The Problem of Evil

This week as I continued to study theology, I was assigned to write a paper on the problem of evil answering four popular questions that are raised against God. Here it is for your "enjoyment"!

Every day humanity is presented with the concept of evil and the sufferings that follow it, whether we realize it or not. Although days, maybe years, can go by without wondering why we feel pain or why we have to go through great trials, at some vital point in life we are pummeled with questions regarding this issue. For many, the very roots of their faith depend upon the answers to these pressing questions. Consequently, these questions must be given answers.

Although I am assigned to think through these questions regarding evil, I realize that I have always had the questions, but I was to scared to consider them, wondering if there would be a sufficient answer that would support my beliefs in God. I was scared of having my faith taken away from me due to unanswered questions. Having heard the argument, “If there is a God, why is there so much evil in the world?”, my response has always been to blame the problems on sin. Since this explanation became familiar to me from the Christians around me, I never considered finding a deeper answer to this probing and important question. My simple answer touches on the explanation for evil, but a much greater and more reasonable answer exists, as I have found recently.

Before I move on, defining evil is necessary. Evil has been defined by the philosopher, Augustine, as the lack of good in something and is characterized by suffering. Going straight to where suffering exists abundantly, within the human race, this question can be answered. In every human being is a force called the law of human nature, sometimes called the moral law. This law must have been given to us by a designer, such as God, for it could not have proceeded into existence on its own with its complexity and its existence in every human being. This law guides a being into choosing to do either good or evil. Now, many will argue that no such law exists, but it proves itself by the choices we make. For example, all humans have the urge to commit the selfish act, say, running from a burning building, but all know that the unselfish act, rescuing others from the burning building, is the better choice to make. Whether we make that choice or not is determined by this moral law. If we logically ponder the many choices made by the influence of this law, a reasonable human being cannot deny these two “instincts” of right and wrong, as C.S. Lewis calls them in his essay, On Free Will. Although we have this moral code within us, all disobey it. Regarding moral choices, very rarely do we turn from our selfish desires to do the good deed. Following from the definition, if evil is the absence of good, when we turn from the good deed and commit the selfish act, evil presents itself. Suffering then emerges, whether it be for yourself, another person, community, or society. Understanding this reasonable explanation of evil, a logical person must then arrive at the conclusion that evil exists in this world, not because of God, but because of the selfishness and pride of human nature. We cannot blame God for evil, because God is an all good God who desires good, while we ultimately desire evil over good.

Since God desires good and not evil, many people wonder if God can be the author of evil, and if he isn’t, who is? An argument that supports God as the author of evil says “God is the author of everything in the world. Evil is in the world. Therefore, God is the author of evil.” However, how can it be that an all good God could create evil? That idea seems quite impossible. It is impossible because the argument previously stated has a flaw. God is not the author of everything in the world; God is only the author of everything in the created world. Evil was not present when God created the world. On the contrary, good was present at creation due to the fact that God called his creation good again and again in Genesis one. In the midst of his good creation, God created Adam and Eve with free will. “He created the possibility of evil and people actualized that probability” says Peter Kreeft in The Case for Faith. After the fall of Adam and Eve, evil then existed because there was a lack of good in the world due to their sinful actions. According to Augustine, evil is actually defined as the lack of good in something. Evil is an idea or non being, and only becomes reality because good or being exists. In conclusion, this logical consistency explains that God could not have been the author of evil since evil is not a created thing, but came about after creation.

Since God is all good and created good, but not evil, the question “Can God and evil co-exist logically?” is asked. In my opinion, it seems as though this is possible because God is a logical, all knowing God. I do not believe that a logical God would create logical human beings with free will without a logical plan in mind. Because I have a finite mind, I cannot comprehend the meaning of God’s plan. But he must have one, and it must follow his nature of being logical or it would contradict his nature. Moving away from my opinion, facts prove that evil and God can co-exist logically. For example, when human beings are aware of the suffering they undergo, they are pointing out that there is an evil in the world, which then points to an objective standard which differentiates between good and evil. Even atheists or agnostics claim to believe in evil when they accuse God of not existing because of the suffering that exists. Knowing of this objective standard, or the moral law I presented earlier, it draws evidence for a Creator of the objective standard. In addition to this fact, in Lee Strobel’s book, The Case for Faith, it states that “our freedom includes the possibility of sin within its own meaning. It’s a self contradiction- meaningless nothing- to have a world where there’s real choice while at the same time no possibility of choosing evil.” Therefore, logically, evil proves that a Creator, such as God, exists. In conclusion, instead of the co- existence of God and evil being illogical, it’s actually illogical to believe in God, free will, and no evil.

