Publishing Guidelines: Permission is granted to publish this article electronically or in print as long as bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.

WHY DOES GOD PERMIT WICKEDNESS AND SUFFERING? (Part 5)

By Arthur Zulu

A 12-year-old boy is dying of cancer in Columbia. His father is held by fighting rebels. The dying boy begs rebels to release his father so that he could see him before he dies. The rebels refuse. Sympathizers volunteer to exchange places with imprisoned father in order to fulfill wish of sick and dying boy. The rebels refuse. The boy dies without seeing his father. And his father is killed by rebels.

A mortuary attendant in Bosnia has unenviable task of counting dead in senseless killings of war in that part of world -- worst of its kind since World War II. Among corpses brought to him for enumeration were those of his son and relatives.

Pathetic images like these continue to be replayed in bloody scenes around world. Just switch on radio and listen to world news at this hour and tell me what good news you may have heard. In fact one character in one of Charles Dickens’ books says that he doesn’t read newspapers. His reason? Because news is always same -- someone is always murdered somewhere.

And that’s true. About 12 wars are going on around world today, and if you live in United States, someone has either been robbed, raped, or killed this very second! Everywhere, people are in fear of some kind of evil. Says Harold C. Urey: “We will eat fear, sleep fear, live in fear and die in fear.” These are fruitage of rebellion of our first parents, Adam and Eve -- political, economic, religious and social crisis. Not even UN has come to rescue.

If you read Bible books of Matthew chapter 24, Mark chapter 13 and Luke chapter 21, you will find a comprehensive list of features of our days -- war, food shortages, pestilences, earthquakes, and lawlessness, amongst others. People are suffering and dying in millions, and there is no end in sight. In fact if you read Second Timothy chapter 3, you will find out that things are going to get worst. We haven’t seen anything yet!

Publishing Guidelines: Permission is granted to publish this article electronically or in print as long as bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.

WHY DOES GOD PERMIT WICKEDNESS AND SUFFERING? (Part 3)

By Arthur Zulu

Does God exist? Or is he dead as some say? The answers to these questions will help us to know why he allows wickedness and suffering in this world.

As a starting point, note this: whatever is made requires a maker. The chair you are sitting on now did not fall from heaven . It was made by a carpenter. The computer from where you downloaded this article did not happen by chance. It was made by a genius. And article that you are reading now did not evolve. It has an author.

These in themselves are small things. Now, consider bigger and more complex things. Like what? you may ask. Like universe. Who made it?

It is very easy to say that universe is without cause. Think of order among 100 billion stars in our galaxy, and 100 billion galaxies in known universe! Consider fact that these galaxies are arranged in clusters and super clusters.

Imagine fact that universe is in a constant state of expansion, and likelihood of other universes. Add fact that even now scientists are discovering new stars and galaxies that defy their previously held opinions.

Reflecting on order and intelligence in universe, proponents of Big Bang theory have begun singing different tunes. Asked John Glenn: “Could this have just happened? Was it an accident that a bunch of flotsam and jetsam suddenly started making these orbits of its own accord?” He answers his own question: “I can’t believe that . . . . Some Power put all this into orbit and keeps it there.”

Another scientist, Stephen W. Hawking agrees:” The more we examine universe, we find it is not arbitrary at all but obeys certain well-defined laws that operate in different areas. It seems very reasonable to suppose that there may be some unifying principles, so that all laws are part of some bigger law”.