Friday: Further Thought - Innocent Blood

Last Sabbath’s introduction began with Albert Camus, who wrote a lot about his struggle for answers, not just to the question of suffering but to the question of life’s meaning in general, which suffering made only more problematic. As with most atheists, he didn’t make much headway. His most famous quote shows how little: “There is but one truly serious philosophical problem, and that is suicide.

Image © Jim Work from GoodSalt.com

Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy.”—The Myth of Sisyphus and Other Essays (New York: Vintage Books, 1955), p. 3. For sure, the question of human suffering is not an easy one to answer. The book of Job pulls back a veil and shows us a bigger picture than what we might have seen otherwise, but even when we read it all, the book still leaves many questions unanswered.

There is, however, a crucial difference between those who struggle for answers to the question of suffering without God and those who do so with God. Yes, the problem of pain and suffering becomes more difficult when you believe in the existence of God, because of the inevitable problems His existence in the face of evil and pain bring. On the other hand, we have what atheists such as Camus don’t have—and that is the prospect of answer and of resolution. (There is evidence that Camus later in life had wanted to be baptized but he was soon killed in a car accident.) We have the hope that “God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Rev. 21:4). Even if someone didn’t believe this promise or many of the others in the Bible, that person would have to admit, if nothing else, how much nicer life would be now to have at least that hope as opposed to the prospect of just living here amid our toils and struggles and then dying forever, with it all meaning nothing.

Discussion Question:

One argument that people bring up in regard to the question of evil is the idea that, Well, yes, there is evil in the world, but there is also good, and the good outweighs the evil. The first question would be, How does one know that the good outweighs the evil? How does one make that comparison? The second question would be, Even if true, what good would that idea do for Job (or others) amid their suffering?
German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer used a powerful example to debunk that whole notion of some sort of balance between good and evil in this world now. “The pleasure in this world,” he wrote, “it has been said, outweighs the pain; or, at any rate, there is an even balance between the two. If the reader wishes to see shortly whether this statement is true, let him compare the respective feelings of two animals, one of which is engaged in eating the other.” How would you respond to the idea that good somehow balances out the evil?

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Comments

Friday: Further Thought – Innocent Blood — 6 Comments

Mark Marek on November 18, 2016 at 4:28 am said:

the only hope we have is in the eternal life promised with our LORD and Saviour Jesus Christ...why are focus always needs to be on Him and not on our circumstances in this world.

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Robert Fournier on November 18, 2016 at 6:44 am said:

We are truly on the wrong planet. God said;"in the day you shall eat of this fruit you shall surely die". If we try to find balance or reason for our disappointments, it is but an exercise in futility. What do you expect in the Great Controversy? Especially in the context of Rev. 12: 17. Just thank God for Rom.8: 37

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Christopher Helper on November 18, 2016 at 12:56 pm said:

" There is a desire deep within the soul which drives man from the seen to the unseen, to philosophy and to the divine" ~Kahil Gibran

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Michael Gauthier on November 19, 2016 at 7:52 am said:

Even though eternal life with Christ is our true and ultimate hope, addressing the present, temporal suffering of this world isn't a moot point.
We should treat each other with compassion and offer comfort to those who suffer presently, because Satan could use our present suffering to deceive/discourage us from our great hope. Also, via compassion and acknowledgment of temporal needs/troubles, we show the love of Christ, and through such bring others to Christ.

Galatians 6:2 (KJV) Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
Romans 12:15 (KJV)Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

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Cathy Mcclendon on November 19, 2016 at 11:40 am said:

It would be nice if we could live eternlly but our life is not promised to us that's why we have to take each day as if it was our last. God has made a promise too us that if we live by his word that we shall 'live with no sin, hurt or pain. 1 Thess 1:16 resting in our grave the dead in christ shall rise

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Tom Loop on November 24, 2016 at 9:01 am said:

God only created good. He never untended that this world ever experience evil.
When Adam and Eve ate of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, this world became fallen and would thereafter suffer its affects. Good and evil are not two entities in a balancing act, but rather evil is simply the absense of good. Satan strives to conquer this world by stamping out every last footprint of good. Bad things oftentimes happen to good people for reasons we often are at a loss to explain. The only explanation we can often come up with is that there will be collateral damage in a fallen world. This should make all the more eager for the kingdom to come, where good totally has triumphed over evil.

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