Why Has God Created a World in Which There Is Suffering?
Wed, 01/30/2008 - 12:55 — admin
TEACHER: When you first came, I warned you that you’d have to be patient. To answer this question is not a difficult task, but it will take some time, as it requires the presentation of an entire theme and not merely a brief reply. We’ll have to begin, I’m afraid, by considering another question and then gradually develop the answer to the one you’ve just posed. The other question I refer to is this: What is God’s purpose in creating this world?
If we are of the opinion that God created this world for us to enjoy, then we wil1 probably be inclined to conclude that He did a really lousy job. If His intention was to create a playground to be inhabited by the living entities for their pleasure, then obvious defects leap out and meet the eye. There is the pain of birth, disease, old age, and death. We suffer from tritapa-the threefold miseries of material existence which are described in the Vedic literatures. The first misery is called adhiatmic-pains caused by our own bodies (indigestion, headache, backache, etc.) and our own minds (anxiety, fear, jealousy, hallucinations, etc.). The second misery is called adhibhautic, the miseries forced on us by other living entities both large and small. Bedbugs bite us, for instance, or mosquitoes hum about our ears when we are trying to sleep. Or on a larger scale, I may be punched out by an angry person or bitten by a dog. The third type of misery is called adhidaivic. This is misery due to natural phenomena and disasters attributed to the ‘devas’ or demigods, such as rainstorms, scorching heat, earthquakes, forest fires, etc.10
In view of the variety and depth of suffering to which all corporal beings are subjected, we can arrive at one of two basic conclusions.
God is not all-powerful, since He blew it in the matter of creation. He tried to make this world perfectly enjoyable, but things got out of hand-He lost control and botched the job. Therefore, we must suffer. Or, God did not create this world for us to enjoy, but for some other purpose which does not readily meet the eye. The existence of suffering does not interfere with this purpose, and may in fact contribute to it.
Well, Michael, which one will it be?
There’s a saying: “Misery likes company.” So-called religious fanatics are so miserable that they want to create as much havoc in society as possible. They want others to join them in their misery.Why Has God Created a World in Which There Is Suffering?
Science of Identity Foundation – Siddhaswarupananda
TEACHER: When you first came, I warned you that you’d have to be patient. To answer this question is not a difficult task, but it will take some time, as it requires the presentation of an entire theme and not merely a brief reply. We’ll have to begin, I’m afraid, by considering another question and then gradually develop the answer to the one you’ve just posed. The other question I refer to is this: What is God’s purpose in creating this world?
If we are of the opinion that God created this world for us to enjoy, then we wil1 probably be inclined to conclude that He did a really lousy job. If His intention was to create a playground to be inhabited by the living entities for their pleasure, then obvious defects leap out and meet the eye. There is the pain of birth, disease, old age, and death. We suffer from tritapa-the threefold miseries of material existence which are described in the Vedic literatures. The first misery is called adhiatmic-pains caused by our own bodies (indigestion, headache, backache, etc.) and our own minds (anxiety, fear, jealousy, hallucinations, etc.). The second misery is called adhibhautic, the miseries forced on us by other living entities both large and small. Bedbugs bite us, for instance, or mosquitoes hum about our ears when we are trying to sleep. Or on a larger scale, I may be punched out by an angry person or bitten by a dog. The third type of misery is called adhidaivic. This is misery due to natural phenomena and disasters attributed to the ‘devas’ or demigods, such as rainstorms, scorching heat, earthquakes, forest fires, etc.10
In view of the variety and depth of suffering to which all corporal beings are subjected, we can arrive at one of two basic conclusions.
God is not all-powerful, since He blew it in the matter of creation. He tried to make this world perfectly enjoyable, but things got out of hand-He lost control and botched the job. Therefore, we must suffer. Or, God did not create this world for us to enjoy, but for some other purpose which does not readily meet the eye. The existence of suffering does not interfere with this purpose, and may in fact contribute to it.
Well, Michael, which one will it be?