Since God and evil can exist in the same realm, and God is a good God with a purpose for his plans, many have asked what the purpose of evil and suffering are in this life. To find the purpose of suffering, we must look at the greatest example of suffering, and that is Jesus Christ. Christ was spit upon, beaten, whipped, crowned with thorns, made to carry a cross, nailed to that cross, and left to suffocate hanging on the cross. But I imagine that the physical pain did not compare to the mental and emotional pain of the burden of our sins. Every sin ever committed, every pain ever felt, every suffering ever undergone of every person that has ever breathed was cast upon Jesus on the cross. The burden and the ugliness of that sin was so great that Jesus’ Father could not bear to look at him. Comparing this to our suffering is important, but even more important is remembering that there was a purpose existed in Christ’s death, which is the resurrection, which in turn gives everyone the choice of eternal life. Just as Christ’s suffering had a purpose, so is there purpose in the sufferings of mankind, if we surrender to God. Paul says it best in Romans 5:1-4, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also boast in our sufferings, because we know that sufferings produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” In addition to character traits, suffering enables believers to comfort others with their pain(2 Corinthians 1:3-5) and suffering causes us to trust God more(Lamentations 3:19-24). Most importantly suffering leads to repentance and salvation(Acts 9:1-6), and this is extended to all humanity. When people question the source of the pain they experience and try to make sense of their sufferings, if their hearts are laid open to him, God will reveal himself to them. They then have the opportunity to repent of their own evil and to receive the gift of salvation. C.S. Lewis said this: “God whispers to us in our pleasure, speaks in our consciences, shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

Although it is incredibly difficult to find purpose in the midst of suffering, if you examine past sufferings closely, the growth in character, the ability to comfort others, and the salvation accepted are evidences of the many purposes that suffering has.

Knowing of the all good Creator who instilled the moral law in every being, knowing of free will, and knowing that we repeatedly choose to disobey this law, an answer to the question of evil has been given: evil comes from our decisions; evil does not come from God. Knowing that God only authors created things answers the question of authorship of evil: evil was brought into existence by Adam and Eve when they chose to reject the created good. Knowing then that God, evil, and free will exist, the answer to the question of God and evil co-existing logically has been given: without evil, free will cannot exist, and without God, free will cannot exist.. Knowing that evil expounds in the world and that everything has a purpose, an answer to whether or not evil has meaning has been given: suffering that comes from evil produces strengthened characters and points us ultimately towards God’s saving grace. These answers with which I honestly suffered mentally and emotionally to figure out, also brought about in me a purpose, a trust in the all loving, infinite God and Creator of my very existence. To conclude then, the problem of evil presented in these four difficult questions, if thought about reasonably and logically, can be sufficiently answered.

The Great I AM

My mind has been blown to bits, it seems like. I have always known that God is an amazing God, but I know it for sure now. This week during theology, we studied God's attributes and the Trinity. Here are a few points that struck me powerfully.

