There are many tragic stories such as killing, fighting, robbing, illness, abuse, broken relationship, and so on. People tend to wonder why these things happen if there’s God. This “Why” questions has been around since years ago. We learned about World Wars, the Holocaust, genocides in the Soviet Union and China, Korean War, Vietnam War, etc. And this tragedy lasts until now. We witnessed 9/11 terror, and killings in Syria. Birnbaum says that “What man calls evil sometimes turns out to be good in God’s eyes; suffering, pain, and death are the consequences of man’s erring belief or behavior, and are therefore seen as just punishments, or as part of grander scheme for the ultimate cosmic good.” Birnbaum basically explains that although we do not see things clearly and we suffer now, at the end will be better.
I remember when I first got my driver’s license, I still was very immature. I drove very fast with my friends for fun. One day, the break did not work and there was a car in front of my car. I went off the road and just hit the tree. Fortunately, the airbag saved our lives and I was conscious and called an ambulance. I knew if I could call 911 right away, we would be all fine. We may not be able to make everything sense, but there are some truths that can engender some hope. If we follow the light, it will lead us to some kind of conclusion. We hope to be something good. I think this is why we believe in God. Maybe God allows Suffering, so that we look for God…
싸우고, 죽이고, 훔치고, 병, 갈라진 관계기타등등 많은 슬픈 이야기들이 많다. 사람들은 만약 신이존재한다면 왜 이런일들이 일어나는 것일까 하고 종종 생각할 것이다. 이 왜라는 질문은 항상 옛날부터 있어왔다 우리는 세계대전, 유태인이야기, 러시아와 중국의 이야기, 한국전쟁, 베트남전쟁등등에 대해 배웠다. 그리고 이런 아픔들은 여전히 있다. 우리는 911 테러를 목격했고 시리아에서는 많은 사건이 일어나고있다. 범바움은 “사람이 악마라고 종종 부르는것은 신의 눈에는 좋은것이다; 고통, 아픔, 죽음은 사람의 믿음과 행동에대한 결과이고, 그러므로 우리는 처벌을 받는것이고 공극적으로는 우주적으로 좋은 결과이다”라고 범바움은 말한다. 그는 기본적으로 아무리 우리가 지금 분명히 보진 못해도, 나중엔 결국 좋을거라고 추측하는 것이다.
나는 내가 처음 운전면허를 땃을때가 기억난다. 나는 성숙하지 못했다. 친구들과 함께 재미로 운전을 빠르게했다. 어느날 브레이크는 작동되지 않았고 내 앞엔 또 차가있었다. 나는 그 차를 박지 않기위해서 나무를 대신 쳤다. 운좋게 에어백이 우리를 살렸고 나는 빨리 구급차를 불렀다. 나는 구급차를 빨리 부르면 우리는 살수있을거라는것을 왠지 모르게 바로 알았다. 우리는 아마 모든게 다 이해 안갈지 모르지만, 하지만 우리는 희망이 있다. 만약 그 불빛을 계속 따라간다면 언제가는 좋은 결과가있을거라는 희망… 나는 이것이 왜 우리가 신을 믿는 이유라고 생각한다.
20.01 Problematics (pps.9-10)
It would seem that to resolve the dilemma of theodicy, one or more of the traditional attributes of God all-wisdom, all-power, all-benevolence-needs to be deleted or seriously curtailed. Traditional theologies of all faiths have been aware of the potential danger of reducing God’s attributes, and have attempted to protect the status of the deity.
In arguments used by traditional theologians, what man calls evil sometimes turns out to be good in God’s eyes; suffering, pain, and death are the consequences of man’s erring belief or behavior, and are therefore seen as just punishments, or as part of a grander scheme for the ultimate cosmic good. Invariably and inevitably, the Divine image is sustained, and it is man who is diminished. God’s omniscience, omnipotence, and benevolence can seemingly be held inviolate only at the expense of man’s impotence, malevolence, or limited intellect.