Just watched the Netflix show One of Us
About a Hadistic unorthodox Jewish clan in NY
And 3 former members’ attempt to leave.
I was really broken by one story in particular.
A young man assaulted by a leader at 8years old
In a culture of silence, his pain found
Neither expression nor help, relief
Or even simple acknowledgement.
He said something that struck me
“Where was God? If He allowed such a thing,
Either He doesn’t exist…
Or he is an evil, very evil, being.”
To many religious people, it’s blasphemy
Or fighting words at least.
Questioning God, the sovereign God,
Angers, frightens, worries many religious people.
But I always wonder, how can you posit a theory
Without testing it’s veracity?
Without airing your conviction to challenge?
God doesn’t need us to defend,cover-up for Him
He gave us autonomy & rational thought,
So He isn’t scared of being challenged.
I think independence of thought and action,
Is a zero sum game.
For God to restrict some free will, is to restrict all
People, not any deity, are the cause of evil.
God might not direct evil, but He sees it,
And offers us comfort, guidance & love.
Sometimes ways out, new starts & true grace.
I hear pastors saying COVID -19
Is a punishment from God in response to our sin.
Evil is the direct consequence of human action.
Or inaction, like the parents & community
Charged with protecting an 8 year old child.
So why bother with God at all then?
For me, I think humans without God,
Continue to search for purpose, for meaning.
We fill the longing with substitutes,
But when you find a faith you can stand on,
Contend for, believe in, it changes everything.
And that’s why I think even if God did not exist,
It would be necessary for us to create Him