There is only one question which really matters: why do bad things happen to good people? 

     As my grandmother Heger would say, “The Lord will never gives you more than what you can handle.” 

     The misfortunes of good people are not only a problem to the people who suffer and to their families. They are a problem to everyone who wants to believe in a just, fair, and livable world. 

    Years ago, when I was working at Concordia, I believed the reason I lost my job was because of my bragging of doing pretty well at the time. I believe that the Lord hated when we bragged about ourselves or think too highly of ourselves. We are not to boast; but rather be remain humble. 

    We may not often find ourselves wondering, “why do totally unselfish people suffer, people who never do anything wrong?” But we often find ourselves asking why ordinary people, nice friendly neighbors, neither extraordinary good or extraordinary bad should suddenly have to face the agony of pain and tragedy. 

    The big question is: why do the good die young? I mean, my sister, Barb, who I would considered to be a saint, was taken from the family much too young due to cancer. She was the first to die in my immediate family back in 2001, when she lost her battle with cancer. She was only in her 40’s. She never smoked or barely drank if any. 

    One of the ways in which people have tried to make sense of the world’s suffering in every generation has been by assuming that we deserve what we get, that somehow our misfortunes come as punishment for our sins. 

    Job’s wife and friends told him to curse God and die when he was going through hell. With friends like that who needs enemies? 

     The idea that God gives people what they deserve, that our misdeeds cause our misfortune, is neat and attractive solution to the problem of evil. It only creates guilt everywhere there is no basis for. It makes people hate God, even makes them to hate themselves. 

    Sometimes we try to make sense of life’s trials by saying that people do in fact get what they deserve. 

     Could it be that God does not cause the bad things that happen to us? 

     What kind of religion is the story urging on us, which delight in blind obedience and calls it sinful to protest against injustice? 

    Yet, there are fanatical religious figures who would beat themselves up because of their disobedience. 

    Remember, nobody is perfect. How can God be a loving God if He is constantly spying on His people, ready to pounce on any imperfection? 

    We see this in psychology at work elsewhere, blaming the victim so that evil doesn’t seem quite so irrational and threatening. If the Jews had behaved differently, Hitler would not have been driven to murder them. If the young woman had not been so provocatively dressed, she wouldn’t had been raped. If the people worked harder, they would not be poor. If society did not taunt poor people by advertising things they cannot afford, they would not steal. If a child who was sexually assaulted didn’t trust so easily, they wouldn’t have been assaulted. These are all misconceptions that some people used to blamed the victims. The victims are not to blame! 

    Even some Social Workers, would have you blame the family because of the abuse that happened. This is one of the reason why my mother only went one time to see a social worker, because she was told that. Matter of fact, I was even told that.

    Let me go in another direction: parents who was speaking out at the schoolboard meeting because what the school was teaching their children. They were called, “Domestic Terrorist by the schoolboards, President Joe Biden and even the FBI. The FBI would have them investigated too over that. 

    Can you accept the idea that some things happen for no reason, that there is randomness in the universe?

    Why did God create a world in which there is sickness and disease?

    If people lived forever and never died, one of two things would have to happen. Either the world would become possibly crowded, or else people would avoid having children to avoid that crowding. 

    One of the most important things that any religion can teach us is what it means to be human. 

    As 2023 comes to an end, and we are about to start a new year in 2024, may 2024 be the year of prosperity us. As Spock from Star Trek would say, “Live long and prosper.” The year 2023 may not have been the best year for a lot of us financially due to the Biden’s inflation and poor economy. It was the worse since Jimmy Carter was President. 

    When Joe Biden had said, “You all are going to pay,” well, maybe it’s time that he pays for selling out America. 

    I want the best, not only for myself and my blog; but also for my readers in 2024. May you live long and prosper.