and bad things should happen to bad people.

        God is good, but he is not all-powerful.  This is the view expressed in the popular book When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Rabbi Harold Kushner.  Although this leads to a rather weak view of God, this is probably more popular than we realize.  For some people it is evidently easier to believe in a weak God who cannot prevent pain and suffering, than an all-powerful and good God who still allows pain and suffering to exist.

        God is good, all-powerful, all knowing, and all loving and he will eventually make things right.  The view expressed in the Bible is that God presently allows pain and suffering in our world, but there will come a time when he will bring an end to pain and suffering and make all things right. 

         This is not necessarily an easy answer to our questions about pain and suffering.  It will, however, point us in the right direction. We will still often struggle with the existence of pain and suffering in our world, but as Christians we can do it with the hope that God will eventually make things right.

                                                                                                       Phillip Eichman

College Avenue church of Christ

El Dorado, Arkansas