• God is all knowing, omniscient. He knows all things. He knows the past, the present, and the future. But he doesn't know them like man does. Man thinks of them in periods, stages, sequences. Not so for God. The omniscient God sees them as a whole, all at once. They are just there for him, right there. All the time. Forever. Always. For mankind, our lives are a timeline with little dots for every happening. For God, every single person's life that ever existed is a great....big...bubble or cloud??? It's so mind blowing to think about. I can barely express these incredible thoughts.
• A man can have a few characteristics at a time. Perhaps someone is kind, joyful, merciful, and gracious at once. Those are descriptions of a finite being. And those characteristics can change from moment to moment. God on the other hand. Wow. He can be forgiving, merciful, loving, rational, just, jealous, creative, wise, personal, good, truth, long suffering, empathetic, free, righteous, beautiful, peace, blessed, patient, compassionate, gracious, glorious, honorable, faithful, awesome. All at the same time. But these are not characteristics of God. These are God's essences. His attributes are not added onto him. He does not learn to be patient or loving. His attributes are identical to him. It's so hard for me to describe, but, He just IS. He is all that he has. These essences or attributes flow out of him like rays of sunlight flow out of the burning, beautiful sun. He is The Great I AM.
• God is a simple being. When I heard this, especially after pouring over articles that described God's attributes and seeing how incredible the He truly is, I couldn't believe it. Simple? How in the world could this God be simple? As I continued to read, I realized the word means something different for an infinite being. God is simple because he is not made up of parts or a body. God is infinite and spirit.

"The mind boggles at these awesome intensifications. The contours of these truths are angular and daring. Who would imagine a God like this, so beyond us, so threatening and kind? Who would put themselves completely at his justice and mercy? Surely there must be something we can give him, some indispensable service we cold render, some godlike role for us to play? But no! As the children of Narnia are frequently reminded of Aslan, "He is not a tame lion." From The Beauty of God's Holiness by Thomas Trevethan

"Who would put themselves completely at his justice and mercy?" One of my classmates pointed out, who wouldn't? Knowing that God is all powerful, all good, all knowing, all present. Why wouldn't you put yourself into the hands of such a Being? He is and has everything. What else can we do but trust him with our lives?

I have always used words to describe God, but after this week, these words have taken on a new meaning. I think longer before I call him something. I think about what the word really means for the infinite, simple, omni-everything, God that has graciously given me life and breath and being. My worship, my adoration for God has completely changed. I am humbled at the sight of The Great I AM.

If you want to hear a beautiful, moving song, that describes The Great I AM copy and paste this link to hear it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5CWGi82N7k&ob=av2n

God's Existence

During week three of Theology we learned about good arguments and reasons for why God exists. Here are some that I listed throughout the week.

God exists because….

• Everything is in motion. There must have been something that put everything into motion. God is the act, the determining principle, that gives everything else potency, the ability to change. Everything has a potential to move, but does not actually move without a mover. The first cause must be unmovable in order to qualify for being the ultimate, first mover.
• If there are possible beings, then there is a necessary being. There are possible beings, therefore, there is a necessary being. I have the possibility of not existing, but I do exist, because I was born. Something must have given me that possibility. Everything that exists has the possibility of not existing, so at one time, nothing existed. There must have been something that made all those things exist.
• Some things are more true or good than other things that are less true or good. There must be something that is the best or the truest, a maximum that sums up everything. You can’t give what you don’t have. God can’t give us things that he does not have.
• All natural things, humans, animals, plants, act for a certain end. Everything wants to get the best that they can get, food, water, material things, etc. This cannot be caused by chance, but by design. We all lack knowledge in some way, so something directs us towards an end.
• The design and function of the universe requires a maker like God. Just like a watch, the universe has intricate parts, a pattern, a form, a design, a function, and a purpose. You would not say that the watch just appeared out of nowhere without a designer, so why say that the universe which is so much more complex than the clock, appeared with no designer.
• The universe began to exist. Whatever begins to exist has a cause. Therefore, the universe has a cause. Some say, “Who caused God?” But this makes an error in the first premise, for God did not begin to exist, so he does not have a cause.

I am really excited to be discovering all these truths that support my beliefs instead of just believing without knowing why. But, I still have a very long way to go in this journey of discovery. With God's patience and guidance, I will continue on this path.

Loving Church History

I am definitely not a scholar of Theology, which is the module I started this week, but I love learning about it. Church History was my favorite class at Summit Semester, and I am already incredibly interested in it here at Rivendell.

