The Problem of Evil II
“I just don’t understand.” The grandmother shook her head. “He’s the best person I know. I can understand why bad things should happen to me—I haven’t lived a perfect life. But my grandson… he doesn’t deserve this.” Whether it’s hearing a loved one’s diagnosis, experiencing an unexpected loss, or simply scrolling through the news, we have all encountered the so-called problem of evil: how can a good and loving God allow so much suffering in this world?
In my previous article, we discussed the difference between “head” (intellectual) questions and “heart” (emotional) questions. Some questions are looking for factual answers, the nitty-gritty, more black-and-white responses that we would expect to find in fields like academia or forensics. Other objections care less about the verifiable details than the intangible implications: emotions, relationships, and “the arts” are more concerned with speaking to the heart than giving scientific proof. Understanding the difference between these two categories is crucial to having an open, engaging conversation with those who have questions—otherwise we may be missing out on underlying concerns and answering a question no one is asking.
Using a framework like AED [link article explaining?] can help us suss out what someone’s actual objection to Christianity might be, and this rings especially true when we deal with such an emotionally charged issue as evil, pain, and suffering.
How to Engage the Mind vs. the Heart
Sam Harris is a famous non-Christian who has some very strong things to say about Christianity and religion in general. He is perhaps best known as one of the “Four Horsemen of New Atheism” and has published a number of books on atheism. This quote sums up what many people think is the answer to the question “If God is all good and all powerful, why is there so much evil and suffering in the world?”:
“Either God can do nothing to stop catastrophes like this, or he doesn’t care to, or he doesn’t exist. God is either impotent, evil, or imaginary. Take your pick, and choose wisely. The only sense to make of tragedies like this is that terrible things can happen to perfectly innocent people. This understanding inspires compassion. Religious faith, on the other hand, erodes compassion. Thoughts like, ‘this might be all part of God’s plan,’ or ‘there are no accidents in life,’ or ‘everyone on some level gets what he or she deserves’—these ideas are not only stupid, they are extraordinarily callous. They are nothing more than a childish refusal to connect with the suffering of other human beings. It is time to grow up and let our hearts break at moments like this.” -Sam Harris, quoted in Jerry DeWitt and Ethan Brown, Hope After Faith: An Ex-Pastor’s Journey from Belief to Atheism
Providing an answer for the problem of suffering can seem impossible. While it is true that we can’t tell someone exactly why God allows bad things to happen (and really, would that kind of answer make those bad things hurt any less?), it is also true that we can engage the world around us even in difficult or messy topics. Let’s break Mr. Harris’s statement down using AED and take a look at some potential ways we can engage with this question.
Affirm: It can be tricky to affirm statements that are emotionally charged. Remember that affirming a position doesn’t mean we agree with everything the speaker says or does. However, even if I have difficulty respecting a position, I can choose to respect the person, recognize underlying assumptions, and summarize his position to the best of my ability. A summary of his position might be, “Since catastrophic suffering exists, God either 1) is helpless, 2) is wicked, or 3) doesn’t exist.” In this case, I agree with Mr. Harris when he says that comments making light of the suffering of others are wrong. It certainly is callous to avoid connecting with the suffering of others, and there are plenty of ways that Christians have failed to support those who are hurting. It’s also true that this isn’t how the world (or people) should be.
Example language: [With open body posture – winsome; even-toned voice; eye contact and either a little bit of a smile or a neutral facial expression; and hands either at your side or gently gesturing to emphasize] “I really resonate with what you said about those ideas being callous. I have struggled with comments like that, too. What I’m hearing is that you believe because of the evil in the world, God is either helpless, wicked, or he doesn’t exist. You also think that religions encourage people to say shallow things that protect them from actually having to help others. Do I understand you correctly?”
Expose: Mr. Harris’s argument is tricky because it combines both head argumentation (using a logical framework) and emotional objections. From a head perspective, we could label this argument a few different ways. One example would be a fallacy of black-or-white–assuming that the only reasons for suffering are that God is “impotent, evil, or imaginary” and excluding other possible conclusions.
