The economy is abysmal. Shootings seem to occur practically once a month. North Korea defies U.N. protocol, provocatively moves its missiles to its coast and unconsciously threatens America. Genocides occur with seemingly no afterthought. Governments continue to fund and house terrorism.
Things seem to just be getting worse for the state of humanity, and through it all, any reasonable human might ask, “Where is God?”
They are not unjust or out-of-line in asking such a question. It's only natural for individuals to question their place in the universe, as well as the ultimate course of the universe.
If we are to assume that God exists, we should attempt to discover where God actually is when a tragedy takes place.
To begin, let's define God. Fortunately, this can be done using various religious doctrines, or perhaps none.
The most generally accurate and recognized definition of the concept of “God” comes from the Christian philosopher, St. Anselm, in his proposed ontological argument for the existence of a God. According to him, God is “that which no greater can be conceived.”
We have here a definition rooted in philosophy that can be set apart from those definitions which are intrinsically religious doctrine, and Anselm's definition presents us with two definitive qualities of God's character: omnipotence and omniscience.
So if God is all-powerful, he has the ability to prevent tragedy. Likewise, if he is omniscient, he has the foreknowledge of its occurrence and ultimately lets it occur.
You may ask, how can this God — who is supposedly all-loving and just — both allow tragedies to occur and will them to occur?
The answers to these questions vary, depending on the ideology of different global religions, as well as their followers' concepts of “justice.”
Subjective and intricately minute interpretations aside, our issue with God and tragedy ultimately beckons us to examine the concept of evil.
For instance, ask yourself this: Are tragedies evil? More importantly, ask yourself this: What is evil?
To be brief, evil is not a mere physical “thing.” If our definition of God inherently defines God as the greatest which can be conceived, it would be philosophically contradictory to conclude that God created evil.
Evil, then, is something whose origins are specifically set apart from our concept of God.
If evil itself is set apart from God, and God willingly lets it occur, then evil — and more distinctly, tragedies — occur for distinct, divinely applicable purposes.
Here's my theory: Evil acts occur both because they are an overarching, objective instrument of divine purposes and because it is good for our God to reveal and demonstrate his character.
Is it “good” for God to demonstrate his character? Is it just for him to use evil as a divinely-planted instrument to guide our world along its pre-supposed and ultimate course?
My answer to both of these questions would be a resounding yes.
The nature of God is a complex and challenging enigma, but we ought to respond and thoughtfully engage in critical thinking if we truly believe God, or any deity by any other name, exists.
Ultimately, the problem of evil and the existence of God are propositions that philosophers have tried to reconcile throughout the ages.
We should not merely give up on this philosophical dilemma simply, because forms of evil continue to exist.
Reach this columnist at spmccaul@asu.edu or follow him on twitter at @sean_mccauley
