Evil Exists; Faith Endures

Virginia Tech University to the Sadriya Neighborhood

Blacksburg to Baghdad

The Christian Worldview vs. the Worldview of these events are so different.

Cal Thomas in one short article wrote:

• There is evil in the world.

• It has existed since the fall of Man. Some argue that a tragedy such as Virginia Tech proves there is no God.
  
• If that were true, what does selflessness prove? If we learn that some students sacrificed their lives to protect others (as occurred at Columbine High School where some also gave their lives after testifying to their faith in God), would that prove God exists?

• The important point is that God, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, has overcome evil. While we all must die -- some by tragedy such as the Virginia Tech shootings and others after living long lives -- the important question is not how many years we live on the earth, but where we shall spend eternity.

This article was on newsweek.washingtonpost.com Here you will have a comments from people from all walks of life.

Here are a few of those comments: from a Worldview idea:

• "Does Cal Thomas really believe that, of all the dead at VTech, those who accepted christ are now sitting happily with the lord, and those who happened to be muslim, buddhist, jewish, agnostic, etc. are getting tortured by satan?" (just as printed on post)

• This stubborn persistence in positing an entity called "evil," and then assigning causal power to it, merely results in continued ignorance as to the actual causal factors for real events.
  The brain tumor in Charles Whitmans hypothalamic region was not "evil," it just "was." And it played a primary causal role in the killing of 16 other people. Of course, if everyone throughout time had been satisfied with assigning "evil" as the cause for every painful event, we would never have known what a brain tumor was, or how behavior is affected in those who have them. If one really wants to understand how natural events occur, one must study the natural world itself. The rest is merely fiction.

• As per the contemporary Christian theologian, Father Edward Schillebeeckx, (from his book, Church, the History of God,Crossroad, 1993, p.91 (softcover)"Christians must give up a perverse, unhealthy and inhuman doctrine of predestination without in so doing making God the great scapegoat of history" . "Nothing is determined in advance: in nature there is chance and determinism; in the world of human activity there is possibility of free choices. Therefore the historical future is not known even to God; otherwise we and our history would be merely a puppet show in which God holds the strings. For God, too, history is an adventure, an open history for and of men and women."And with this profound observation, Schillebeeckx rendered all prophets, i.e. Isaiah, Jesus, Mohammed, Smith et al, and prophecies moot!!!!!

Here are two quotes from two fellow believers I know:

1. I too share in the shock andsadness at VT. I watched some of the convocation yesterday and was filled withdespair. Not just regarding the murders, but also VT's (and ourworld's) view of the place for religion in today society. Muslim,Jewish, Hindu, and Christian leaders all spoke offering their words ofcomfort and solace. All faiths on an equal plain and yet all equallymeaningless. There were no words of true hope, only a hope that one ofthe gods would comfort and make sense and meaning of it all. Somehowthat we would overcome by strength of self. So this is our emerging America. In times of tragedy, we call out togod/God. We ask for comfort and solace and for Him/her/impersonal forceto help us make sense of it all. Eventually, America will also rejectthis mix for it is nonsensical. We will in 25 years, be a nation whohas rejected God and replaced Him with other gods who are no gods atall. True Christianity is being marginalized, will be ostracized, andthen rejected... eventually becoming illegal. This could all happen, I believe in the next 50 years. Bruce

1. It seems with no lack of churches in town, the the resources are in place for the flow of God's love and care into a hurting world sufficient so that no person in our community, or in our pews, should ever be left behind or unsupported. Which means our work is more than to offer a Bible class to study facts or learn rules for nice behavior, or to create programs for busyness to increase attendance and offerings, or even to expand outreach around the world in the name of missions. Not while people all about (everyone really) are suffering from loneliness and rejection, wandering, lost, making foolish, failed decisions to deal with their unhappiness, and growing in anger and disappointment and desperation.
   
   The answer to violence in a community is an engaged church living out its passion and commitment to invest in support ministry for the recovery and renewal of the boy next door and his family. Don Whisnant, GracePoint

What is the definition of "evil?"

The actions of those who kill and kill themselves in Baghdad is evil.

One person writes this able Cal's point of view about evil"

• " Phaedrus is absolutely correct that Cal's world view leads to a personification of evil, and represents an abdication of responsibility to seek out its real-world causes and remedies. "

Evil does exist, but so does good. We can't live in fear of evil, but live by faith in the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Drafted by Charles E. Whisnant