My Ten Good Questions Against God (Part 1)

Here are my ten good questions against God:

            Q1: Why wasn’t I born in a wealthy home? Why wasn’t I born in a country that’s more sophisticated and comfortable than India?

            If I were born in a wealthy home, I would have studied in better institutions and I would have studied more. I would have owned a wealthy business or minimally, I would not be uncertain of my financial future.

            I have no control over my birth. I don’t believe in chance or randomness. I believe in “Perfect Being Theology.”

            So with or without my Christian faith, I believe that God, as a maximally great being, is in existence and in control. So I blame HIM for the raw deal HE has handed out to me in my birth.

            Q2: Why didn’t God gift me an eidetic memory or the mind of a genius to excel in studies 

and profession or why didn’t God gift me with incredible athleticism to excel in sports?

            Had these attributes even been above-average in me, the launch and the progression of my career would have been better.

            Q3: Why didn’t God give me influential friends who would have helped me ascend greater heights?

            Many have reached great heights because of their influential friends. I can tolerate my inferior birth status and my feeble abilities but is it too much to ask for distinguished friends willing to help me scale greater heights?

            Q4: Why did God give me suffering? More so, why are babies born with birth defects? Can’t the Almighty God prevent this evil from occurring? Does HE not know the demands and the ensuing stress the parents endure?

            I know of people who have not suffered. I had a person look me in my eye and honestly declare that he hadn’t experienced suffering at all. But on the contrary, God has given me immense suffering.

            It’s right to suffer when we have done wrong. But why has God blessed us with suffering when we haven’t done wrong? This seems so unfair and cruel.

            Q5: Why do the wicked prosper, especially those who perpetrate horrendous evil? Why do the righteous suffer and suffer much?

            This is a no-brainer. If we look around us we will find the prosperity of the wicked and the suffering the righteous undergo in the hands of wicked people.

            Q6: Why does God allow despicable upbringing of children that often results in their notoriety in abusing fellow humans?

            The abusive upbringing in the early life of the notable killers in history – Hitler and Stalin, stand as witness. Why didn’t God intervene favorably in these lives and the others?

            Q7: Why has God made it difficult for people to understand, believe and love HIM?

            I speak from a Christian perspective. Statistics state that the majority in this world do not believe in Christ, hence the majority is doomed to hell – an eternal and a physical state of being without God. What’s the point of creating the world where most are lost and damned?

            Wouldn’t it have been the best option if only God had made it easier for people to believe and love HIM?

            Q8: Why do wealthy Christians not part with their abundance for noble deeds?

             I am only questioning the parting from their abundance. I am not even saying that they should part with all their wealth.

            However, I am also aware of the Bible’s teaching that the wealthy would hardly ever part with their wealth (cf. Matthew 19: 23-24). But my question is why can’t God Almighty teach good values to these people who proclaim belief in HIM?

            Q9: Why do Christians hate each other so to harm their own brother and sister who have done no wrong?

            Why do these Christians think that they are more spiritual than the other? When they encounter difficulties in friendly relationships, they choose judgment over understanding and grace. They withdraw from each other. They lie to each other.

            They say, “I love you,” but their deeds are far away from love. They are selfish to the point of being greedy although they think they are the epitome of holiness.

            Where is God in these Christians or what is God doing when HIS own are hurting HIS own rather irreparably?

            Q10: Why are Christian churches corrupt so to render God as non-existent and destroy the faith of God’s own people?

            There is a vast spectrum of corruption in churches. I am not saying that all churches are corrupt, but only some or even many. These are the so-called Bible-believing-Christ-loving-churches. These churches are an embodiment of this verse, “…You travel over land and sea to win a single convert, and when you have succeeded, you make them twice as much a child of hell as you are...” (Matthew 23: 15, NIV).

            The church is the body of Christ. When God allows HIS churches to remain corrupt, it almost implies that HE is not interested in gaining believers into HIS Kingdom. Moreover, it also implies that God does not care about those in HIS Kingdom, because HE allows them to fall away from their faith.  

             I can probably add more reasons to hate God and you may have several more too. But let me add a thought about ‘serious questioning.’

            Our questions ought to be serious, in other words – genuine and honest. Serious questioners ought to remain genuine and honest in pursuit of truth. This is the fundamental attribute of a serious questioner.

            The serious questioner seeks to know if there are answers to his questions. If there are answers, they need only be reasonable and coherent to the truth of the fundamental questions of life, namely - origin (where did I come from?), meaning (what brings life meaning?), morality (how do I know right from wrong?) and destiny (where am I headed after I die?).¹ These of course ought to cohere specifically to the truth of one’s worldview, in my case, the Historic Christian faith.

            But there would be situations where reasonable answers do not immediately appeal to one’s intellect and emotions. This could be due to the innate bias of every individual.

            Our innate biases need not be truthful or conform to the objective reality. Hence, an honest and genuine seeker should be extremely patient to genuinely consider the plausible answers even if these genuine answers are apparently obscure or doubtful.  

            Although we may have good reasons against God, our love or hate of God reveals a direct relationship to the answers that are available for all our questions on life. In other words:

            If I hate God, then it implies I have rejected all plausible answers to my questions.

            If I am uncertain of hating God, then I am genuinely considering the plausible answers to my questions.  

            If I do not hate God, but love HIM, then by implication I am satisfied with the plausible answers.

            Personally, I have asked these questions and have received adequate and reasonable answers that satisfy me. Hence, I love God. I do not hate HIM.

            I will share the answers that have satisfied me, over the next few weeks. I pray that these thoughts would at least provide a positive impetus in your quest for God and HIS absolute truth.

Endnotes:

¹ The idea of fundamental questions of life pertaining to origin, meaning, morality and destiny is from Dr. Ravi Zacharias’ lectures.