At the beginning of this week, our class read and discussed The Westminster Confession of Faith, The Ninety Five Theses, Excerpts from the Council of Trent, The Augsburg Confession, and the Puritan Catechism. It was so intriguing to compare the different traditions, customs, and beliefs of the church throughout the years. However, as I listened to the discussion, I began to realize something. The church is so divided. Look at the hundreds of different denominations of the Protestant church. Look at all the beliefs and traditions that the church disagrees on. I know that beliefs are very important to people, beliefs about baptism, salvation, mass, sacraments, etc. However, I kept asking myself, why can’t we be humble? Why do we have to be so stuck in our ways that we can’t come to a mutual agreement? All these confessions were written in order to form a unified church. But the church has never been unified. The church has had disagreements since it began. Are some of the beliefs we have even important? Take eschatology for example. Why argue and fight over it when we will never know what’s going to happen to us in the end times? What’s the point? And transubstantiation. Does it matter if Jesus’ body becomes alive in us? Why can’t we just do what the disciples did by taking the bread and wine to represent Jesus’ body and continue to do it in remembrance of Christ? And again baptism. Why does it matter if you are dipped, sprinkled, or dunked three times for baptism? The Bible does not say that Christ was put in the water three times, so why should we? Why can’t we just go back to Christ and the way he did things?

Then I was struck with another thought. I wondered, would I ever give up the beliefs that I think are true and biblical in order to come to a unified agreement with other churches? My beliefs are important to me. And every other Christian's beliefs are important to them. So how can I ask them to do something that I wouldn't even do? I know of course, that many things we disagree with today are not mentioned in the gospels from Jesus’ words, which is why we have disagreements. Although I may not agree with them, the beliefs I critiqued above are valuable to other people. Other Christians may look at my traditions and belief and think of mine just like I'm thinking of theirs.

Therefore, what I've come to understand this week is that we are weak, proud human beings, myself included. I doubt the church will ever solve all of the disagreements it has, but hopefully we will learn to love and work with each other to further God's kingdom by coming to a middle ground on beliefs all of us hold. In the mean time, I will continue to read, study, discuss, and learn as much as I can and formulate the beliefs I hold most dear to my heart.

My Mind...

...is exploding

Only four weeks into classes at Rivendell, and my mind is bursting with new facts and truths. I have been wanting to write a blog about this new information, but whenever I try to put together a sentence of what I have learned, I find it quite difficult. I picture these facts floating in my mind, but not connected into an understand of how everything fits together. These facts include truth, being, fact corresponding with reality, relativism, post modernism, fallacies, and much, much more.

My time inside class and outside of class during our studying consists of reading various articles by authors such as Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, Bertrand Russell, Richard Rorty, and others. Usually I will read, re read, re re read, high light, and mark up an article while discussing it with most of the girls in my dorm in preparation. This past week we have been focusing on fallacies. The professors had each of us write various fallacies and present them in front of the class. These were some I came up with:

Fallacy of Ambiguity:

(Amphibole): I chased the girl around the bakery with the bread. Does the “I” have the bread or does the bakery have the bread?

Attack Fallacy:

(Appeal to Force): You weirdos! Go! Or I’ll get out, and punch your car, so you’ll go.(Only those who watch Kid History will understand this one.)

(Argumentum Ad Hominem abusive): We shouldn’t obey Paul’s commands regarding living the Christian life, because he once persecuted Christians. Using Paul’s past circumstances against the authority he now has through God.

Inappropriate Authority:

(Appeal to Pity): Please pay for my college tuition, or else I will have to sell my kidney to earn money. I try to get my way by making you feel sorry for me.

Fallacy of Stacking the Deck:

(Begging the Question): These perfectly normal pancakes are perfect because they are normal. This uses the conclusion to support the premise. (Kid History again)

Fallacy of Diversion:

(Red Herring): “Abi, why don’t you have a contention in your map?” “I don’t believe in maps”. The reply avoids and does not answer the question.

Fallacy of Generalization:

(Cliché): Don’t leave because absence is to love as wind is to fire, it extinguishes the small and kindles the great. The cliché does not support the statement. (I found the cliche on the internet. I think it's quite amusing)

Reductive Fallacy:

(Faulty Analogy): Persuading someone to eat dinner with you is like screaming spaghet in their face. The analogy is faulty because it does not correspond with the premise.

(Nothing Buttery): Kid History is nothing but a show for children. It is a show for children, but is not only for children because I watch it and I’m not a child. So there!

