ARLINGTON, Va., January 27, 2012 – If God is all powerful and all good, why does He allow so much suffering to persist in human affairs? Does He simply not care? Why for example, did He not intervene to prevent slavery in the 1700s and 1800s? Why did He not prevent the unimaginable tragedies resulting from the First and Second World Wars, or from the emergence of Communism, through which the Soviet and Chinese governments both slaughtered millions of their own people? And why does He seem not to intervene in the myriad tragedies of today?
Many pastors and leaders of faith attempt to answer this confounding question by teaching that God gave humans free will, and that it is up to us to make either a world of ruin, or a world of compassion and prosperity where everyone has the opportunity to live in happiness.
The Divine Principle presents a valuable insight on this issue, having to do with the way God created humans. It teaches that by design, God created mankind in an immature state. We are given the responsibility to grow to maturity, a state in which we can love others, and ourselves for that matter, in the beautiful way that He desires.
Thus God provides the inspiration and assistance we need if we ask for it, but it is our own responsibility to grow and to learn to love. God wished for us to become “co-creators” of ourselves in the sense that the choices we make in freedom will affect who we become and how we affect those around us. The potential to become truly good in the deepest sense, was expressed by Jesus when he told his friends, “You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt. 5:48).
However, if God forced us to be wise and good, He would violate the freedom and responsibility He originally gave to us. By forcing us, He would violate His ideal for what humans should become, and alter who humans are. We would be creatures of some sort, but we would not be the humans of His original desire.
Because God’s ideal for us to become His fruitful, mature children is absolute, He cannot abandon it or compromise it. Therefore, He has endured in deep, unimaginable pain and longing, waiting for the human family to learn how to manifest its true potential. He is our God of love, joy, power, justice and compassion, but He also experiences pain that is completely beyond the power of words to describe.
Yes, He does intervene in human affairs when our responsible efforts make it possible for Him to do so. But for the most part, God has had to wait, hoping that we will finally listen to and follow Him well enough that we will make this world the wonderful place it has always been intended to be. It is our great fortune that He is both patient, and utterly determined, as is hinted in the Bible, “I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.” (Isaiah 46:11).
It is not that He does not care. God cares infinitely, as our Heavenly Parent. He cares enough that He will keep trying until we exercise the responsibility He has given us, and realize our destiny. Then we will see Heaven begin to emerge on this beautiful, wonderful planet.
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