{"id":63,"date":"2014-05-05T17:42:57","date_gmt":"2014-05-05T17:42:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/darkestlight.org\/b\/?p=63"},"modified":"2014-05-05T17:42:57","modified_gmt":"2014-05-05T17:42:57","slug":"the-problem-of-evil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/darkestlight.org\/b\/the-problem-of-evil\/","title":{"rendered":"The Problem of Evil"},"content":{"rendered":"

Usually I only post about things that I feel like I have figured out. \u00a0Not necessarily that I know I am for sure right, but that I know exactly what I believe about it and therefore feel comfortable sharing it. \u00a0That is not, however, the case with this one.<\/p>\n

Really I have only been thinking much of this since yesterday. \u00a0I realized that in light of new ways of understanding things, my old model for this doesn’t really make any sense. \u00a0I’m not sure it ever really made sense in my old way of understanding either,\u00a0and I guess not that much changes… because even still mankind’s evil choices only explain a certain amount of evil in the world. \u00a0Things like cancer, and birth defects, and natural disasters all seem to be manifestations of evil.<\/p>\n

When one understands God to be the one who ultimately makes both the good and the bad to happen. \u00a0If you need Biblical support for that, try Isaiah 45:7 – “I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the LORD, who does all these things.” \u00a0This idea is present throughout much of the Old Testament. \u00a0As these are Jewish scriptures, it is easy to see why a Jewish person would not believe in an entity such as is the Christian understanding of Satan. \u00a0God brings both well-being and calamity, there is no need for a figure such as Satan to explain it.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is quite naturally troubling to us as humans. \u00a0This is, after all, supposed to be a God of love, and yet He at best allows terrible things to happen to us (a la Job), and at worst is Himself directly causing those things to happen. \u00a0These are things that hurt us and cause us pain, and in the more extreme examples, we cannot see any satisfying purpose in the suffering. \u00a0When a young child dies in terrible pain from sickness or from abuse, is there anything that can come of that which would make us see it as not a terrible evil?<\/p>\n

This question of evil is a very old one. \u00a0It is entirely what the story of Job is about, and Job is\u00a0believed to be the oldest book of the Bible, dating back to about 1500 BC. \u00a0We as humans have been struggling with this idea ever since then, and we are perhaps no closer to understanding it now than we were then. \u00a0What is the great reasoning for Job’s suffering in the book of Job? \u00a0 Apparently so that God could prove to Satan that Job really was a totally loyal guy that would still keep doing the right thing even if his blessings were taken away. \u00a0There you have it, as least God isn’t insecure or anything…<\/p>\n

Oh, but if that isn’t satisfying enough we go on to get this answer (In Job 38-39):<\/p>\n

\n

Then the\u00a0Lord<\/span>\u00a0answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

2\u00a0<\/span>\u201cWho is this that\u00a0darkens counsel by words\u00a0without knowledge?<\/span>
\n3\u00a0<\/span>Dress for action\u00a0<\/b>like a man;<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>I will question you, and you make it known to me.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cWhere were you when I\u00a0laid the foundation of the earth?<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Tell me, if you have understanding.<\/span><\/span>
\n5\u00a0<\/span>Who determined its measurements\u2014surely you know!<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Or who stretched the line upon it?<\/span><\/span>
\n6\u00a0<\/span>On what were its bases sunk,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>or who laid its cornerstone,<\/span><\/span>
\n7\u00a0<\/span>when the morning stars\u00a0sang together<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and all\u00a0the sons of God\u00a0shouted for joy?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

8\u00a0<\/span>\u201cOr who\u00a0shut in the sea with doors<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>when it burst out from the womb,<\/span><\/span>
\n9\u00a0<\/span>when I made clouds its garment<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0thick darkness its swaddling band,<\/span><\/span>
\n10\u00a0<\/span>and prescribed\u00a0limits for it<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and set bars and doors,<\/span><\/span>
\n11\u00a0<\/span>and said, \u2018Thus far shall you come, and no farther,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and here shall your\u00a0proud waves be stayed\u2019?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

12\u00a0<\/span>\u201cHave you\u00a0commanded the morning since your days began,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and caused the dawn to know its place,<\/span><\/span>
\n13\u00a0<\/span>that it might take hold of\u00a0the skirts of the earth,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and the wicked be\u00a0shaken out of it?<\/span><\/span>
\n14\u00a0<\/span>It is changed like clay under the seal,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and its features stand out like a garment.<\/span><\/span>
\n15\u00a0<\/span>From the wicked their\u00a0light is withheld,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0their uplifted arm is broken.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

