On Saturday, my sister asked why I thought God allowed the Haiti earthquake to happen, especially to a people who are already so acquainted with suffering. Many have asked this question.
Of course I do not have the answer. A wise mentor recently cautioned me against creating a “theology of Eleanor”. What I think she meant is to distinguish between sharing my evolving beliefs about God based on study, prayer, questioning and personal experience versus promoting my conclusions as truth for others. (Henceforth, dear reader, please check me on this!)
I come to you as a fellow spiritual seeker not as an expert. What I’m inspired by is the conversation. I’m interested in what you hold true. What do you question? How do you reconcile tragedy in the world and in your life? I’m moved by people digging deep and becoming willing to reveal their discoveries. For some, faith is a private matter. For me, with innumerable sorrows occurring around the globe and in our own communities, I find it healing to talk.
What do you believe? What has come up for you in the last week? If you’d like to share your thoughts, please, I’d love to hear them.
Tags: changing the world, faith, God, healing
January 19, 2010 at 12:04 pm |
Eleanor,
I agree with your basic thoughts on God and that he created us as people capable of making good and bad decisions, doing good, doing bad, etc. I feel like he isn’t going to reach in and intervene with the natural world and prevent earthquakes, etc. However, I also think that as within our human struggle to make good decisions vs. bad, that along with the bad things that happen in the natural world, that there is also much beauty and goodness. The same natural world where earthquakes occur also grows fruit, veggies, grains and ingredients for medicines.
I was just in Manila (the capital of the Philippines) for 30 hours. The level of poverty is amazing. People are struggling to survive every minute there. It is not a single tragic occurance like the earthquake in Haiti, more like a tiny earthquake every day. I’m not sure it is much different in terms of how “bad” it is. However, most of the people in the Philippines are deep believers in God. They don’t have the luxury of looking at Haiti and being horrified about how horrible it is – they live close to death every day. Americans (mostly) have the luxury of being very removed from living on the edge of life and death and maybe that is why we are far more brittle about the idea of God, or that we would even entertain the idea that he might reach in and stop an earthquake or extreme poverty or a car accident or cancer…………..However, you do read and hear and see that people who are struggling with loss and disease, etc. often move closer to faith. I wonder why………
I have seen with my own family over the last year especially, that “tragic” and difficult times have brought more closeness and joy and love and ultimately more happiness and satisfaction.