In my previous post, I discussed the reassurance of the words “the pain is only temporary.” These words certainly hold up in times of suffering, but in this post, I would like to dig a bit deeper. In fact, I would like to offer my ultimate perspective on the Bible’s response to the problem of suffering. In both my last post and the one preceding it, I mentioned a topic very near and dear to my heart. That is, my belief that logic cannot explain suffering. While I love exploring the philosophical problem of suffering and learning different viewpoints and arguments regarding the matter, rationalization of the problem is itself a problem. What it truly boils down to, when we discuss this pertinent matter, is rationalization versus love.
Faith, hope, and…
Fill in the blank. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13:13, “And now these three remain: faith, hope and ____. But the greatest of these is ____.” Is the missing word logic? No! Because when we are discussing matters of life and death or good and evil, logic simply has no place. I say this as a polemic towards both militant Christians and offensive opponents of belief. Why is it that there is so much debate on the issue? Is proving or disproving God really this important? That it would require one to take advantage of the hardest part of being human? How can we as a species be so divided on a topic that, one way or another, affects us all?
The problem of suffering is often categorized as a philosophical problem. And while yes, there is a time and place to debate the issue, I believe we should be more concerned about what we are doing to resolve the issue. It is not so much about explaining the reason for suffering as it is seeking to mitigate the prevalent suffering in our world. Of course, this is not an easy task. But nobody ever said it would be easy. Look around at the world. There is suffering everywhere. It’s on the news. It’s on the streets. It’s raging inside each and every one of us.
Love. That’s all it takes. No, love cannot cure a genetic disease. But it can minimize the ill effects of suffering prevalent in the one with the sickness. Explaining how God does or does not exist—what is that going to accomplish? The research I have reviewed for this post answers that question quite simply: nothing. Theodicies do not remove the sting of pain and suffering. Likewise, attacking people’s belief systems and boldly, yet selfishly asserting there is no god is producing nil results. I mentioned in a previous post that to have a purely logical answer to the problem of suffering, one must be a psychopath. I stand by my words.
A problem greater than the problem
Rationalization of suffering, in fact, worsens the effects of suffering. I can reflect on a time in my life when this certainly rang true. During one of my darkest times on this earth, when my mother was battling liver cancer, I struggled to make sense of her suffering and mine. Why did God do this to me? What have I done? I asked. The church gave me logical answers. Granted, I am endowed to note that the church I attended did so in a loving manner. But I was offered logic. In those moments, I did not need logic. The stress of trying to understand “why me?” and “what have I done to deserve this?” only added the stress I was already experiencing.
I came across a literature review of the sociologist Max Weber, who often discussed theodicy and suffering. In this review, the author explains, “The potential for the problem of suffering to shatter and shock people’s lives grows with the advance and force of rationalization.”1 The author continues that as intellectual beings, humans are driven by a desire to understand the meaning of suffering.2 Believers of any faith, of course, become stressed and anxious to make sense of the apparent inconsistences of their belief systems and the world to which they belong. A world full of rampant suffering.
A biblical response
Now, I am not a sociologist. My purpose in this post is not to explain how societal beliefs and religious beliefs combat each other. My point in raising this issue is to address the word, the logos, we can live by. As I am a student of the Bible, I turn to this source for finding the solution. And the solution to this problem is, of course, love. That is the word I omitted in the aforementioned verse. But I would like to turn the attention to another verse, in which the author makes an important calling. Galatians 6:2 (CJB) states, “Bear one another’s burdens — in this way you will be fulfilling the Torah’s true meaning, which the Messiah upholds.”
My solution to the problem of suffering is found in this verse. Bear one another’s burdens. As cliché as it may sound, we are all in this together. Whether we identify as Christian, agnostic, atheist, or anything and everything else, we are all on this world together. We all share it. We share the good, we share the bad. We share the suffering, we share the joy. It is not our place to shove dogma down the throats of those who are already walking in darkness.
Galatians is written to “the church of Galatia,” and thus its audience is rather specific. It is the responsibility of Christians to bear the burdens of one another. I would take this a step further in my opinion. It is not the responsibility of Christian’s to only look out for each other, but to serve those in their community. Christian or not. In fact, the call to “bear one another’s burdens” is likely included to echo the sentiments of pagan philosophers Xenophon and Socrates.3 Believers of the Bible are called to serve each other, indeed, but they are also called to serve others.
The church and the temple
All too often the church views itself as some kind of utopian kingdom on the earth, superior to those who do not associate with it. In this way, it has become like the Temple in Jesus’ day. It has become a place for pious individuals to gather and hear about a book that was, in their view, written exclusively for them. Sinners are not allowed. Pastors have become the Pharisees. They assert that if you do not conform to the beliefs of the church, you cannot belong to it. I have seen this happen. It seems the church has accepted the idea that they are only to bear the burdens of its members.
Jesus led a revolution, but he did not do so by sitting in the temple and sharing the burdens of his fellow believers. Much to the Pharisees’ disgust, he communed with sinners. He shared the burdens of the religious outcasts. Why is it that the modern church refuses to follow his lead? Instead of prescribing philosophical defenses to the problem of suffering, the church should be leading the charge to eliminate suffering. And not only within itself, but within the greater community to which it belongs.
A call to change
Rationalizing suffering in the church is not alleviating the burden of human suffering. A pastor telling churchgoers why their perspective on the problem of suffering is superior to that of non-Christians is not ending the suffering. In fact, it is making the problem much harder to reconcile. While I believe that “there is a purpose for the pain” and “everything happens for a reason,” these beliefs accomplish nothing without action. Faith without works is dead. And works is not exclusively confined to missionary trips to other countries. Works out of faith are simply any actions performed for the purpose of showing love.
The love that Christ showed to sinners. No, pastors are not miracle workers and cannot cure blindness. But they can make every effort to love on the members of their church, as well as the members of their community. Instead of sending someone home for wearing dark leather or making one feel alienated for showing up to their facility high, why not make every effort to show them that they are loved? Instead of casually hanging out with church staff, why not show humility and develop relationships with those who do not attend the church?
The problem of suffering is a colossal problem. I feel that in the world, and especially in the church, the problem is overlooked. When it is touched upon, it becomes an opportunity to argue for a particular belief. This only makes the suffering worse, as I have experienced firsthand. We should be making every effort to bear each other’s burdens, regardless of where we come from or what we believe. In the end, three things remain, and rationalization is not one of them. Love is.
1. Wilkinson, Iain. “The Problem of Suffering as a Driving Force of Rationalization and Social Change.” The British Journal of Sociology 64, no. 1 (2013): 128.
2. Ibid., 130.
3. Weidmann, Frederick W. Galatians. First ed. Louisville, Kentucky: Westminster John Knox Press, 2012, 124.