Thursday, March 17, 2011

Suffering #1

In light of the incredible events that have struck in Japan and NZ the issue of suffering and the role of God has been thrust to the forefront of many a mind.

People are wondering and I think the church should be a place that actually speaks out.

I always begin any discussion on the topic with a question.
Why does it matter?
Why should anyone care about tragedies that don't effect them personally or injustice in a distant land?
Why are we bothered by suffering?

Our angst amidst suffering is one things that point us towards the existence of a Creator Being.

We have an in-built desire for justice and a sense of value for all. This gives us compassion and mercy for those suffering.

I struggle to see where this desire comes from if there is not a Designer behind our existence. If we are nothing more than evolved mammals, governed by survival-of-the-fittest, then the loss of competition for resources and mates should not cause us undue grief.

1 comment:

Tony Jones said...

The guys were asking basically this question last night at Youthies.

It made me think that perhaps the question is often how come I don't suffer when others do, or the reverse, how come I do suffer when others don't.