Every day Christians accept tragic events because it is God's will to either cause it, or allow it to happen. This arbitrary view of God's action or inaction is accepted as fair or just. Sometimes it is interpreted as a means to improve one's character or devotion to God. This of course, makes no sense if God is love and promises to protect his children and give them only good gifts when they ask in His name. If also makes no sense if you are a parent. One does not intentionally inflict horrific pain on one's child to teach them character. Neither does a loving parent watch their child be abducted by a pedophile.
Then how does tragedy fit into the concept that God is love? The answer is, it doesn't! The reality of a horrific loss, like the death of their child, means that even Christian parents are at the mercy of either life or their God, even if it causes great pain and loss. It means the child is at the mercy of child molesters, murderers, robbers, tragic death, etc. with no guarantee of protection.
No amount of prayer, promises, or action on the part of a parent or their part can guarantee God's protection against life's tragedies, because there is no rhyme or reason that we can understand or predict. The Bible's words are no guarantee against horrific pain and loss. How do we know this? We know this because Christians lose children, loved ones and family to horrific accidents or criminal acts just as much as the next person. I have personally witnessed the loss of children, as experienced by my Christian friends.
Even after their loss, I have seen their prayerful pleading requests to raise their child from the dead, as taught in their Bible, practiced to no avail. The tragedy of this kind of belief system that either justifies horrific loss or believes it was purposely done to improve one's character is in itself tragic. The tragedy of being told that enough faith, even a very small amount, is all that is required to heal or restore someone, yet they can't even muster that to save or resurrect their child is immoral in my humble opinion. No one should have to accept this type of belief system, let alone teach it to others.
It is unfortunate that people choose to believe this form of intellectual bankruptcy. It is even more shameful that people teach these beliefs and insist that this is the best a loving God can do. If the very definition of God is love, as according to the Gospel of John, then I would expect much more from a loving creator then to allow evil to arbitrarily and sometimes purposely befall his children, much less create such a world knowing full well the results.
Sincerely,
Bill J.
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