Why Is the Problem of Evil Such a Problem – Reflections on Haiti and Other Bad News
I have often heard it said that the problem of evil (why does God allow so many bad things) is the biggest problem of our generation.
Watching the news lately, I have been overwhelmed by the burdens of bad news that I had to take on within just a few moments. There was a shooting and someone died. There was a dad going mad and killing his young son with a knife. The details were gruesome; he was stabbed over and over again in the head. Not too long ago a twelve year old girl hung herself—twelve years old! Her parents are heavily involved my former church. We also had four other funerals within a two week period. Then, in my Sunday school class, there were more needs. A prayer request about a daughter with cancer, a father who lost his job, and a baby who was in danger of being born prematurely. Then there is the bad news that we get locally here in Norman. On top of that, there are so many family burdens, immediate and extended, that add to the pain. Burden after burden. Pain after pain. Evil after evil.
Most significantly: Haiti. My heart sinks in horror every time I think of all those who have died. More so, all those who are trapped, and are not going to be rescued. The cumulative pain of that nation right now could cause anyone to cry out in pain, despair, and, most significantly, doubt. God, where are you? What is up with THAT?!!
All the news is bad news. But you know what is difficult to handle? Most of this is bad news about people I did not know and would likely never meet. With this much evil, what is one to do?
Paul tells us to “Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2). The “law of Christ” in this context seems to be to love your neighbor as yourself (Matt. 22:39). How am I to bear all of these burdens? Are all these people my neighbors? There is that question again—”who is my neighbor?” To be a neighbor, do I bear all of these burdens? How? It is too overwhelming. Once I attempt to bear them all, they in turn become less significant and I become apathetic. I place my hands in my head and simply say “Maranatha!–come Lord Jesus.”
News can be overwhelming. Evil reports are discouraging, depressing, and disillusioning. I believe that in our world today we are blessed with valuable technological advancements in communication that would have seemed nothing short of supernatural until one hundred years ago. In the day of Christ, to think of those in Jerusalem being able to have on demand and immediate access to the happenings of people on the other side of the Roman Empire would have been unheard of. In order for one in Jerusalem to find out what was happening in Rome they would have to wait weeks or months to get the information. And even then, the information may not have ever reached your ears had you not been in the “need to know” audience. Certainly, people would have heard if Rome would have been sacked, if there was a severe famine in a certain part of the world, or if the Emperor had died or been replaced, but you would not have heard any non-significant information that did not pertain to you. You would not have heard about kidnapping of the daughter of the everyday Roman citizen, a stolen chariot, or a robbery-murder that took place on the Ephesian Way. This kind of information, if it did reach your ears, would have been irrelevant and, at most, part of a minor rumor mill that died out very quickly. At this time, a person would limit the “headline” news to that which happened in their own neighborhood. Worries and anxieties would be limited to the here and now. For the most part, worries and anxieties would have come from the possibility of future happenings to you, your family, or your immediate community. Your daily news would have come from your community within a certain vicinity. Within this limited community (your family, neighbors, synagogue/church, your work place), you would have had a balance of good and bad news. For the most part, this news would not have been too overwhelming or disillusioning. If there was someone who had a daughter who died of suicide, it was probably the first time you had been exposed to such an occurrence and it would seem very tragic. If you were a good neighbor who was desirous to bear the burdens of the other, you would have been with the parents that day with your arms around them. The biggest problem you would then have is to worry about the future. What is going to happen tomorrow? What if one of my children does the same thing? What if my child dies of this disease or that ailment? What if I lose my job as so-and-so did? What does the future hold?
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