The Problem of Evil - Abridged Edition - Have Mercy on Me - The Jesus Prayer
November 28, 2024
I have studied the problem of evil since I learned to think philosophically, psychologically, and theologically. I have all the easy answers in a short file. I have the really tough ones in the question box.
We can dismiss it all with the word "sin," but that three letter word is far larger than we think or know. It is so deep and so pervasive that it requires divine intervention, sacrifice, and planning to correct.
(While at the same time, requiring far less from us when we come to dealing with our own).
It is so nagging that, even after repentance and regeneration, the Apostle Paul still struggled with its residual effects.
It is simple, but it is not simplistic.
It is both human and dehumanizing.
It is a distortion of reality, yet part of our daily reality.
Does evil exist? Some philosophical systems suggest that evil is but an illusion. If it is, it is like the apparition that can frighten someone to death.
Some days, the best I can do is to look at the evil, bitterness, coldness, anger, and bigotry in my own heart, cry out in despair, shake my head, and lift my voice to God, "Have mercy upon me!"