Universal Good and Bad

When some bad thing happens, its often asked why would a good God allow it? That's not an unfair question quite honestly, if you're actually trying to understand what's at work. But too many people who ask it mean for us to infer that the fact of evil in the universe must mean God isn't good.

Well, then, let's try something. Let's remove God from the equation. Let's say, only for the sake of argument, mind you, that He doesn't exist. What would we have? 

A Godless universe which also allows bad things to happen. Are you ready to infer that the universe is evil? 

My point is this. I believe that we've set ourselves up for failure when we say God can't be good if he won't stop evil when we would have evil in a universe left alone anyway. Perhaps the universe as the universe is only neutral; but if the issue is good and bad I can't see neutrality as anything except a benign evil at best. At worst, and I think this the most likely scenario, it would mean we could do anything we wanted for whatever reason we wanted. Or for no reason at all. That doesn't strike me as a moral positive.

So we can have a universe with a God and bad things happen, or a universe without God and bad things happen. I'll take the former. We might at least accomplish something good there.

Of Relative Unimportance

There are a couple of questions over which the discussion can become rather heated, and as such I generally avoid them. No, they are not religion and politics, although one should tread carefully in those areas. I am learning to address those either strictly on my own as in this blog (which you may avoid or ignore as you wish) or only when invited and confident in a serious, charitable talk. What I'm thinking about are more scientific queries: life elsewhere in the Universe, and evolution here on Earth. The fact is that I don't consider either to be particularly important questions. Oh, they may well be important from a scientific point of view. Yet philosophically and certainly theologically I can't see any reason to fret over them too much.

To the one, evolution, God creates any way He wants to create. He is God after all. If that means over a long drawn out period, that's His pleasure. It wouldn't make humanity any less special nor any less touched by the Divine. At some point consciousness was breathed into the human animal and that's that. What we do now that we're here becomes the important point.

As to sentient life, or indeed any other life at all elsewhere in the cosmos, I believe the same basic argument applies. Either there is other life or there is not; either it is self aware or it is not. In either instance that question too is up to the will of the Almighty and that also is that. If there are other such beings it doesn't make humanity any less special. It simply means that God shared Himself with someone besides us. And I don't think they would be all that different from we denizens of Earth. Seeing as the Universe is imperfect, they would be afflicted with the same needs which challenge us: their daily bread and the like. Other than as an opportunity to learn proper tolerance and charity should we each (or all) meet, (just as we ought to be kind and considerate of who we meet here at home) it isn't all that important who might be out there, and where.

That's my take on the questions anyway. I would tell you my personal beliefs, but I think it would take away from the overall point I'm trying to make. 

A Less Gracious God

Walking about Woodbridge yesterday morning a tad before six, I found myself marveling at the rising dawn. The sky was somewhat deep blue still, the yellow-orange of the creeping Sun yet just below the eastern horizon. Smiling, I felt graced by its beauty. I feel similarly impressed by the array of stars in the darkest night.

There's an old idea that we human beings are flukes, accidents of nature in an ever expanding universe. I don't believe that. Sure, we are comparatively tiny in that context. But we shouldn't read much into it.

For me, the expanse of creation is simply awe inspiring. What's even more inspiring is that we were created to not only experience it but to actively participate, to work with our Creator in bringing more out of His work. That's not meaningless or insignificant. It's dignity itself.

A less gracious God would not have given us such opportunities. He would not have given us glorious mornings or sublime starry nights. He would not have allowed us the power to reflect on them. He would not have given us the ability to be one with Him as we interact with creation. 

I am glad for my physical smallness that I may more greatly appreciate the spectacular universe around me. We are not specks of nothingness in an enormous universe. By the grace of God, we are so much more. Our smallness offers us that unique and powerful perspective.

The Evil Universe

There are those who argue that there cannot be a God on the grounds that an all powerful being would not allow evil in the world, or even that, if truly all powerful, He could not. Though I don't agree with the argument, I get it. They're arguing against something on at least superficially rational grounds. All right, then, what are they arguing for?

As the Universe we inhabit clearly exists I have to think that that is their replacement for an almighty being. It might well be their only option: the Universe simply is. We're here and that's that. 

My trouble with such a conclusion is twofold. Firstly, it makes us mere accidents of fate. I can't see where there's any real dignity in that. Second, doesn't that mean the universe is evil too? It doesn't seem to care about your trials and tribulations any more than your dismissed God, really, because you still have them, don't you?

You might say such existence isn't evil but merely indifferent. I don't see a useful distinction. If the Universe doesn't care a fig about you, even if it is only neutral about your cares and woes, I would have to argue that makes it evil. Many people were indifferent early on to the rise of Nazi Germany and Stalinist Russia and Maoist China. Was their indifference good or evil? 

Still, you might press the point that indifference means neither good nor bad. Well, if so, if you take God out of the equation because in allowing evil He can't possibly be good, it seems all we are left with is something else which can't possibly be good either. And what are we to do with that?

The World as I know it

I really don't know what to think sometimes...

I thought I'd sleep till Noon, yet here I am at 4:59 AM trying to compose a blog about I don't know what.

My van is in Canada, a phrase which almost rhymes. It could be in a better place I suppose. But then, so could I.

We've all been through it, eh? Everything looks good, no clouds in the sky, and in a moment a severe thunderstorm warning with hail. And we worry.

I'm sorta worried right now. My car's in another country. What do I do?

I wait a few more hours, then call the mechanic I've been recommended. Then I go from there.

Ah life. I wouldn't trade you for the world.