“Why did God let this happen,” can be heard countless times after a disaster or a death. “Why is he punishing us?” Preachers say it to congregations. Families murmur it to each other. They are assuming that God is spiteful and that we as humans have done something wrong.
Where did this notion come from?
From growing up in Catholic school I have been bombarded from a young age with the adages that God is good and God is forgiving. Many Christians believe this and live by it, but some get hung up on another teaching that says we should be “God-fearing.”
Is this to say that God is scary? That He is a looming threat of damnation and we must only do what we can to save ourselves from His wrath? Some interpret it this way, and lose their faith because of it.
To me, it seems crazy to think that the Creator of the universe would be the ultimate punisher and we must live our lives in fear of Him. However, a fear is instilled in some people by just hearing that thought, and many Christians have shied away from congregations and God himself because they do not want to believe what others say about Him.
When I think of religion, I want to feel warmed and have a sense of pure inspiration, enlightenment and inhuman wonder. I want to have the smiles of my fellow churchgoers and the friendly handshake of my pastor. I think of the art associated with God and the heavens and how for all time, it has been portrayed as the loveliest place you can imagine.
The Gospel does not portray an angry God, nor does it say that Jesus was afraid of his Father so we should be too. Understandably, each branch of Christianity can interpret the Gospel in their own way. Even every Christian can read the same words in the Bible and think they mean something different.
But the fear comes from our uncertainty. We do not know anything of God besides what is written and we will not know until the afterlife. We think that when we sin, it is a tally mark against us and when we die they are added up and that is how long you must suffer before enjoying eternal life.
We want to be happy and love a God that loves us back. But so often, tragedies are attributed to God’s wrath or Him punishing us, either individually or as a mass. He is blamed because there is no other explanation for the terror that happens among us. We don’t believe the science behind natural disasters or the explanations behind murders. The equally unknown aspects of God seem easier to blame.
To doubt that God exists due to the threats of God’s almighty punishment is not worth living a life without faith. God is something to be in awe of, not to shelter yourself from. We should aspire to do good and live our lives to please him.