16\u00a0<\/span>\u201cHave you\u00a0entered into the springs of the sea,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>or walked in the recesses of the deep?<\/span><\/span>
\n17\u00a0<\/span>Have\u00a0the gates of death been revealed to you,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>or have you seen the gates of\u00a0deep darkness?<\/span><\/span>
\n18\u00a0<\/span>Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Declare, if you know all this.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

19\u00a0<\/span>\u201cWhere is the way to the dwelling of light,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and where is the place of darkness,<\/span><\/span>
\n20\u00a0<\/span>that you may take it to its territory<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and that you may discern\u00a0the paths to its home?<\/span><\/span>
\n21\u00a0<\/span>You know, for\u00a0you were born then,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and the number of your days is great!<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

22\u00a0<\/span>\u201cHave you entered\u00a0the storehouses of the snow,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>or have you seen\u00a0the storehouses of the hail,<\/span><\/span>
\n23\u00a0<\/span>which I have reserved\u00a0for the time of trouble,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>for the day of battle and war?<\/span><\/span>
\n24\u00a0<\/span>What is the way to the place where the light is distributed,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

25\u00a0<\/span>\u201cWho has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0a way for the thunderbolt,<\/span><\/span>
\n26\u00a0<\/span>to bring rain on\u00a0a land where no man is,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>on\u00a0the desert in which there is no man,<\/span><\/span>
\n27\u00a0<\/span>to satisfy the waste and desolate land,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and to make the ground sprout with\u00a0grass?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

28\u00a0<\/span>\u201cHas\u00a0the rain a father,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>or who has begotten the drops of dew?<\/span><\/span>
\n29\u00a0<\/span>From whose womb did\u00a0the ice come forth,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and who has given birth to\u00a0the frost of heaven?<\/span><\/span>
\n30\u00a0<\/span>The waters become hard like stone,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and the face of the deep is\u00a0frozen.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

31\u00a0<\/span>\u201cCan you bind the chains of\u00a0the Pleiades<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>or loose the cords of\u00a0Orion?<\/span><\/span>
\n32\u00a0<\/span>Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth\u00a0in their season,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>or can you guide\u00a0the Bear with its children?<\/span><\/span>
\n33\u00a0<\/span>Do you know\u00a0the ordinances of the heavens?<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Can you establish their rule on the earth?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

34\u00a0<\/span>\u201cCan you lift up your voice to the clouds,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>that\u00a0a flood of waters may cover you?<\/span><\/span>
\n35\u00a0<\/span>Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and say to you, \u2018Here we are\u2019?<\/span><\/span>
\n36\u00a0<\/span>Who has\u00a0put wisdom in\u00a0the inward parts<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>or given understanding to the mind?<\/span><\/span>
\n37\u00a0<\/span>Who can number the clouds by wisdom?<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,<\/span><\/span>
\n38\u00a0<\/span>when the dust runs into a mass<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0the clods stick fast together?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

39\u00a0<\/span>\u201cCan you hunt the prey for the lion,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>or\u00a0satisfy the appetite of the young lions,<\/span><\/span>
\n40\u00a0<\/span>when they crouch in their\u00a0dens<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>or lie in wait\u00a0in their thicket?<\/span><\/span>
\n41\u00a0<\/span>Who provides for\u00a0the raven its prey,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>when its young ones cry to God for help,<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and wander about for lack of food?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n

\u201cDo you know when\u00a0the mountain goats give birth?<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Do you observe\u00a0the calving of the does?<\/span><\/span>
\n2\u00a0<\/span>Can you number the months that they fulfill,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and do you know the time when they give birth,<\/span><\/span>
\n3\u00a0<\/span>when they\u00a0crouch, bring forth their offspring,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and are delivered of their young?<\/span><\/span>
\n4\u00a0<\/span>Their young ones become strong; they grow up in the open;<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>they go out and\u00a0do not return to them.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

5\u00a0<\/span>\u201cWho has let the wild donkey go free?<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Who has\u00a0loosed the bonds of the swift donkey,<\/span><\/span>
\n6\u00a0<\/span>to whom I have given\u00a0the arid plain for his home<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0the salt land for his dwelling place?<\/span><\/span>
\n7\u00a0<\/span>He scorns the tumult of the city;<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>he hears not the shouts of the driver.<\/span><\/span>
\n8\u00a0<\/span>He ranges the mountains as his pasture,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and he searches after every green thing.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

9\u00a0<\/span>\u201cIs\u00a0the wild ox willing to serve you?<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Will he spend the night at your\u00a0manger?<\/span><\/span>
\n10\u00a0<\/span>Can you bind\u00a0him in the furrow with ropes,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>or will he harrow the valleys after you?<\/span><\/span>
\n11\u00a0<\/span>Will you depend on him because his strength is great,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and will you leave to him your labor?<\/span><\/span>
\n12\u00a0<\/span>Do you have faith in him that he will return your grain<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and gather it to your threshing floor?<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

