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Q: Why does God allow bad things to happen? Where was God in the tsunami disaster?
The question why God would allow bad things to happen is not a new one. Whenever something bad happens to us such a serious illness, a personal crisis, family problems or the death of a loved one, we are tempted, maybe understandably so, to turn to God with a cry that comes straight from the heart: Why? How come God did not prevent this from happening?
Over the last two weeks the question has again been on the minds of many people as the world has witnessed one of the most terrible disasters of recent memory: the tsunami which hit the nations of the Indian Ocean leaving tens of thousands dead, millions homeless and people everywhere deeply shocked at the sheer devastation it caused. We have seen the whole world touched by the tragedy, prompting one of the greatest outpouring of aid and grief that the human community has ever seen. The destruction is enormous, the death toll unparalleled and the suffering beyond compare. The sheer magnitude and suddenness, with which the tsunami created havoc in what was thought a human paradise, catapulted us all out of our Christmas and New Year’s calm. But it did not just shake up our holiday mode and mood. At a time when we as Christians celebrate the coming of God in the birth of the Christ Child, minds and hearts might wonder why the same God seemed to stay away in this instance, watching, as it were, from behind the destructive waves of the tsunami and allowing nature to unfold in such a disastrous fashion.
As for an answer, I certainly cannot profess to have one that is simple or maybe even satisfactory. All I can do is give some reflections which have helped me still believe in the All-good and All-powerful God while bad things have left his creation devastated and his people helpless.
Mind you, the tsunami in the Indian Ocean was not the first time bad things have happened in this world. It just hit so unexpectedly and brutally, while other bad things seem to go almost unnoticed or even - dare I say – accepted, such as the war in Sudan, for example, or the continuing conflicts in the Middle East and the Holy Land; not to mention the disastrous conditions left by poverty, hunger and disease in so many countries; or the terrible toll injustice, crime and exploitation, corruption and greed are taking on millions of people around the globe. Of course, it seems, most of these are due to human ignorance or indifference which places the burden of guilt squarely on our own shoulders, directly or indirectly. But even then, God is often seen as some sort of bystander in the face of human misery, no matter how much the misery is our doing. God, after all, could still prevent it, we reason, even change people’s hearts no matter how much they might be given to evil. Much more so are we tempted to accuse God of inaction and inattention when the forces of nature, his own creation, go awry such as in countless natural disasters before this latest tragedy.
Now, in the face of what seems such weighty evidence against God and his goodness, many of the tsunami survivors, grief-stricken and in shock, homeless, penniless and in pain, do what we here in our comfort find difficult to do: pray. Somehow, they find the strength to turn to the very Creator whose creation has dealt them such a blow. If we want to see the power and courage of faith, we see it there and so much more; for it is the very people who were left without food, clothing and shelter, who offer the little they have left to other victims of the disaster. And here, in my mind, is the first glimpse of the God of goodness behind it all.
Goodness can still be found in the human soul despite the selfishness which seems all too often to rule the day. If this were not so, the world populace would not have felt any pity nor raised $ 3.5 billion to help so far. Here, too, I can see the God of goodness at work and can only pray that people will continue to follow his promptings even in good times, not only in bad. I would even go further and say that nature, too, has its good sides even though we tend to notice most often only the bad. After all, it was the beauty of creation to begin with which drew thousands of foreigners to the Indian Ocean, and it has often occurred to me that such beauty anywhere on this planet is often mistreated, ignored and abused by ourselves, from wastefulness to air pollution, with all its devastating consequences; and it is God who tries to keep it still beautiful. Many times, I believe, has the world been on the brink of disaster and utter destruction whether in the modern nuclear arms race or in the plagues of old; and it was God who in his goodness saved it.
Why God would leave us in such a precarious and delicate situation and would not completely eradicate all evil, danger and flaws in the forces of nature as in the human soul, is indeed the heart of the matter. Why would he not create a paradise for us to live in and to enjoy; a place of utter beauty and delight where all could be in complete harmony with each other, with nature and with him? Why would he not make sure that all is good and all is well? Alas, he did – once – a long time ago; but somehow we lost it all; not his doing, but ours. And since that fateful moment, nothing has been the same; nothing has been as it was intended by him; nothing: not we, not life, not work; not day or night; not skies or seas; not animal or nature. All somehow was lost; this is what we call the state of our fallen nature or of original sin. After that, God in his goodness tried to see us through such loss and get us back on track. Not so long ago, his Son tried to make us see how all could be well again despite the loss of paradise, and promised life despite and even beyond death. We are still struggling to understand his message and to find the way.
And just so there is no misunderstanding: In the past when bad things happened it was seen as punishment of the guilty who deserved what they received. Then the world was changed when God’s own Son suffered for what he himself did not do. We have as yet no idea how much he went through; all we know is that it was unjust, inhuman and offensive. He did not ask for it nor enjoy it when it happened. He did, however, accept it when it was thrust upon him. Here is an understanding of human suffering that somehow bursts the concepts and constraints of simplistic answers and easy solutions. It goes beyond any reasoning, however valid, which science can offer or philosophy can devise. Bottom line: God ‘suffered’ then; and who is to say that he does not ‘suffer’ now again and again and again in all the terrible tragedies, big and small, that we experience.
Why he does not prevent those terrible tragedies from happening in the first place? Well, why don’t we? After all, warning systems half way across the globe did detect the tsunami in time; wild life in the region sensed the impending danger and got out of harm’s way; money is obviously abundant in this world and could have easily built better homes, roads and care facilities long before the tsunami; many things could have been done in hindsight maybe not to prevent disaster, but certainly to alleviate much suffering. Are we ready for the next time tragedy will strike?
Whatever suffering in the end comes our way, here and there, now as then, God does not simply allow it to happen. It is the result of the bewildering, to some even maddening mix of the forces and laws - physical, psychological, moral and spiritual - which contribute to our present state of affairs in this world, in nature and in our souls. As unsatisfactory as this answer may be to some, to me it suggests that now is the time to decide. I can either assume that there is no God and all that happens is accidental without a purpose, rule or meaning; I can assume that there is a God, who does not care and all that happens he simply watches from afar; or I can assume that there is a God who cares deeply and all that happens, while not always intended, he can turn to good and in his goodness always does. I have decided to assume the latter, but everyone has to decide for him- or herself which explanation, if any, to accept. In any case, many more questions are still unanswered and will likely remain so for a long time to come until, one day, we shall finally understand – at least in my poor reading of things – why, indeed, bad things have happened to me, to others, to whole nations and to the world.
God bless,
Father Norbert.