Be careful, though: remember that Mr. Harris also uses words like “callous,” “compassion,” and “childish.” These are emotional terms referring to heart issues that cannot simply be resolved by pointing out a logical flaw. We would need to move from a response that questions how things are to questioning how things should be. “Should” implies that there is a standard: in this case, if evil is missing the standard, we would have to look at how life should be in order to understand the ways it falls short. Terrible things have happened and continue to occur, and people are surprisingly good at saying and doing exactly the wrong things in difficult situations. Children die, drunk drivers walk away unharmed, and hurricanes destroy. Scripture clearly states that this world is fallen (Rom. 8:18-24) and that Someone did something about it (Col. 1:19-20). Scripture is also clear that Jesus took our punishment upon Himself; God is not inflicting pain in your life to punish you or teach you a lesson. Jesus already handled that.
Example language: [Nodding to show understanding, maintaining open body posture] “I’m interested in the three answers you provide regarding God’s existence. Can you tell me more about how you arrived at that conclusion? It seems to me that there could be other explanations. It also sounds like you have a standard for how you think the world should work, or an idea of what is good and bad. Can you tell me more about how you know something is evil?”
Direct: “Religious faith” can certainly erode compassion. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day were often guilty of acting just as callously as the examples Mr. Harris gives. The difference is that Christianity is not proven true or false based on the actions (or inactions) of its followers, but based on the actions that Jesus Christ took in living, dying, and rising again in our place (1 Cor. 15). At Lazarus’s tomb, Jesus didn’t say, “Stop crying, it was just his time” or “At least he’s in a better place now” or “Hang on because brighter days are coming.” Instead, He weeps. And then He moves. (John 11:35ff) The presence of evil in the world actually aligns perfectly with what the Bible says about life on this earth (Genesis 3:16-19; John 16:33). God did something about the evil and suffering in this world—we just very rarely see the end result of that in this life. “I believe in… the resurrection of the body,” The Apostles’ Creed states, the righting of every wrong and the healing of every disease. If we want a God who will actually do something about the problem of suffering, we don’t have to look any further than Christ on the cross. Sharing that message with others is our goal, and walking alongside the hurting is our calling.
Example language: [Genuine smile, calm and even tone] “You’re right that some religious people can seem so callous, and I know that I’m guilty of that, too. Half the time I don’t even know what to say to someone who is hurting. I was actually reading the other day about what Jesus had to say when His friend died. May I share with you something I’ve been thinking a lot about?”
What other questions can you use to help better understand someone’s position and address their concerns? Don’t be afraid to grapple with the hard issues, listen with an open mind, and above all pray for wisdom when speaking with someone who has questions about why God allows suffering. Remember that most people who have this objection have some level of personal trauma or hurt in their past (or their present), and they may not be looking for the one-and-done answer that you—or even they themselves—may be anticipating.
TIP: Dr. Jana Harmon, a researcher who has conversations with former atheists (“eX-Skeptics”), asks a unique question when it comes to the problem of evil: Does removing God from the equation solve the problem of evil? Without an absolute moral standard, she says, ultimate justice and resolution is not possible. Is the presence of evil consistent with a Christian worldview? Do godless worldviews actually borrow their foundations of morality from Christianity?
Parts I & II Recap
Affirm: Suffering exists, and it’s not how the world should be.
Dig Deeper: Evil exists and horrible things happen. What is one way you can practice acknowledging the truth of a broken world and supporting those who question how God could allow tragedies?
Expose: Just because there is evil, doesn’t mean there isn’t good. On the contrary, evil implies a standard of how things should be.
Dig Deeper: Do opposing worldviews offer an adequate answer to the problem of evil? In what ways have they “borrowed” from Christianity in their efforts to grapple with the bad things in this world?
Direct: Jesus understands.
Dig Deeper: Jesus is both fully God and fully man. How does the incarnation provide an emotional and intellectual response to the problem of evil? What are some practical ways of directing others to Jesus who understands?