13\u00a0<\/span>\u201cThe wings of the ostrich wave proudly,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>but are they the pinions and plumage of love?<\/span><\/span>
\n14\u00a0<\/span>For she leaves her eggs to the earth<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and lets them be warmed on the ground,<\/span><\/span>
\n15\u00a0<\/span>forgetting that a foot may crush them<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and that the wild beast may trample them.<\/span><\/span>
\n16\u00a0<\/span>She\u00a0deals cruelly with her young, as if they were not hers;<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>though her\u00a0labor be in vain, yet she has no fear,<\/span><\/span>
\n17\u00a0<\/span>because God has made her forget wisdom<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0given her no share in understanding.<\/span><\/span>
\n18\u00a0<\/span>When she rouses herself to flee,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>she laughs at the horse and his rider.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

19\u00a0<\/span>\u201cDo you give the horse his might?<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Do you clothe his neck with a mane?<\/span><\/span>
\n20\u00a0<\/span>Do you make him leap like the locust?<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>His majestic\u00a0snorting is terrifying.<\/span><\/span>
\n21\u00a0<\/span>He paws\u00a0in the valley and exults in his strength;<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>he\u00a0goes out to meet the weapons.<\/span><\/span>
\n22\u00a0<\/span>He laughs at fear and is not dismayed;<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>he does not turn back from the sword.<\/span><\/span>
\n23\u00a0<\/span>Upon him rattle the quiver,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>the flashing spear, and the javelin.<\/span><\/span>
\n24\u00a0<\/span>With fierceness and rage he swallows the ground;<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>he cannot stand still at\u00a0the sound of the trumpet.<\/span><\/span>
\n25\u00a0<\/span>When the trumpet sounds, he says \u2018Aha!\u2019<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>He smells the battle from afar,<\/span><\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

26\u00a0<\/span>\u201cIs it by your understanding that the hawk soars<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and spreads his wings toward the south?<\/span><\/span>
\n27\u00a0<\/span>Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and makes his\u00a0nest on high?<\/span><\/span>
\n28\u00a0<\/span>On the rock he dwells and makes his home,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>on\u00a0the rocky crag and stronghold.<\/span><\/span>
\n29\u00a0<\/span>From there he spies out the prey;<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>his eyes behold it from far away.<\/span><\/span>
\n30\u00a0<\/span>His young ones suck up blood,<\/span>
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0where the slain are, there is he.\u201d<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

And there you have it. \u00a0The explanation essentially boils down to this: \u00a0We have so little knowledge and understanding of the world around us that we couldn’t possibly hope to comprehend something like this. \u00a0That is the answer of the author of Job (and\/or the answer of God) to this question. \u00a0It’s ultimately my answer to the question as well, as unsatisfying as it is. \u00a0I don’t believe a satisfying answer is possible here… at least not without answering a whole host of other questions which we likely don’t even know enough to identify.<\/p>\n

I have spoken before of how I tend to understand God as a storyteller, and this does help me to understand some of the pain and suffering out there. \u00a0We discover who we really are in our suffering, just as we discover who the characters in the stories we love really are as they suffer. \u00a0No author delights in the suffering of those he created… \u00a0it can be hard to hurt or kill a character in your story, but sometimes it’s what the story needs. \u00a0Of course, life isn’t literally a story (or maybe it is, how would I know if it was?), but this is the most satisfying answer I can think of.<\/p>\n

The title of my post is quite similar to the title of a book by C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain. \u00a0I just sort of typed the first thing that came to mind, but I’m sure it was subconsciously inspired by it, as I almost immediately thought of that book when I started typing about this. \u00a0It’s been a long time since I read it, and after looking over some excerpts from it I don’t think he quite achieved a satisfying resolution on the subject, but I do want to share a quote that I think captures a good deal of truth. \u00a0It doesn’t outright answer the question of why such a world exists with the laws that it does, and I’m not quite sure what exactly it does answer… but to me it feels like it does answer something.<\/p>\n

“Try to exclude the possibility of suffering which the order of nature and the existence of free wills involve, and you find that you have excluded life itself.” – C.S. Lewis<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Usually I only post about things that I feel like I have figured out. \u00a0Not necessarily that I know I am for sure right, but that I know exactly what I believe about it and therefore feel comfortable sharing it. \u00a0That is not, however, the case with this one. Really I have only been thinking … Continue reading The Problem of Evil<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-63","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-spirituality"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/darkestlight.org\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/darkestlight.org\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/darkestlight.org\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/darkestlight.org\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/darkestlight.org\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=63"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/darkestlight.org\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64,"href":"https:\/\/darkestlight.org\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/63\/revisions\/64"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/darkestlight.org\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=63"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/darkestlight.org\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=63"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/darkestlight.org\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=63"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}