A lot of atheists throw that question at believers, then smile smugly, thinking they have a new winning argument and stop listening to whatever answer you may try to provide.

Truth is that the argument is not very new. It is just another manifestation of the age old question “Why does God allow suffering in the World?” Many attempts have been made over the years to answer that question. They usually fall under one of the following categories:

1. Suffering is the punishment resulting from the sins of humans, individual or original. God allows it because he wants to respect the free will of humans.

2. Suffering is an educational device allowing God to awaken those who are spiritually asleep or test those who are spiritually awake.

Both these explanations defy any understanding we have about what Good is. A God who thinks suffering is bad, but allows babies to be assaulted, tortured (by other humans or by diseases, or other natural causes) because of a sin committed by some extra-distant ancestor cannot be considered as good. An all knowing God who uses pain to test a good person also can’t be considered good. Our deepest intuitions rebel against it. Surely an omniscient God could find a better arrangement?

They say that allowing evil to go unpunished is necessary for our freedom of choice, but surely, some indication is due? I mean, people are still free to smoke cigarettes or do drugs even though it’s clear these things are bad for them. And we know that some people in fact keep doing them. Why didn’t God make it equally clear that evil is bad for you, if only statistically? Why does he allow in this world natural disasters that have nothing to do with human sins and cause suffering to many? And if indeed he is cruel enough to hurt good people just to test them (although he can just look directly into their heart), why does he test some good people but not others? People offer those excuses to those who question, but I don’t know anyone who is comfortable enough with them to avoid adding in the end that, anyway, God works in mysterious ways and we cannot fathom the depth of his wisdom.

I think the answer is not that mysterious, although it is quite alien to us. God does not consider suffering and death to be bad things. How can this be? Is it not obvious that causing pain to another is evil and delivering them from pain is good? It’s very clear to us from a human point of view, just as it’s clear that people’s safety os more important than the free will of a serial killer. Since by all accounts God considers free will (even of serial killers) is more important than the suffering of other people (even innocents), we must conclude that suffering is not as important in his view as it is in ours. This is a logical outcome if indeed the soul remains intact after the death of the body. If, as Budha saw, after death comes rebirth then all that comes to pass between rebirth and subsequent death is only an illusion. And if it’s only illusion (and God unlike us would know that for sure) then why get excited? Do we feel that a mother is bad if she allows her child to watch Bambi (possibly over and over) even though it makes the child cry? Surely not. We know that no real harm is done. And should a responsible parent get upset if his child plays the robber in a Cops and Robbers game, or even a chaotic-evil orcish priest in a DND game? No, of course not. It only make-believe, harmless exploration of possibilities. Similarly, if this world is just an illusion, no wonder that God values more it’s educational values than any perceived suffering.

We have confirmation for this view from many enlightened (or “enlightened”) persons. They all claim more or less in unison that God is love, and that he loves ALL of us, sinners and righteous alike. Personally, I buy into that wholesale, but if God loves sin then it can’t be all that bad in his eyes, right? The unfortunate result for this view is that God can no longer be used as a figure-head of human values and the protector of human justice. Children should be taught to avoid hurting others and help their fellows because these are human values, not because God may pat them on the head for it in some way.

To quote Westinghouse the Werewolf: “How Depressing…”

P.S. Dawoun says I got it all wrong. The reason God allows evil is that he was offended by the mess we made at his temple and ever since he washes the dishes alone in the dark mumbling: “Well, that’s ok. You don’t have to help. I’ll clean it up myself. I’ll have plenty of time to rest in the grave…”

P.P.S. I have to give credit to a valiant attempt to explain suffering made by the lady who wrote Musings About God . She starts out with a different set of axioms and ends up with a radically different conclusion (God is a victim?? I guess you have to be raised as Christian to appreciate that), but at least she doesn’t go for the easy solution with the “mysterious ways” shtick.