The Archbishop of Canterbury, the head of the Anglican Church, wrote in the Telegraph today that the recent Asian tsunami disaster has made him doubt his faith.
Here's a quote:
Every single random, accidental death is something that should upset a faith bound up in comfort and ready answers. Faced with the paralysing magnitude of a disaster like this, we naturally feel more deeply outraged - and also more deeply helpless.
The question, 'How can you believe in a God who permits suffering on this scale?' is therefore very much around at the moment, and it would be surprising if it weren't - indeed it would be wrong if it weren't.
Strong stuff. This guy represents 70 million Anglicans around the world, yet he seems like a really reasonable guy. We obviously still don't see eye to eye on organized religion, but this passage makes more sense to me than any words an American religious leader has spoken during my lifetime.
Lots of smart American I know dismiss the notion that Europeans are more civlized and intelligent as stereotypical, but it's hard not to feel that way sometimes. They certainly seem to have a more rational approach towards this whole religion thing.
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ReplyDelete"How can you believe in a God who permits suffering on this scale?"
ReplyDeleteI suppose he means a loving God.
On another note,
One would think that a religious leader would know this simple fact, we are all going to die.
And dying is generally looked on as a bad thing.
So he ought to already know these basic facts of life and not join an organization like the church that he does not agree with on things like redemption, life after death, death being the solution to dying.
And so on.
He must be a man of very little foresight or insight.
This blog has some interesting pictures. People laughing as they run from the wave. They did not see the danger.
As a windsurfer, one gets to know the power of the water. Sheesh, but maybe it is best that they did not know, in the end.
Also, the videos there of guys on the buildings just barely falling off and such. They did not take it seriously either. Once you fall in, you may well be done.
Later.
By the way, here is a link to a parable about God and suffering.
ReplyDeleteOn this, mynym, we agree. A religious leader who had not previously confronted the idea of suffering on a massive scale is probably not a religious leader with a tremendous amount of depth.
ReplyDeleteBut I do respect the courage of the man. He wrote openly about doubting his own faith, despite the fact that his career and livelihood centers around being trusted as a religious figure. That was my point in posting the article.
"He wrote openly about doubting his own faith...."
ReplyDeleteI agree, if that is what he thinks is true then he should write it.
But if he is a man of principle, he should then leave the church too.
Later...