Other types of Fallacies:

(Faulty Dilemma): If I had stayed at home this semester, I wouldn’t be learning about all these fallacies. There is no point in thinking about what would have happened if I had done something differently.

(Fallacy of Composition): Reading sentences is simple and flipping through pages is simple so understanding a book is simple. he conclusion is not necessarily true even if the premises are true.

And just a bonus: Snuggle you back to health. Irrelevant conclusion. Snuggling doesn’t affect health.(Only a select few of Metzgers would understand this).

I spent two hours formulating these fallacies, and it was quite entertaining.

For the next couple of days, I am preparing for our final tests(already?) next Tuesday and Wednesday covering the material we have learned in our Critical Thinking Module. After that, we will begin Theology! I am stoked for that.

The academic life at Rivendell is more challenging than I ever imagined. Understanding the concepts and arguments and having to map those arguments is quite a feat. My professors, however, are incredible. They go sentence by sentence in the articles, explaining them and making sure all of us are understanding the difficult concepts. Sometimes we spend over two hours on an article while at other times the class is split in half and we get through two pages in an hour. Paying attention and forcing myself to think deeply is vital for class time. At times, if I miss one minute of the discussion, I am lost for the rest of the time. Although I am being challenged immensely, I am loving the challenge. God has definitely blessed me by allowing me to come here. I am so thankful to him for this time.

Thanks for reading!

A Peek Into Life at Rivendell

Well, I have been at Rivendell for over two weeks now. Time passes by quite swiftly here, but most of the time I like it that way. I was planning on writing something profound and intellectual, but I will save that for another time and instead let you in on how life goes about here in Minnesota.

My class consists of 14 students including myself. There are eight girls with whom I share a dorm, and six guys. We represent 6 states: Wisconsin, North Carolina, Louisiana, California, Illinois, Minnesota, and Utah(that's me!). Two professors, B.J.(a theology and philosophy major) and Donald(taught law), and a faculty mentor, Missy(the president of Rivendell's daughter in law), lead us in the classroom. Unlike most colleges, here at Rivendell we study one class at a time. A semester consists of 18 weeks, in which we have three modules lasting six weeks each. For example, right now we are studying Critical Thinking for six weeks. In February we will move on to Theology for six weeks, then onto Philosophy for another six weeks. Our class stays together the entire eighteen months. So far we have read and summarized over twelve articles covering topics such as philosophy, apologetics, the nature of truth, and fallacies. During the first week we read and discussed these articles in class. The next week we learned about the importance of discipling nations from a video lecture by a woman from YWAM and a guest lecturer, Darrow Miller. This previous week we were taught how to use the software that Rivendell uses. It's difficult to explain, but basically we will read articles, essays, the Great Books and we'll map out the arguments on the computer. It's an incredible software and I'm already learning how to find arguments and fallacies in what I'm reading and watching. I am really looking forward to using the software in the future. In addition to the software, this week we began Socratic Circles. What happens in a Socratic Circle is that half of the class will go into the middle of the room, pick a topic and a question to discuss and will discuss it for about thirty minutes. While the seven are discussing, the seven in the outer circle will take notes and write down questions they have. After a half hour, the outer circle then will point out what they think and what they heard. Before we began, I was a bit nervous about giving my opinion and speaking out about what I thought. But now I love Socratic discussions. They are one of my favorite things about class. I love that we set time aside to think deeply and to discuss important questions. It brings me great joy.

In addition to the intellectual pursuit in the classroom, we also are partaking in an Inductive Bible Study. Every day, we read three chapters of a book(we've started with Genesis) highlighting, marking, and taking notes in our new inductive Bibles. Then every morning before class begins, we read aloud what we have read previously and discuss what we have learned, what jumped out at us, what the themes were, who the key characters were, etc. I am really enjoying this study. I have read Genesis numerous times, but actually reading it multiple times in one setting trying to figure out the themes and concepts brings the Word to life.

For this module, class is Monday through Friday, 8-12 and 1:30-3:00. The rest of the days are spent studying and doing homework, getting to know the girls in my dorm, trying to keep up with politics, reading, etc. Sometimes movies are played in the classrooms, while other times sports are played in the gym. I am definitely never bored here with the variety of activities and studying to do.

