Philosophy Of Religion

                                          Why Is There Evil And Suffering?

Why is there so much evil and suffering in the world? Every person knows deep within themselves that life as it is, conflicts with their sense of what life ought to have been like. So, why is life not that way? Just like a mirror shows a little kid that they have a dirty face, so, also, life is like a mirror, it shows you that something is wrong, and that mankind has a dirty face. Evil, suffering, and death exist because mankind is guilty of sin whether they admit it or not. 

Many people are very critical of God because of all the evil and suffering that is present in the world and touches everyone’s lives, but what if God designed His just punishment to seek the redemption and restoration of mankind lost in sin? This fact would answer the question as to why there is so much evil and suffering in the world. There is an old saying, “You made the mess in your nest, now sit in it,” what better punishment is there than to make someone live with the consequences of their decisions for the purpose of changing their behavior? 

If a person is never responsible for their actions, it only encourages lawless behavior. Could it be, the punishment fits the crime and that life is the way it is because God wanted to confront mankind with their rebellion against Him, giving them a chance to come to their senses and turn and be reconciled to God? Jesus teaches this very idea in the story of the ‘Prodigal Son’ in Luke 15:11-24. So, God, in His righteous judgment, could have just wiped out mankind because of their lawlessness and sin, Romans 6:23 states, “The wages of sin is death.” 

However, God in His love, grace, and mercy, chose to give each person a chance to live with the result of their choices and a lifetime to reconsider and come to their senses. Each person must face sufferings and struggles in life, which are a result of sin, all the while knowing innately within that this is not the way life was supposed to be. 

Most people don’t like being confronted about their sin and resent the punishment. They want life to be heaven on earth and if it is not, then they blame God for all the suffering in their life and claim they shouldn’t have had to endure any of it at all, that God should just have prevented the whole thing in the first place. People want God to just wink at sin and say that’s ok, boys will be boys, however, God, being just and holy cannot be passive towards sin. 

People still say is not fair, and they question if God really cares about them. So what would be fair? If God suffered the punishment you deserve, would that be fair? Well, He did! When Jesus died on the ‘Cross,’ He died in your place, (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18). 

Romans 5:8 states, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

                                                   What About Other Religions?

In this age of relativism, many people believe every major and ethical religion has truth and is an equally valid path that leads to God or to the ultimate reality. There is strong objection to Christianity for its exclusive claims of absolute truth that Jesus is the only way (John 14:6), which is a claim that is either totally true or totally false. 

While it is true many of the religions of the world share common beliefs such as ‘moral values,’ people often fail to realize these different religions all make exclusive truth claims that make it impossible for them to all be equally true and valid at the same time. It is more logical to say all religions are false, than to say all religions are true. For example, do you believe there is (1) One God, (2) Many gods, (3) All is God, (4) or that no god exists? Then if you believe God or gods exist, then you have to define the nature of that God or gods. Is this God personal or impersonal, is this God finite or infinite, is this God or gods distinct from creation or identified with creation, and etc? 

After you determine what you believe about God, then you have to determine your beliefs about man. Does mankind have a problem? If mankind does have a problem, is it, (1) Indoctrination, (2) Sin, (3) or Ignorance? Then should man’s quest be for enlightenment, reason, and meditation, or faith and obedience, or for wisdom, knowledge, and understanding? Then what will man receive for his efforts, will it be; liberation, salvation, or prosperity? 

The conclusion is that logically all religions can’t lead to God because they don’t agree on the definition of God nor the path you need to be on. Now, some people say logic shouldn’t apply to spirituality and religion, the problem with that argument is they are using logic to argue against logic, which is self-contradictory and defeating. 

Many people seek after the god they want, rather than the God who exists! Proverbs 14:12 states, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”

                                                      The Spirit Of The Age

The quest for purpose and meaning and the search for answers and truth in regards to man’s existence have had philosophers running around in circles for ages. One person attempts to construct an answer for the unity and diversity that encompasses all of thought and all of life, then another person says, “that is not the answer,” so that man constructs an answer, but another man says, “that is not right, I will provide the answer,” and the next man says, “you have failed, this is the answer,” and so on it goes. One person’s view of ‘What is Truth’ is always in conflict or dispute with another person’s viewpoint so the result is that their views are nothing more than preferences with no absolute foundation.

Mankind is always searching but never finding what he is looking for, which is a philosophy or worldview that satisfies every person’s longings. Man’s truth always changes, so man’s truth today will be disproven by man’s truth tomorrow because mankind is finite and his knowledge is limited. The current popular mindset or what is often called ‘The Spirit of the Age’ is that there is no absolute truth, so that what is true for one person need not be true for me or you, therefore, the cry for ‘Tolerance,’ and the result is that everything has been reduced to ‘Subjective Relativism.’ 

Relativism, is the belief that all points of view are equally valid, that nothing is objectively right or wrong, and that it is up to each individual to determine ‘What is Truth,’ for them. Primarily, the main areas of discussion and contention are; (1) Truth or knowledge, (2) Morals, values, and ethics, (3) Faith and religion, (4) Social justice and politics. 

The Problem is that Relativism is primarily an individualistic philosophy that appeals to the egotistic, hedonistic, selfish, autonomous, and rebellious nature of mankind. Relativism is not new to mankind, and it has failed before. The theme of the book of ‘Judges’ in the Bible is, “Every man did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25). 

The negative consequences of ‘Relativism’ are everywhere evident in the culture as people have greater psychological struggles with themselves and have greater relationship struggles with other people. The ‘Anger’ you see of people lashing out at other people in society, is a common emotional response along with ‘Despair’ that people have when their expectations have failed. 

The Solution; People are diverse and only the God of the Bible is big enough to satisfy the longings and provide the answers each individual person is looking for. The God of the Bible is; (1) A Personable Friend, (2) Forgives sins, removes guilt, (3) Bestows love, grace, and mercy, (4) Delivers justice, (5) Restores hope, purpose and meaning to life. 

Deuteronomy 8:3 says, “That He might make you understand that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.”

Mankind thinks his problem is physical, but God says it is ‘Spiritual.’

                                               Can Mankind Live Without God?

Most people given a choice would choose to go to heaven, however, most of these same people choose to live their lives without God. Why? There are certain things that determine how a person chooses to live their life; (1) the need to be loved and valued, (2) to have purpose and meaning, (3) to be happy and content, (4) their opinions and convictions about what is truth. 

People are prideful and autonomous in nature and want to make their own choices and be the captain of their own ship, so to speak; therefore, they will only invite, include, welcome, seek, or participate in things that will contribute positively toward fulfillment of their needs, desires, and what they value. 

So, in relationship to God, people desire the heaven as opposed to hell when this life is over, but as to God being involved in their life now, it has been said that people resist God for three basic reasons; (1) Pride in Power, meaning people do not desire anyone to have authority over their life, such as God, who may ask of them something they do not want to do, (2) Pride in Knowledge, meaning their wisdom is sufficient and any instruction from God is viewed as having little value, (3) Pride in Virtue, meaning they view themselves as a good person and they do not need to change, nor do they need forgiveness and God should be accepting of them. Every person has a philosophy of God and it is fully revealed by how they live their lives. 

So, do you need God? Can you live without God? That you have to decide; Romans 2:5 says, “Because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of God’s righteous judgment.” Matthew 12:36-37 says, “Every word men speak, they shall render account for in the Day of Judgment.”

Proverbs 15:3 says, “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching the evil and the good.”