Posted by PS on March 20, 2004 at 13:25:28:
In Reply to: lots of words that mean nothing... Ajournal entry bad grammer and all part two. posted by Terry on March 19, 2004 at 18:41:02:
Excuse me, but these words do not "mean nothing." The excerpt below, for instance, is, in my opinion, the purest response of faith possible. If God is holy and omnibenevolent, then truly all such questions of theodicy (the reason for suffering and evil), though unanswerable, must at least be asked. To refrain from asking may indicate one or more of a number of disturbing assumptions/fears: that God cannot answer, that God cannot bear the questions, that God's righteousness must be protected or defended, that true answers must be categorical responses without any dialectical tension, that traditional understandings are sufficient to explain all experience of suffering or injustice. They are not, nor can they be.
A faith that believes God, must question God. How can one's experience of life be irrelevant or profane in the eyes of God? How can the God of all life and meaning despise the child that does not understand? Faith cries out, because the Father is there; none of our biblical models of faith were silent. Religion, on the other hand, offers explanations to justify God and silence the fears and doubts of the suffering child. Such responses betray the fear that God may not be there, that He may no longer be able to answer for Himself, that we may in fact be more righteous than He, that there are answers we cannot bear and do not wish to know.
As you said, we do not look for quick solutions. They do not exist. We embrace the unbearable tension of the dialectic--yet we do bear it. We seek out every paradox, every contradiction, every expression of the irresolvable dialectic--lest we embrace a faith that could be destroyed by these realities. Only a faith that endures the reality of life in this world as we experience it is real. Only a God that welcomes the genuine response of the believer is worthy of our worship. We affirm our faith in the God who cannot be understood by seeking to understand. We affirm his righteousness and justice by questioning the evil in the world. We affirm ultimate meaning and purpose by questioning the senselessness of all suffering and the insufficiency of all our answers. We respond thus because true faith requires it. It is always difficult, it is always dialectical, but we embrace the irresolvable tension. WE BELIEVE.
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: Why am I sick? Why am I still alive? What does God want from me? How can I make something good come out of this mess? Lately these questions have evolved into something more then just a futile activity to engage my mind. They have become an experience that confounds and overwhelms me emotionally, physically, and spiritually. I have not found a quick solution for ending my turmoil and confusion, but then I’m no longer looking for one either.