Review of Why God Allows Evil and Suffering
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Esmine Lundy
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- Latest Review: Why God Allows Evil and Suffering by Sine Nomine
Review of Why God Allows Evil and Suffering
[Following is a volunteer review of "Why God Allows Evil and Suffering" by Sine Nomine.]
In Why God Allows Evil and Suffering, Sine Nomine engages readers with an in-depth, thought-provoking, and inspiring discussion of one of the most puzzling questions often posed by humankind. This question is, “If an all-loving and all-powerful God created humans to co-exist with him in a loving communal relationship, why is there so much pain and suffering in the world?”
The author answers this age-old question by pointing out that humankind’s dismissive attitude towards the consequences of sin coupled with a gross misunderstanding of God’s character and nature has resulted in many coming to the erroneous conclusion that God is not all-loving and all-powerful. Many have concluded that God simply does not exist.
The discussion begins by redefining the attributes often ascribed to God. This author does this by pointing out that God is not merely all-loving and all-powerful, he is also all-just and all-wise. It is all these attributes combined that account for God being who he is and which determine how he reacts to the pain and suffering of humankind.
Sine Nomine informs us that his views are based on well-established Christian precepts reflecting both Protestant and Catholic doctrines, but are aligned more closely with the latter. Drawing primarily from the Bible, specifically Genesis 1 – 3, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the book provides a detailed account of how the choice made by the first humans drastically changed their existence from an infinite supra-temporal state of being to a finite temporal state of existence. The ‘fall’ of Adam and Eve was far-reaching, resulting in the reordering of not only their sovereignty and realm as beings not constrained by space and time, but also resulted in the complete reordering of all earthly beings.
The author is careful to point out that Adam and Eve’s self-centeredness and indifference to the needs of others reset and reordered the existence of all within the material realm. This means that their ‘sin’ resulted in total separation from God, resulting in pain, suffering, and death. God allows this pain, suffering, and death to continue because this is an opportunity for fallen humans to experience love for God and each other. In other words, God chooses to prioritize love over justice by choosing to redeem rather than destroy fallen humankind. This redemption from sin is attainable through faith in Jesus Christ, who was willing to suffer and die to demonstrate his love for humans.
Debunking several atheistic, anti-theistic, and theistic theories related to the issue, Nomine interestingly points out that the theories of evolution are consistent with biblical accounts of the resetting and reordering of the physical realm and all creatures living within that material order as consequences of ‘The Fall’.
This book has several admirable features:
1. It is organized into two main parts with aptly worded titles and subtitles.
2. The author provides a summary after each detailed discussion which allows us to follow and understand the concepts better.
3. Its conclusion provides us with a comprehensive summary of the main points.
4. Hypertexts throughout the book enable readers to navigate easily between the main text and the references that clarify and expand critical points.
5. It is well-researched as the author cites several theologians, philosophers, psychiatrists, and academics throughout the text.
6. The absence of any major grammatical and spelling errors indicates that the author took great care to revise and edit the book.
This book is not for the faint-hearted but for anyone prepared to delve into a thought-provoking discussion that demands open-mindedness and an expression of deep faith to grasp its concepts. Therefore, proponents of the Christian faith, theologians, philosophers, and anyone seeking to understand the complex concept of an all-loving all-powerful God existing in a world where there is so much pain and suffering, should find the book enlightening.
I rate this book five out of five stars .
******
Why God Allows Evil and Suffering
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
In Why God Allows Evil and Suffering, Sine Nomine engages readers with an in-depth, thought-provoking, and inspiring discussion of one of the most puzzling questions often posed by humankind. This question is, “If an all-loving and all-powerful God created humans to co-exist with him in a loving communal relationship, why is there so much pain and suffering in the world?”
The author answers this age-old question by pointing out that humankind’s dismissive attitude towards the consequences of sin coupled with a gross misunderstanding of God’s character and nature has resulted in many coming to the erroneous conclusion that God is not all-loving and all-powerful. Many have concluded that God simply does not exist.
The discussion begins by redefining the attributes often ascribed to God. This author does this by pointing out that God is not merely all-loving and all-powerful, he is also all-just and all-wise. It is all these attributes combined that account for God being who he is and which determine how he reacts to the pain and suffering of humankind.
Sine Nomine informs us that his views are based on well-established Christian precepts reflecting both Protestant and Catholic doctrines, but are aligned more closely with the latter. Drawing primarily from the Bible, specifically Genesis 1 – 3, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the book provides a detailed account of how the choice made by the first humans drastically changed their existence from an infinite supra-temporal state of being to a finite temporal state of existence. The ‘fall’ of Adam and Eve was far-reaching, resulting in the reordering of not only their sovereignty and realm as beings not constrained by space and time, but also resulted in the complete reordering of all earthly beings.
The author is careful to point out that Adam and Eve’s self-centeredness and indifference to the needs of others reset and reordered the existence of all within the material realm. This means that their ‘sin’ resulted in total separation from God, resulting in pain, suffering, and death. God allows this pain, suffering, and death to continue because this is an opportunity for fallen humans to experience love for God and each other. In other words, God chooses to prioritize love over justice by choosing to redeem rather than destroy fallen humankind. This redemption from sin is attainable through faith in Jesus Christ, who was willing to suffer and die to demonstrate his love for humans.
Debunking several atheistic, anti-theistic, and theistic theories related to the issue, Nomine interestingly points out that the theories of evolution are consistent with biblical accounts of the resetting and reordering of the physical realm and all creatures living within that material order as consequences of ‘The Fall’.
This book has several admirable features:
1. It is organized into two main parts with aptly worded titles and subtitles.
2. The author provides a summary after each detailed discussion which allows us to follow and understand the concepts better.
3. Its conclusion provides us with a comprehensive summary of the main points.
4. Hypertexts throughout the book enable readers to navigate easily between the main text and the references that clarify and expand critical points.
5. It is well-researched as the author cites several theologians, philosophers, psychiatrists, and academics throughout the text.
6. The absence of any major grammatical and spelling errors indicates that the author took great care to revise and edit the book.
This book is not for the faint-hearted but for anyone prepared to delve into a thought-provoking discussion that demands open-mindedness and an expression of deep faith to grasp its concepts. Therefore, proponents of the Christian faith, theologians, philosophers, and anyone seeking to understand the complex concept of an all-loving all-powerful God existing in a world where there is so much pain and suffering, should find the book enlightening.
I rate this book five out of five stars .
******
Why God Allows Evil and Suffering
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Why God Allows Evil and Suffering by Sine Nomine
