Questioning God:
In this week’s reading from Exodus 17:1-7, the Israelites complained because they were dying of thirst. They wondered if God was really there. Is it OK to wonder that today?
More than 50 miners were killed in China Monday during explosions at two different mines. Several others are missing and injured.
- "Why did you send those miners to work today, God? Why did you send them to work to die?
19 people were killed in Somalia Monday when insurgents bombed a local market. Many of those killed were children.
- “Why did you send those people to the market today, God? Why did you send them to buy food and then to die?”
60 people were killed in Pakistan on Saturday when a truck broke through a concrete barrier and exploded at a hotel.
- “Why did you have those people at the hotel on Saturday, God? Why were they staying there and why did you let them die?”
In our world, more than 1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water and more than 2 billion lack sanitation.
- "Why do you let people die because they don’t even have basic survival necessities, God?"
In the last 50 years, almost 400 million people worldwide have died from hunger and poor sanitation.
- "Why have so many people died when they didn’t need to, God? Why do you let so many people die?"
What are your thoughts?
5 comments:
I don't know if this is relevant, but the post reminds me of a scene out of the Woody Allen movie Hannah and Her Sisters. In the scene where Woody's character is questioning his faith, he is asking his father why God lets bad things happen. The father replies, "How the hell do I know why there were Nazis?! I don't know how the toaster works!"
I'm there with you Peter -- it feels good to verbalize some of the "I don't know the answer" questions, though.
Wonderful post.
I think it is so important that we ask questions. It helps our faith in God. Thank you for asking the questions that matter. We must deal with and not ignore the questions that are within. Yet, we must come to the conclusion: "God is God. His ways are not our ways. His thought our thoughts."
Thanks, preacherman. I wonder if the statement you make at the end of your comment . . . "we must come to the conclusion: 'God is God. His ways are not our ways. His thought our thoughts.'" makes asking questions more difficult. If we ask questions that have an answer already written as unquestionable -- then are we really asking questions?
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