Q. If God is love, how can there be so much suffering and evil in this world ?
A. For many people, this question is the biggest barrier to beginning a spiritual practice. Here are four possible explanations:
- The mystery: There is a God of Love, but we cannot answer the question of why there is so much evil and suffering because His ways are mysterious. There are tests and trials but their purpose is beyond our understanding. God works in strange and mysterious ways.
- Karma and reincarnation: Karma is the law of cause and effect, and reincarnation is the transmigration of the soul. There is free will and choice. Good choices lead to good consequences, and bad choices lead to bad consequences. As you sow, so shall you reap. The soul reincarnates until we work out our negative karma, the related consequences of sin, through meditation, love, and service.
- Agnosticism: An agnostic claims the existence of God is unknown.
- Atheism: An atheist believes that there is no God and that events occur at random.
In any case, each of us has to struggle with the challenges life brings without fully understanding why. To grow spiritually, we don’t need answers to all of our questions. Nor do we need theological constructs or dogma. We do need to discern our problems, develop a spiritual practice, and cultivate spiritual qualities. We can do this whether or not we believe in God, karma, or grace.
The centerpiece of this model is choosing a problem, method, and quality. Then we can add our concept of God, karma, and grace or float all questions in the mystery. Pain is the teacher and stimulant for the cultivation of spiritual qualities. We can cultivate love, compassion, kindness, and courage in response to tests and challenges, without knowing answers to all of the questions. Whether or not we believe in God, we can always find problems, develop a spiritual practice, and cultivate spiritual qualities.
