Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

9/11. The Holocaust. Sandy Hook Elementary. 

The slaughter of innocents always catches us, stops us short, and makes us ponder the whys: Why would someone do such a thing? Why are humans capable of such depravity? And especially, why does God let it happen? Philosophers have debated this last question – the Problem of Evil – for millenia.

If God is omnipotent and omniscient, then does that not make Him ultimately responsible for evil? If so, then how can such a cruel being be God?

This article offers answers to that age-old question. It is rather philosophical (and long), but I recommend reading and pondering it. And if you're really pressed for time and attention, here are some important take-aways:

“Even God could not bring one to joy without moral righteousness, to moral righteousness without moral freedom, or to moral freedom without an opposition in all things. With moral freedom as an essential variable in the divine equation for spiritual growth, two consequences stand out: human beings must face the possibility of genuine moral evil, and they need a Redeemer.”

“Agents who are free to act for themselves have a power of self-determination that cannot be caused by God without violating free will. They possess this power of agency eternally. Thus God does not and cannot control the free action of agents—not, at least, without obliterating their identity as individuals. Indeed, perfect love could never sanction destroying a person's agency and, consequently, dissolving that person's identity.”

The sting of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary is still fresh. I know the depth of pain I’ve felt in my heart, and yet I don’t know a single one of the victims. I can only imagine the pain the parents and families must be feeling. May God and His angels – seen and unseen – surround and comfort them.