Chapter 11
Why Does God Allow Suffering?
The book says;
“Why?” is a popular question in times of war and disaster. “If Jehovah God is all-powerful, loving, wise and just, why is the world so full of hatred and injustice?” It’s alright to ask that question because faithful Bible writers did so too.
Some religious leaders say it is God’s will for wickedness to occur, but “the Bible says, “It is unthinkable for the true God to act wickedly, for the Almighty to do wrong!” (Job 34:10)”.
Satan, not God, is the ruler of this world. “That is one reason why there is so much suffering”. then too, humans are imperfect and “struggle for dominance”, bringing “wars, oppression and suffering”. Thirdly, there is chance occurrence, being “in the wrong place at the wrong time”.
While it is comforting to know Jehovah does not cause suffering, we have to ask “Why does Jehovah allow all this suffering? If he is the Almighty, he has the power to stop it“. It is all about God‘s “right to rule”, his sovereignty, which was challenged in Eden.
We are given an illustration of a “clever, but rebellious student” who questions his teacher. Instead of throwing out the rebel from his class, the teacher allows him to demonstrate how he would solve the problem. When he fails, the teacher will be vindicated.
But “Why so long?” is asked. God has permitted Satan to rule for thousands of years of human history and has not helped him by preventing evil, as it might make Satan’s way look good. Jehovah will undo all the harm that has ever been done. Indeed, “we can be glad that he has not acted sooner, for his patience has given us the opportunity to learn the truth and to serve him”.
Jehovah has given us a “precious gift” which explains why he did not make Adam incapable of sinning; “humans were created with free will” and not as robots, or like animals, acting on instinct. “We are glad to have the freedom to make choices about what kind of person to become, what course of life to pursue, what friendships to form and so on”. Jehovah does not want “service under compulsion…. Satan, Adam annd Eve made the worst possible use of free will. They rejected Jehovah God. “What will you do?… you can join the millions who have taken a stand on Jehovah‘s side
======================================
Here again, are the age-old questions, “Why evil?” and “Why would an omnipotent, loving God not act?” The Watchtower’s answer is simplistic and selfish. It may be true that thousands of years of human history is but an instant in God’s eyes, but for many people, much of that time is spent in 70 year periods of misery, subject to random acts of nature and cruelty by other humans. The fact is, an omniscient God could have prevented it all. Perhaps all wrongs will be righted in the end and the past will seem like a bad dream, but this answer to the problem of evil is just a little too convenient.
My response:
Again, “the Bible says” a lot of things and it is not difficult to find a verse to support almost any hypothesis.
Only selfish people who are glad to have the opportunity to “join the club, just in time to save themselves” would have created such a self-centred God with weak excuses.
As for the Watchtower concept of "free will", it is conditional. Since the Watchtower likes human illustrations, what about this one? Which one of your children would you take with you on a lifeboat, leaving the others behind? That is a free will choice, is it not? Sure, you are free to take any one, but you can see the consequences.
Similarly, if we do not choose to join the Watchtower religion, we will die. But it goes further - if, at some time in the future, you use your free will and it takes you contrary to “the teachings of Jehovah’s Witnesses“, you will be disfellowshipped and cut off.
Also, if like millions of former Jehovah’s Witnesses, you realise that the Watchtower religion is false and has misled you and that there is no Armageddon and no paradise earth “soon”, will you be able to exercise your "precious gift of free will", to leave? Yes, but the consequence is emotional, spiritual, social and psychological death because every Jehovah’s Witness in the world, including your close family, will shun you forever after. Is that “free will”?
Further Reading: The God of Philosophy -- Roy Jackson
Or any other introductory book on the philosophy of religion
You have made very good alternative arguments in the first few rebuttals to WT teachings, but in this one (about God allowing evil) you make no alternative suggestions. Although I have left the WT behind (well, trying!) I still agree with their answer to this question because, yes, it is simple (rather than simplistic), and it seems to make sense ...... unless you have anything more constructive to offer??
ReplyDeleteThanks for pointing this out.
DeleteI shall have to think more about this now!
I'll get back to you "soon".
Thanks for your question. I think I have answered it already although not in enough depth.
DeleteI'm not trying to refute every single Watchtower teaching or to give an alternative belief because I hope that exiting from such a group would start with doing one's own research. That is the spirit of this series - the student should be asking questions and thanks to the ease of finding answers today with Google, (which wasn't available to me until 40 years after being indoctrinated) reading and deciding for themselves what their new belief system will be.
This may lead some JWs to Christianity, atheism or agnosticism or some mixture of belief which changes over the years and that's okay IF it is your own choice and not something put upon you by someone else (like me). There may be uncertainty and that's okay too, although some people might not be happy living with that. They would rather be given "the answers to everything".
I agree that I didn't tackle the big question adequately and that's becuase the "problem of evil" is huge. There is really no simple, satisfactory answer. It's difficult to explain briefly.
Blaming Satan for evil in the world is as acceptable as any other answer. That concurs with the teaching of Thomas Aquinas who was influenced by St Augustine. It is also the stance of the Roman church, so the Watchtower isn't so far away from Catholicism! Both the above believed that evil originates with the free will choices of angels and humans, but there is a problem raised - what about animals who have no free will? And what about natural evils like disasters? There is no free will in these.
in the book to which I referred on reading your question, there is no suggestion that God is vindicating himself before all onlookers in some kind of universal court. That's my objection to the Watchtower's teaching because that would be the selfish act of a god who could alleviate suffering and remove evil in an instant, but doesn't, just so that his name may be to vindicated. That seems to me a very human, petty response to being slandered. We already have "the answer to Satan" in the book of Job, so why does "Jehovah" continue the experiment for thousands of human years?
This apparent cruelty by God is one argument of critics like Stephen Fry and Richard Dawkins, but to these, we could say that, in the grand scheme of things, God can indeed right all wrongs and make them seem as nothing. But unless one believes in some future life, that is not a satsifactory answer either.
There is also the idea that suffering refines us. I know for myself that I am a better person now than I was, because through personal sufferings, which were done to me, I have learned a measure of empathy and compassion. Here I am in "the now", this moment, fairly happy, with the suffering in the past long gone. (although it is still affects me in my memory).
if you would like more on this, look at the following books or visit your library
The God of Philosophy-- Roy Jackson
An Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion - Brian Davies
Teach Yourself Philosophy of Religion - Mel Thompson
These are foundation books covering key questions such as life after death, the existence of God and miracles. Don't be afraid of philosophy. It is about thinking (which is why the Watchtower tells us to avoid it!). These books will not be difficult to read, but the subject is complicated (and rewarding) because there are very few cut-and -dried answers.
Perhaps the Watchtower's (borrowed) answer is as good as any, but further reading will reward you!
Good question God and there is now easly answer - what does the bible say about God allowing Evil? I believe that God is not controlling and manipulating but allows people to be themselves - Jesus' parable in Matt 13 May offer a clue ?
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment.
DeleteThe Watchtower quotes the book of Job in which God allows Satan to hurt his righteous servant Job . Satan's accusation is that God has blessed Job and put a hedge around him, so why wouldn't he worship God?
Lesley,
ReplyDeleteI have just posted my first vlog on Youtube.
Search for Witness Aid UK