Pope Benedict XVI, on a visit to the Auschwitz concentration camp yesterday, asked God a simple question: why did he remain silent during the "unprecedented mass crimes" of the Holocaust?
"In a place like this, words fail; in the end, there can be only a dread silence, a silence which itself is a heartfelt cry to God: Why, Lord, did you remain silent? How could you tolerate all this?" the Pope said.
It's a good question though the Holocaust was one man's crime against another. But it's a question we can ask with even greater relevance in all natural disasters, over which we somehow presume He (She?) has even greater control.
We can ask the same question of the tsunami. How could He (or She) allow it? How could the fates of people on several continents and countries all be intertwined at the same moment? How could the poorest of the poor who look up to Him (or Her) for a leg up be crushed under His (or Her) benign gaze?
It's a question you can ask of the Indonesian earthquake last week. It's a question you ask of every flood, fire, volcano, drought, famine.
Why?
Maybe because that's His (or Her) "style" and He (or She) needn't explain? Maybe because He (or She) is a macro-manager who looks at the big picture, not a micro-manager who involves himself in the nitty-gritty? Maybe because He (or She) wants to show who is the boss? Maybe because He (or She) just doesn't care? Maybe because He (or She) doesn't exist?
If the Pope's still searching for an answer, maybe these are not a silly doubts, after all.
Me no believer but I have been thinking about an explanation Latin American theologian Gustavo Esteva offers for the Job story. Esteva suggests Job’s relationship with God changed once he realized he wasn’t alone in experiencing unfair suffering. Recall that Job was tested, more like Hariscandra in our context. Pope actually may have some nifty theological explanation but I suspect the fact of unfair suffering may not be a strike against God. Nor is karma a satisfactory explanation, quite evidently. It’s got to be a much more mortal, mundane explanation.
Its like asking how come despite having Rahul Dravid, Virendra Sehwag, Dhoni, Harbhajan Singh and Sreeanth Team India lost to one of the weakest sides in the world 1-4???
‘The one thing I know for sure is that I don’t know anything’, said a great man.
The Holocaust, the volcanos, the earthquakes, the floods… gross suffering.
Yet all seems to be fair in His lair! The much touted Karma theory… Of which the great Shivaram karanth was terribly scornful.
Likening it to a school boy in fifth grade being punished for the ‘mistake’ he committed in fourth grade! Or some such thing.
The unfairness of it all, the impossible illogicality of the ways of the world is baffling.
If only we knew where we went after death, far bigger scores would have been settled among humans on this blessed earth!!?
It is said that God created man in his own image and left us to manage our affairs. So when we have messed up things why are we transfering the blame on him? We have stew in our own broth and is it not this karma theory is all about.
have one question abour god perhaps two. I sgod a he or she?
If he is there why can’t he ever talk to people and remind them they will be punished for their wrong deeds.That will prove if he is omnipotent,ominscient and omnipresent.
Of corse god is every where he is omnipotent,omniscient and omnipresent. Tsunami did happened because he is there these are the punishments we receive for our bad deeds. It is the theory of natural selection when nature is treated brutally she fights back. Didn’t Krishna said vinashaya cha dushkrutham. He will show his presence like this again and again don’t imagine any god i n any human figure he is nirakara just think of a the creation of any thing on earth that it self gives u the answer that god is there. What ever we may have achieved but we are unable to explain the secrets behind life and death isn’t it ?
Of course god is every where he is omnipotent,omniscient and omnipresent. Tsunami did happened because he is there these are the punishments we receive for our bad deeds. It is the theory of natural selection when nature is treated brutally she fights back. Didn’t Krishna said vinashaya cha dushkrutham. He will show his presence like this again and again don’t imagine any god i n any human figure he is nirakara just think of a the creation of any thing on earth that it self gives u the answer that god is there. What ever we may have achieved but we are unable to explain the secrets behind life and death isn’t it ? So be sure he will give the punishment for the wrong deeds may be late but of sure.
…so that people would pray, remember him and he would do that again to keep the spirit alive. Isn’t he cruel? the God?
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Karma Therory. – All great truths have their tested times. I can only infer to Karma theory – to see a just born baby sometimes being inflicted with diseases.