Whenever good things happen in this world, some people attribute it to God’s will. When bad things happen, these same people assume that God had something to do with it and it is again his will. It seems a contradiction to believe both in free will and predestination, and yet every day folks talk about how God has a plan for all of us. I personally have a different take on good, evil, and God’s involvement.
First of all, please don’t let some terrible tragedy lessen your belief in God. You may, however, need to alter the parameters of said belief. If you think that as long as you do only good deeds, think only good thoughts, and avoid that which you may consider evil at every crossroad, bad events may and usually will still occur. Also, just because God may have some master plan for Earth and humanity, it doesn’t mean that he will intervene with our interactions with each other and the rest of the universe. In fact the very idea of this “human experiment” negates the possibility that God will ever have anything to do with anything except on a very small, non-intrusive influential level. For us as humans to have free will, by very definition, means we still get to make the ultimate choices in our lives. The same goes for all animals and even the weather!
I was raised in a Christian home, but as I grew older I began to explore different religions and came to some conclusions about these organizations. One thing I discovered was that no matter which religion you follow, the basics seem to be the same. Briefly they are: try to get along with everyone; don’t kill each other; don’t steal or lie; consider the impact of your actions and words on others and the world before you act or speak; make sure you keep studying your particular religion to keep it fresh on your mind; and, in many cases, set aside one day to worship God to keep yourself from becoming a megalomaniac.
As of yet I have found no indication that God will take care of the problems in the world. It will always be up to us to find solutions and attempt to avoid some problems altogether. The various writings, teachings, and metaphors are there to guide us towards our respective paths to enlightenment. No diety will hold your hand and force you to make the right decisions. God will also never cause or prevent tragic weather patterns to change course, no matter how hard you pray. If you look to your particular religion for guidance, rather than something to keep you from experiencing evil, you will be that much closer to finding the answers you seek in life. It’s not such a bad thing that God doesn’t intervene so directly. The way I see it, we as humans are here to overcome, cope, resolve, explore, connect, and love. It’s all part of the aforementioned “human experiment.”
