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From: aeq@pucc-h (Jeff Sargent)
Newsgroups: net.religion
Subject: Re: Suffering - (nf)
Message-ID: <667@pucc-h>
Date: Fri, 13-Apr-84 02:31:15 EST
Article-I.D.: pucc-h.667
Posted: Fri Apr 13 02:31:15 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 15-Apr-84 07:13:30 EST
References: <322@iuvax.UUCP>
Organization: Purdue University Computing Center
Lines: 53

Another attempt at reply to Daryel Akerlind:

> Some of you reading this might think that these sufferings [those caused by
> being open, sensitive, loving to people, and those caused by attempts to
> understand life] could be avoided were one only to pursue the correct
> religious path, but could any of you agree to someone being punished for
> having the feelings that led to these sufferings?  

I certainly don't think that following the correct religious path will
eliminate all your sufferings.  It may seem to, or even actually, increase
them, at least temporarily.  But God uses these pains to help us learn
something about ourselves or about Him.  Perhaps you might ask God (in case
He's there) to at least make clear what He's trying to teach you by the
unhappiness you have experienced (or are experiencing).  That sounds like a
glib, canned answer, but it's worth a try.  I don't know what to say that
won't seem insensitive on the cold display of a terminal; I really feel the
pain and frustration you express (I've had a lot of the same--still have a
lot).  All I can do is keep praying for you; and your remarkably honest
articles are a useful way to continue to challenge/remind me to do that.

There is no reason for people to be punished for having the feelings that make
them most truly human, such as you described; they are the feelings that
Christ would encourage in us.  The kicker is that in a world with free will,
people can choose to respect your feelings and respond in kind, or they can
choose to lacerate your feelings.

> Often I have read people pointing to the physical suffering in the world
> as a legitimate indictment of (a possible) god.  Certainly the pain and 
> disease are terrible wrongs, but is it not even more bitter that to
> be open and sensitive, to love and cherish, to strive to "understand",
> should lead also to suffering?

The suffering, of all kinds, gives humans an opportunity to become Christlike
and help alleviate it.  That the suffering exists at all, necessitating the
alleviation, is because God's creatures have chosen to abuse their free will;
that it continues to exist is more an indictment of a) Satan, b) people like
myself, who don't do much to alleviate it.

After reflection, I think you're right:  It is more bitter to suffer because
of the qualities that make the eternal spirit truly human, than to suffer
because of problems in the temporal human body.


BTW, on a less weighty subject:  The reason I asked whether you are male or
female was simply that there are occasions (writing articles, praying) when
I find it convenient to refer to you by a third-person pronoun; it would be
nice to know whether "he" or "she" is correct.  That's all.


-- 
-- Jeff Sargent
{allegra|ihnp4|decvax|harpo|seismo|ucbvax}!pur-ee!pucc-h:aeq
One man's data are another man's garbage.