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Until we develop new ways of thinking about God and money, eliminating our religious and profit problem, poverty, suffering, and inequality will only continue for many people.
It’s commonly asked, why does a loving, benevolent God allow bad things to happen to people. Why did He allow the murders of nine worshipers in Charleston’s Emanuel AME church, or the massacre of children at Sandy Hook Elementary School, or the murder of 2,996 people on 9/11? Why does He allow cancer and other afflictions, the Holocaust, the atrocities of ISIS/ISIL, or any of the horrific things that happen to people?
It’s commonly asked, why does a loving, benevolent God allow bad things to happen to people. Why did He allow the murders of nine worshipers in Charleston’s Emanuel AME church, or the massacre of children at Sandy Hook Elementary School, or the murder of 2,996 people on 9/11? Why does He allow cancer and other afflictions, the Holocaust, the atrocities of ISIS/ISIL, or any of the horrific things that happen to people?
The reason is that an anthropomorphic, personal God does not exist. The traditional, primitive view of God as a man sitting on a cloud or throne peering down from heaven looking after all of us earthlings is antiquated and not suitable for our time. That does not mean Ultimate Reality doesn’t exist. God is as good a label as any to describe this reality. However, a new way of thinking about God is required.
Today’s knowledge and advancements in technology allow the capability of preventing bad things from happening to people. The obstacles are not only allegiances to outdated religious beliefs but the pursuit of money as well.
A commitment to a religion’s particular God puts their God above the needs and wellbeing of people. They believe their God is to be put first, then family, then work, then everything else. Their actions will always be done in the name of God. Good or bad, whatever the outcome, it will be claimed that God has a secret plan, acts in mysterious ways, or it’s God's will.
An insatiable drive for profit also puts profit over the needs and wellbeing of people. We can make transportation safer, homes safer, our environment, schools, and streets safer, and achieve peace. But, in order to accomplish these things we need to eliminate the profit motive. Planned obsolescence, an integral part of profit making, sets limits on product safety, whereby products are sold with a certain degree of risk considered as acceptable. The war industries need planned obsolescence and perpetual war for a steady income stream to stay in business.
Therefore, the proper question to ask is “why do we allow bad things to happen to people?”
© Copyright 2015 Horatio Green
