WHY DOES GOD PERMIT WICKEDNESS?
AT SOME time in your life, you may have asked: ‘If God exists, why does he permit suffering?’ or, ‘If suffering exists by God’s permission, why for such a long time?’ Questions of this nature are difficult to resolve, especially when related to the Holocaust, which perhaps more than any other single occurrence has become the ultimate symbol of human suffering. In their efforts to find an explanation, some deny the existence of God, whereas others deny the existence of evil. Are such conclusions realistic? Does a satisfying answer exist?
2 Some assert that questions of this nature should not even be asked. However, faithful prophets, such as Habakkuk, did not feel it improper to make such inquiries. Habakkuk asked God: “How long, O LORD, shall I cry out and You not listen, shall I shout to You, ‘Violence!’ and You not save? Why do You make me see iniquity why do You look upon wrong?â€â€”Habakkuk 1:2,_3.
3 Unfortunately, there are those who are unable to accept any answer, regardless of whether it is right or wrong. Cruel events and man’s brutality have impeded their capacity for impartial analysis. So the person seeking an answer must honestly evaluate his own disposition as well as the reasonableness of the explanation given.
Putting the Blame Where It Belongs
4 God is not, and never has been, a party to man’s crimes. However, certain religious teachings convey that idea, making the matter even more complicated. For instance, beliefs affirming that this world is a testing ground for a future life and that through death God “takes†loved ones, even small children, make it appear that he is personally responsible for accidents, crimes, and disasters. The same can be said concerning the doctrines of predestination and fate. There are also those who try to explain the Holocaust in terms of ‘divine punishment for the worldliness of the European Jews’ or as ‘God’s way to make the world realize the need for a Jewish State.’ Many may find such rationalizations not only unacceptable but also offensive.
5 Do not such beliefs malign God? Is it not man, rather than God, who has been responsible for all the injustices committed throughout the centuries? (Ecclesiastes 8:9) It is as historian Arnold Toynbee stated: “Human beings are unique in being able to be wicked, because they are unique in being conscious of what they are doing and in making deliberate choices.†So man’s misuse of his own free will has resulted in untold suffering. Then why did not God create him in such a way that he could not harm his fellowman?
6 Man was created in God’s “image†and with the gift of free will. (Genesis 1:26) Were that not the case, man would not be able to experience the satisfaction and joy associated with spontaneously doing good things for others. Conscience would have no meaning, and man’s existence would be similar to that of lower forms of life. Free will is a blessing for man and makes him human, rather than a robot. But free will implies freedom of choice, including a wrong or a harmful choice. However, accepting the fact that God is not responsible for evil does not answer the questions: Why does he permit it? and Why did he not put an immediate end to suffering?
How Could God Allow It?
7 Why does evil exist when there is a power capable of stopping it? The Bible’s answer to this question is found primarily in the account concerning the first man and woman, Adam and Eve. Chapters 2 and 3 of Genesis relate that they chose to disobey God by eating from “the tree of knowledge of good and bad.†Important issues were raised by their disobedience. The one who induced them to rebel (see box, page_13) did so by saying: “You are not going to die,†thus bringing into question God’s truthfulness, since God had clearly stated that disobedience would be punished by death. (Genesis 2:17; 3:4) The tempter continued by saying: “God knows that as soon as you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like divine beings who know good and bad.†(Genesis 3:5) The clear implication was that God was unjustly holding something back from them. Thus doubts were cast upon the validity of God’s laws and his way of governing. This constituted an attack on God’s sovereignty, on his very right to be the only and absolute_Ruler_of humankind.
8 Profound issues had been raised: Does man really need God’s guidance to govern himself and the entire earth successfully? If not, then perhaps God was unjust in demanding obedience from him. If man is capable of ruling himself, why should God be the one to decide what is right and wrong for man? Execution of the lawbreakers would not have provided an answer to these questions. Only with the passage of time would humans demonstrate man’s inability to govern himself effectively.
This is what proves my point.
.
I don't know why. Your statement about knowing God's intentions. Many followers of Christianity pray to god. They "walk" with god so my roomate says and talk with him in a way. In this they recieve God's word and know his intentions. Of course, you would have to have faith that God exists to find out if this is or isn't true, but if you believed in the first place you can't find out otherwise. Thus creating a kind of perfect vacuum where proof of God is impossible. Anyways, my thoughts take em or leave em.