God told us in the beginning of the Bible that sin and evil have entered the world. He also told us who is responsible for it.
The child with the flopping foot is suffering due to the sin of mankind. Not because of any evil in God.
When we see or are made aware of a little bit of some of the results of sin in the world, we get just the slightest bit of awareness of how bad sin is.
A main part of the evil of sin is, it makes the innocent suffer. If just the evildoers suffered due to their sin, all we would have is “justice.”
When we yell at our wife, put ourselves first, clock out early, hate somebody, take the biggest piece of pie, falsely accuse someone - or when we just fail to do the right thing, like go along with a dirty joke or let our kids cuss or look the other way when someone is hurting. . . we don’t feel so bad. We’d like to continue these and all other other sins, yet have no evil in the world. Can’t happen. Sin and evil go together.
But then think of the girl with the flopping foot. The sin we treat so casually in our lives is part of the cause of that.
Why doesn’t God just cancel the world and thus end the suffering? He could have, but he so far has not. He says because of His mercy. Yes, it is more merciful to have the flopping foot than for everyone left to get cast into hell.
Suppose God ended the world the day before that poor child was so mutilated. She’d have avoided that, and hopefully even found herself in heaven on the Judgment Day. But what about people who found repentance yesterday, or today? They wouldn’t have made it. They’d be in hell forever. Which is worse, although we don’t like to think about it, than suffering the way that child did.
The world will end when the last of those who will repent of their sins, repents. Then that’s it. Harvest time.
No flopping feet in heaven. God HAS brought an end to all suffering. The fulness of time just hasn’t come yet. We are all impatient but keep sinning anyway. And still God has mercy.
Thanks for that perspective.
I got saved last week. It’s thanks to Freepers and how calm and nice (MOST) of them are changed my atheist tendancies, so I get your part about those who later become saved.
What you say is logical, true, and reaffirming of God. But, how do we explain miscarriage? This question is not from a nonbeliever, but from someone who has lost two. C.S. Lewis does not touch on this one painful event.
WHEW! Beautiful!
God is not to blame for pain inflicted—God loves his children, but this earth age is of satan (remember how satan tempted Jesus when He fasted in the desert for 40 days? IF Christ would only worship satan, satan would give Him all He could see in the distance. And, Christ said, “Get behind me, satan” as a lesson to his children on how to deal with the devil.)
This earth age is a test for us. Perhaps the child will be a witness against the anti-christ when he arrives, having withstood pain inflicted by him on one of God’s children and becoming stronger for the experience of it?
Ever considered how wonderfully impressive and strong a witness the disabled are that revere God in their everyday lives? They have an effect on those around them that average Joes don’t have.
That is a valid point.