If there really is a good and merciful God, then why is there so much pain and suffering on Earth? And if there is no God, how can our pointless existence be reconciled with the problem of evil? Humanity has always tried to unravel the mystery of where to look for truth and to find the source of justice. Both skeptics and idealists, when confronted with the most difficult circumstances in life, resign themselves and declare: "That's it! Stop the planet, I'm getting off!" But what about Christians?

 

In SMS club, by tradition, even that most difficult problems of human existence are resolved in a friendly group conversation over a cup of coffee. So the opening comment, "Relax, we have a very serious topic," didn't surprise anyone. We tried to explain why it looks as if God doesn't get involved when He sees injustice. And why, if we look to His authority, we are really looking for a compliant God, and not the true God. And maybe, as one of our discussions concluded, society independently reaches the conclusion of what is just and what is not.

And in fact, when our accusations of "dishonesty" are just ordinary envy of the good circumstances of others, and the most brutal dictatorships are comfortable with our understanding of truth, then it is high time to review our standards of justice. But if injustice is relative, then how should we react to illness in innocent children or to natural disasters? As you can see, we laid out the questions and spent the rest of the evening shedding light on them.

In the final analysis we know that, having given freedom to man, with all of its consequences, God is showing patience out of love for us. He Himself submitted to the greatest injustice when He, the Perfect One, was crucified like a sinner. He definitely does not stand aloof, observing the failure of His creation. God has already intervened through His Son, providing comfort to all who are suffering. In His Son He gives hope to the whole planet, promising to usher us into the greatest happiness we can possibly have.

Vlada Ryabukha

Photos available here