{"id":1951,"date":"2012-02-24T05:10:12","date_gmt":"2012-02-24T10:10:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/godonomics\/?p=1951"},"modified":"2012-02-29T17:07:51","modified_gmt":"2012-02-29T22:07:51","slug":"what-do-you-believe-part-2-of-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/godonomics\/2012\/02\/what-do-you-believe-part-2-of-2.html","title":{"rendered":"What Do You Believe? (part 2 of 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

If you struggle with suffering, and we all do,\u00a0 and if you consider yourself an agnostic or atheist… I would invite you to fully embrace your answer to the problem. You may not like the Bible\u2019s recipe, but really look at your reason for suffering… you think life is supposed to be this way. \u00a0\u00a0If you really think that, then why are you so mad or bothered when innocent and weak people are killed… \u00a0You shouldn\u2019t be. \u00a0It’s normal. \u00a0It’s natural according to evolution. \u00a0\u00a0But I’ll tell you what if you really try to live out this belief, you’ll go crazy.<\/p>\n

Fredrick Nietchze believed that suffering was normal. He said there is no God. There is no hope. And he eventually lost his mind. He realized that if what he believed was really true, life is both meaningless and hopeless. Friedrich Nietzsche described existence without God as a world in which \u201cwe stray through an infinite nothing, with no up or down left. Lanterns must be lit in the morning hours and sacred games invented to take the place of religious ceremony.\u201d At an atheist gathering at the Salk Institute, Dr. Carolyn Porco proposed that science create its own religious-like rituals and ceremonies to inspire awe at the wonders of science as a reference point for finding meaning. \u00a0Nietzsche himself spent the last thirteen years of his life in the darkness of insanity, while his Godly mother watched over him by his bedside. \u00a0Here was a man who literally went crazy with no bigger understanding for the problem of suffering… so much that his Godly mother, who had a lens for suffering, cared for him.<\/p>\n

In the movie Julie and Julia<\/em>, a young girl named Julie is suffering from meaninglessness and hopelessness until she finds some hope in connecting with Julia Child\u2019s cookbook to bring some meaning to her life….<\/p>\n

Clip of Julie and Julia<\/em>:\u00a0 <\/strong>http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=GV4wkrG0Gv0&feature=relmfu<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Now, Julia wanted to \u201cknow\u201d someone was with her… Even if it was a woman she\u2019d never met… a fairy Godmother… She wanted to know she\u2019s not alone…. She wanted hope… \u00a0She wanted to understand… \u00a0And notice that she was able to go from \u201claying on the floor\u201d despair to \u201csomeone is interested in me\u201d simply by seeing there may be a purpose to her pain. \u00a0I said there are 5 reasons why the recipe is ruined. The fifth is.<\/p>\n

Suffering is the Result of a Broken Creation and Free Will<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Bible teaches that this is not the way it is supposed to be and there are two reasons why. \u00a0\u00a0 First, free will… Someone didn’t follow directions and add too much yeast and did not cook it long enough which caused this mess.\u00a0 But more than that, suffering is a result of a broken creation \u00a0\u00a0Someone dumped too much salt into our recipe and ruined the otherwise good things. \u00a0In the past, a contaminate was deposited into creation that has ruined relationships, the weather, the human heart, etc. \u00a0The creation itself is ruined and broken. Jesus was asked once about a \u201ccurrent event.\u201d A group of people from Jesus hometown of Galilee had been brutally killed by the Pilate, the local leader or \u201cmayor\u201d of the region. \u00a0They also asked Jesus about a tower that fell on some innocent people. He said…<\/p>\n

Luke 13:1-7 \u00a01 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans <\/span>whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. 2 And Jesus answered and said to them,”Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? 3″I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. 4″Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them<\/span>, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem?<\/em><\/p>\n

Jesus rejects karma by saying, \u201cDo you think those Galileans suffered because they were worse than others?\u201d Rhetoric \u201cNO!\u201d \u00a0They died because of the evil free will of Pilate. Is rejecting karma, the idea that suffering is the fault of the sufferer? He notes that we live in a broken world where often bad things happen to good people. He also rejects the idea of Buddhism that teaches that suffering is an allusion. These Galileans really died<\/span><\/strong>. They Really <\/strong>suffered when Pilate killed them and the tower fell. \u00a0He rejects the idea that “worse” people have towers fall on them. \u00a0He says suffering is more complicated than that. In fact, Jesus is such a realist… he tells people that coping with suffering begins by \u201cgetting in touch with the reality that we live in a broken world. A war zone. A broken Creation. \u00a0The Bible says that we are currently living in a war zone. It warns us that in this world we will have tribulation. It prepares us not to \u201cbe surprised when bad things happen\u201d and Jesus even says, \u201cIn this world, YOU WILL have tribulation.<\/p>\n

Imagine this scenario. A soldier heads over to Afghanistan. He is assigned a position in the battle zone. He is on the front line. \u00a0After his first day taking fire, he returns to the camp, angry, disgruntled, and frustrated at General Petrais. \u00a0He storms into His office and demands, “What are you doing? \u00a0\u00a0What is wrong with the way you are running this unit? I got shot at all day out in the desert. I came down to Afghanistan to enjoy a nice vacation, to get a nice tan, and try to relax. And not only did I not get much R&R in, I was in mortal danger, What are you, general, going to do about it?<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 How would you react to that newspaper clipping? You’d think, “This guy is an idiot! He thinks he is on vacation, not in a war. He has a serious expectation problem. He has a serious Reality Problem. He doesn’t “get” his reality. And because of that, He is angry at the General. Surprised at his circumstances.<\/p>\n

