We are all taught that God is love and the most benevolent father. I have been trying to understand
this from myvery young days. There are blatant ambiguities and explicit contradictions in these concepts.
Man has been
suffering ever since his appearance here. As soon as he evolved from the mammalian ancestry, he was haunted by wild animals, scarcity of food, innumerable diseases and the fury of nature. Almost two-third of all children ever born have died before reaching the age of ten Almost one-third of all ladies died in child-birth. Modern medicine –which has mitigated the above considerably-- is of recent origin. And God has no role to play in this. As man’s intelligence and knowledge increased in the course of his eventful history, he developed himself in science medicine and technology. Today he has succeeded In making his life very comfortable. But the billions who lived for millions of years before had been at the mercy of everything one could think of.
His very survival was at risk. Of all the people who came upon this earth very few have lived past youth and still less to ripe old age. Horrendous pestilences, and the natural calamities have haunted him down the ages. In the innumerable earthquakes, hurricanes , tornadoes and wildfires millions have perished with all their dreams and efforts to make both ends meet. Floods, pestilences, and epidemics have obliterated human societies. The plague In Europe a few centuries back had killed a few million people! In 2004 December, there was a tsunami and more than 25000 people died in a second. And most of those who died are the poorest living on the shores of oceans in ramshackle huts. The rich and the powerful were spared by far. And who prays God? The poor, the weak and the sick.
But God seems to be a monster. He eliminates those who trust him or pray for his help. How many such tsunamis must have occurred in history in the course of the millions of years man has been here on this earth! If you dare to argue that God takes the poor and the humble in spirit to his abode, and that this earthly life doe not matter, then why did he create the myriads of children who were sucked off their life in infancy itself? They could not ‘earn’ heaven or hell by their “free “ will as they died before their free will could be exercised at all.
If still, you argue that, you need not argue with God’s ways or that He is mysterious, then never talk about His love or loving fatherly concern. Ever since man has been on this planet, he has been suffering. His very existence is meaningless. He is like a bubble in an ocean. He has a fleeting and miserable existence. If anyone of you dare to argue that you have been given this life to know Him, follow His laws and gain eternal life, then how many have been able to know this God? If you consider man’s life to a day, Jesus Christ lived just a few seconds before midnight. Almost the entire human race lived before him. They could ever know Him or what He wished from them. The Jews were a small tribe living in total isolation of the world. The vast majority were ignorant of his commandments or covenant.
If God chose a particular tribe disregarding all others, is He not a monster who follows His whims and fancies? Even now He does that. He just crates millions of innocent people and put them through all sorts of hardships and sufferings. I do not think there are many souls down here who are really happy. When you look up, there is an empty void and the stillness of time snarls at you.
There is a beautiful comparison that comes to my mind. You crate a lot of powerless souls and you put them through all sorts of hardships. You sometimes provide them food and a clear sky with the fragrance of blooms. But at other times you send down thunder and lightening, famine and floods, horrendous plagues and contagious diseases, earthquakes, tsunamis and tempests and of course death. You seem to follow no norm, no human rights. You are a monster hundred times over.