Yes, it's cold. I know many of you were worried I would freeze to death or something, but I'm still alive. :) There is very little snow here, but the temperatures are in the teens and sometimes negatives. I guess it is a mild winter for Minnesota, but I'm hoping that I'll be able to see the many feet of snow people keep talking about. Thankfully I don't have to drive in it.

God has been teaching me many things during my time here at Rivendell. In addition to learning to balance my socializing and my need for alone time, learning how to be relational and communicative, and learning to think deeply and spend my time wisely, He has been teaching me to abide with him through prayer and reading the Word. He has shown me how much I need daily time with him, and though a difficult process, I'm learning to give him my time and to not put other things in front of him. I'm seeing that this is a lifelong process.

Well, there is a peek into my life here in Minnesota. I hope you enjoyed the tour!

Following Christ

Matthew 9:16

As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

A couple of weeks before I left for Minnesota, I was studying Matthew and read this passage. This passage had never perplexed me before, but it did this time. Why would Matthew get up and follow Jesus no questions asked? Had God been preparing his heart beforehand? Was there something in the tone of Jesus’ voice that made Matthew say yes? What made him follow? I had not found an answer when I was offered a quite handsome scholarship to Rivendell Sanctuary in Bloomington, Minnesota on Thursday, December 29^th.

I had been planning on going to this college next January when I had saved enough money. But with this scholarship, it gave me more money than I could earn in one year. So if I stayed home I would be wasting money in a way. I know that money is not the most important thing, and I definitely considered many other things before I decided.

The week after I got back home from Summit Semester, I thought that God desired me to stay in Utah for whatever reason he had in mind. Therefore, I got used to living at home, had developed a schedule, and had started my job at Maceys. When I got the call with the offer of the scholarship, I was totally unprepared. The day before I had called Rivendell and told them that I couldn’t come due to finances. That Thursday, I was completely confused. At first, I barely considered it. Then as the night went on and I was given advice from family members, I began considering it more heavily. The next day at work, I fasted and prayed, yet my stress increased when I realized I had to call and give Rivendell my decision that night. In the middle of my work day, the scene from the book of Matthew popped into my mind. Matthew left everything, his family, his job, his home, to follow Jesus wholeheartedly. Now I knew that my decision did not compare to Matthew’s at all. His service was probably more important than my going to a college a thousand miles away. But I was faced with the problem of leaving my family after only having four weeks with them after being away from home for three months; I would have to leave a good paying job; I would have to give up my money and go into a bit of debt; and I would have to go into the unknown. When I thought of Matthew, I decided that I could do it too, if it was God’s will(as sure as you can be in those kind of situations). My sister reminded me that I hate making decisions quickly. I always have to pray and think and seek wise counsel before making a serious decision; this sometimes takes months. However, she brought up the point that maybe God wanted to test my trust in him by putting this decision and this opportunity before me. Maybe he wanted me to take a leap of faith into the unknown and to trust him, for he is a faithful God. These two points were the major ones that helped me to decide.

So I said yes to God and yes to Rivendell. Some obstacles appeared, but thankfully they were taken care of. On Friday, my dad booked my plane ticket. On Saturday I told my boss I had to quit my job(thankfully he was understanding in my crazy predicament and put me on seasonal instead of having me quit altogether). For the next couple of days, I spent time with family, packed, and said goodbye to as many people as I could. Every single day I struggled with second thoughts, sadness about leaving my family again, stress, anxiety, not knowing if I was really doing God’s will…so much went through my mind. On Tuesday I worked for a couple hours, my parents picked me up, and took me to the airport. There I said goodbye and boarded my plane. I was sad, but as I focused on where my God was taking me, excitement filled me! The stress left. It was amazing. I arrived in Bloomington, Minnesota around ten on Tuesday, so exactly a week ago(I just realized that). It’s crazy that I’m here..haha. I will definitely fill you in on my journeys so far, but I thought I should let you know about my journey before coming here. Thanks for reading! And yes I am crazy, but God calls some of us to do crazy things.