I posted the following article a long time ago, but the recent tragedy of the earthquake hitting Haiti brought it to mind, again.I know that many are pondering this question, probably at this very moment. Perhaps, someone's faith has been shaken because of what has happened, and wonder if God really caused such a thing. Tragedy tends to do that, even to those whose faith is, in their minds, grounded.
Some have been unkind in their statements about why it happened, but can any of us know, or pass judgement, really?
I don't think so.
I do know that the Bible speaks of God's judgement, but it, also, says that time and chance happen to all men, and that it rains on the just and the unjust.
It is not for us to judge, but to love, and to forgive, and to pray for those in need.
DID GOD CREATE EVIL?
Did God create everything that exists? Does evil exist? Did God create evil?
A University professor at a well known institution of higher learning challenged his students with this question: "Did God create everything that exists?"
A student bravely replied, "Yes he did!"
"God created everything?"
"Yes sir, he certainly did," the student replied.
The professor answered, "If God created everything, then God created evil. And, since evil exists, and according to the principal that our works define who we are, then we can assume God is evil."
The student became quiet and did not answer the professor's hypothetical definition. The professor, quite pleased with himself, boasted to the students that he had proven once more that the Christian faith was a myth.
Another student raised his hand and said, "May I ask you a question, professor?"
"Of course," replied the professor.
The student stood up and asked, "Professor, does cold exist?"
"What kind of question is this? Of course it exists. Have you never been cold?" The other students snickered at the young man's question.
The young man replied, "In fact, sir, cold does not exist. According to the laws of physics, what we consider cold is in reality the absence of heat. Every body or object is susceptible to study when it has or transmits energy, and heat is what makes a body or matter have or transmit energy. Absolute zero (-460 F) is the total absence of heat; and all matter becomes inert and incapable of reaction at that temperature. Cold does not exist. We have created this word to describe how we feel if we have no heat."
The student continued, "Professor, does darkness exist?"
The professor responded, "Of course it does."
The student replied, "Once again you are wrong, sir, darkness does not exist, either. Darkness is in reality the absence of light. Light we can study, but not darkness. In fact, we can use Newton's prism to break white light into many colors and study the various wave lengths of each color. You cannot measure darkness. A simple ray of light can break into a world of darkness and illuminate it. How can you know how dark a certain space is? You measure the amount of light present. Isn't this correct? Darkness is a term used by man to describe what happens when there is no light present."
Finally the young man asked the professor, "Sir, does evil exist?"
Now uncertain, the professor responded, "Of course, as I have already said. We see it everyday. It is in the daily examples of man's inhumanity to man. It is in the multitude of crime and violence everywhere in the world. These manifestations are nothing else but evil."
To this the student replied, "Evil does not exist, sir, or at least it does not exist unto itself. Evil is simply the absence of God. It is just like darkness and cold, a word that man has created to describe the absence of God. God did not create evil. Evil is the result of what happens when man does not have God's love present in his heart. It's like the cold that comes when there is no heat, or the darkness that comes when there is no light."
The professor sat down.
The young man's name - - Albert Einstein....(1879-1955)
"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God." Psalms 14:1 KJV
I'm no genius, but I can't remember a time when I didn't know in my heart that God exists.
Albert Einstein was no fool, either.