In the same way, Jesus reminds us that we live in a war zone. We are caught in a cosmic war zone between good and evil. And we need to remember we are in a war. A battle, not a vacation. We are living behind enemy lines in evil’s throne room on earth. Stop yelling at God, demanding of God, walking into the general’s office… \u00a0This is why Jesus view on suffering allows you to be angry at evil and suffering… It allows you to hurt, to grieve, to \u201cknow\u201d in your heart that… what you are feeling is right… \u201cThis world is broken and not the way it\u2019s supposed to be…\u201d But also to have hope… Where is the hope… Well…<\/p>\n

\u00a0There is ONE recipe for restoration<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Is there a solution to Suffering?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

Yes… but, NOT YET. <\/strong>\u00a0God made a world without suffering and will one day restore it fully and physically.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Yes, but, NOT UNLESS <\/strong>\u00a0you do better. God will fix suffering one day in Heaven based on your works.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Yes, it\u2019s Not Really <\/strong>Happening. \u00a0You must enlighten yourself out of your personhood and cravings which are causing the suffering by realizing they are UNREAL.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\n

No, Not Ever. \u00a0<\/strong>Suffering will never be fully fixed, but we do our best to keep improving.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Yes, Not Again!<\/strong> \u00a0Suffering is a normal process of reincarnation where you suffer and return to do better.<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Here are the five answers to suffering. Not Yet. Not Unless. Not Really. Not Ever, and Not Again!!! \u00a0Will Suffering be fixed… If you are a Buddhist… the answer is No, it\u2019s not really happening now. If you are a Hindu… the answer is \u201cNOT AGAIN\u201d… \u00a0Suffering is \u201csolved\u201d through billions of years of \u201cmore suffering\u201d where the universe punishes you through karma by the great wheel of birth and death, and rebirth.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 If you are an atheist, the answer is an emphatic… \u201cNot ever…\u201d There is no God who will judge Hitler. No Ultimate justice for evil doers. There is no final healer. No final cleansing or restoration. \u00a0\u00a0Suffering has always been part of natural selection and always will be… then The Bible offers this Recipe for Restoration… \u00a0\u00a0YES, BUT NOT YET!!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Notice that it\u2019s frustrating to hear the message of the Bible say, NOT YET!!! \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0But at least in this view, suffering will be dealt with. Evil will be judged. And goodness will be restored. The Gospel, the main message of the Bible offers a radical solution to suffering.<\/p>\n

John 9:1-15 \u00a01 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth. 2 And His disciples asked Him, saying,”Rabbi, who sinned<\/strong>, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”3 Jesus answered,”Neither this man nor his parents sinned<\/span>, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.<\/em><\/p>\n

Jesus says that the reason there is suffering is neither the person\u2019s fault, or parents…. \u00a0But that the works of God would be revealed…. \u00a0\u00a0God can take things caused by either broken creation or free will and use it for a greater purpose: Pain doesn’t have to be meaningless. And in a broken world, pain may even have purposes beyond what we can imagine.<\/p>\n

Ravi Zacharius tells a story about a three-year-old girl in Elk River, Minnesota, who suffers from a rare malady that involves insensitively to pain. It is called CIPA, Congenital Insensitivity to Pain with Anhidrosis. People with this disease feel no pain, nor do they sweat or shed tears. \u00a0There are only approximately one hundred known cases in the world. Little Gabby Gingras has to be watched over constantly. At four months of age, her parents noticed that she would bite her own fingers till they bled, with no expression of discomfort. When she was two years old, she had to have her teeth removed to prevent her from biting herself and causing serious injury. \u00a0She could put her hand on a hot plate and burn herself without feeling a twinge of pain. She always has to wear safety glasses because in one instance she scratched her cornea badly. She plays sports with absolute fearlessness, never hesitant about banging into anything. She says sometimes she feels like crying, but she can’t. The life of this little one is in perpetual danger. The average lifespan for a child with this malady is twenty-five years. The parents of children with CIPA have one prayer, that their child would feel pain. If it is possible in our finite world with our limited knowledge to be able to appreciate just one benefit of pain, is it not possible that God has designed this awareness within us to remind us of what is good for us and what is destructive?<\/strong><\/p>\n

So, pain may have a purpose beyond what we can see… But more than that. There is a hope that God can work through pain. If God worked through an old rugged cross to bring about forgiveness… He can use even the worst of things to bring about good….<\/p>\n

But the restoration the Bible speaks of is much, greater than merely, \u201cwhat doesn\u2019t\u2019 kill you makes you stronger…” it is a picture of an ultimate fulfillment. A final time when God will restore everything…<\/p>\n

Revelation 21:3-5 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. 4 And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”5 Then He who sat on the throne said,”Behold, I make all things new.”And He said to me, a”Write, for these words are true and faithful.”<\/em><\/p>\n

This is the recipe for restoration. God will wipe away tears… no more sorrow… no more death… no more crying… no more pain. The former “things” like the challenges, the pains, the hurts, the difficulties will be swallowed up by the joy. Like the joy of having a child swallows up the pain of delivery. Like the sweetness of finishing a marathon swallows up the challenges of the 3 month training. \u00a0So too, the richness of heaven. The reality of this picture is so real… It is the hope that can be \u201crubbed into the wounds\u201d of suffering now… \u00a0The bottom line is that in a war zone, every breathe we have is \u201cborrowed\u201d and a gift… So we need to come to grips with the reality of suffering and the solution of it. \u00a0More than that, we are called to help nurture and help those who are hurting until that time.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

For a free session of Godonomics, visit http:\/\/www.godonomics.com\/watch-session-5<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=8DFO7mCdkx0<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

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