The Question of God and Tragedies

As the world prepares for the arrival the Prince of Peace, a heartbreaking and unforgettable tragedy beset the town of Newtown, Connecticut on Friday December 14th. 20 year-old Adam Lanza went on a shooting spree that left 20 children and 8 adults, including himself and his mother, dead. Authorities are desperately seeking a reason for Lanza's actions, in hopes of bringing some sort of closure to those who are involved. In the coming days, I am sure the news media will be at it full time trying to dissect everybody involved - the shooter, the victims, and their families. We will hear about heroes and how they helped to prevent a much bigger tragedy from occurring. Of course, we will also get to hear about the culprit - everything from his Facebook account to a possible history of mental illness. Unfortunately, something also tells me that we might also hear from people who looks squarely on TV cameras and utter in disbelief: "How could God allow this to happen?". 


There was a time in my life when I considered incidents such as the one from Newtown Elementary is where the religion falters - when people of faith run out of words to speak. It is hard to think of the victims - mostly first graders - as horrible sinners who deserved every bit of what happened to them. Even a religious fanatic would find it impossible to argue that point. So what could possibly explain, through the eyes of faith, the horror that went on in those classrooms? How could anyone possibly explain an All-loving God through the viewpoint of this school shooting? 

Speaking at a news conference, Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy said, "Evil visited this community today". He is right and he is also wrong. He is right in saying that evil has visited that community; he is wrong for specifying a day for the visit of the evil. The reality is that we live in a world filled with evil, and this evil visits us everyday. In a world filled with greed, pride and vengeance, it is amazing that we don't get to hear about such incidents everyday, even several times during a day. It is hard not to sound like a doomsday televangelist while talking about an issue as complicated and sensitive as this one. But, it is a clear example of what happens when God's protection gets broken down. What I just said might contradict an All-powerful God, but if I am wrong, them may God forgive my ignorance. I believe evil doesn't have the power to take over humans by breaking through the Godly protection. But I certainly believe humans have the power to allow evil to take over them and their societies by turning their back on God's protection. To those who wonder how God allowed such a horrific thing to happen, I would say, God didn't allow it to happen, but I did and you did.

It is not God who chased after the comforts of this material world, thus allowing selfishness to take deep root in the society. In my selfishness, I allowed my family values to disintegrate, which in time ripped my family apart. In a society that value personal pleasure, kids are often an after thought - they are the byproducts of lust. Unlike animals, a human child is much more "raw" at birth. Innocence is the dominant character and therefore a child is entirely dependent on others for a extended period of time. In contract, animals are much more self-sufficient and are much more adapted to its living conditions soon after it is born. God, though nature, expects a human child to be molded to survive this world without taking anything away from the innocence and kindness. This is where every child need their parents, family and community to go to work for them. This is where every parent, family, and community fail.

It will be an easy solution to demonize Adam Lanza for his actions, and I am sure that is what we will do in the coming days. But I refuse to do that. I have no idea about the family background of that young man. Even if I do and even if he came from a broken down family, I would still refuse to blame his parents and the rest of the family for his actions. I would rather blame myself for being instrumental to allow such evil to enter human minds through my sinful actions - abusive relationships, alcoholism, drug addiction, pornography, sloth, gluttony, greed, pride, envy. On a normal day, God is an afterthought - somebody who needed to be avoided at all cost. Then when tragedy strikes, knowingly or unknowingly we all turn to look at God in dismay for allowing it to happen - for letting evil win, that day.

Please pray for the souls of all those who perished in the tragedy involving a troubled young man named Adam Lanza. Pray especially for the soul of Adam for we don't and we will never know what caused him to act in such a way. And while doing so, ask yourself if you are doing anything to facilitate evil to take over your family and your society? Are we receptive to the grace of God, or do we turn our backs to it? Do we do enough to allow God's grace to fill us up and to overflow into the families and communities that we live in? 

"But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, Jacob, and formed you, Israel: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by my name: you are mine. When you pass through the waters, i will be with you; through the rivers, you shall not be swept away. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor will flames consume you." (Isaiah 43:1,2)