“Poor God, how often He is blamed for all the suffering in the world. It’s like praising Satan for allowing all the good that happens.”–E.A. Bucchianeri, Brushstrokes of a Gadfly
I confess, I have never read this book, and have no idea who the author is, so I don’t feel quite right doing a traditional Quotable Notable post. But I came across this quote while looking for Christian quotes to write about, and it struck something within me. It’s not wrong; people blame God directly for suffering, and indirectly, when they say things like “Everything happens for a reason” or “God needed another angel.” They intend these things to be comforting, but actually imply that God deliberately caused a tragedy for reasons of His own. Such a concept is hard to reconcile with the idea of a loving God, and I would not be surprised to hear that some of the people who profess to not believe in God do so precisely for this reason.
The idea that God causes suffering does not align with what the Bible has to say on the subject. From the very beginning, the Bible is clear that there is another being who is actively working against not only God, but humanity as well. In Genesis 3, we are introduced to a “serpent” that causes sin to be introduced into the world; later passages, such as Revelation 12:9, make clear that that serpent is satan. There are multiple passages, such as the book of Job and Luke 13:16, that illustrate suffering caused by satan. And, in my opinion, the Bible also indicates another source of suffering: humans using their free will in ways contrary to God’s will. Putting aside all of the times someone in the Bible made a decision that caused some kind of suffering or negative consequences, there are still verses that speak directly on the matter. For example, Galatians 5:13 indicates we have both freedom and the ability to use that freedom however we choose. When people choose to use their free will in ways that cause harm, whether it is their own or someone else’s, that is their choice, their action. Not God’s.
There are responses to this line of thought, of course, and responses to those responses. Perhaps I’ll explore this topic in more depth in the future.
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