Problem of Evil

Saturday, June 7, 2008

The Editor of The New Yorker:

The problem of evil is discussed in James Wood’s review of Bart D. Ehrman’s book God’s Problem. The concept of God in the book and the review is of God the father, all-powerful, all knowing and all good. This traditional notion of God is based on human views of how God should behave.

Many Christians believe along with the late Paul Tillich that God is the ground of all being. God is not a being, God is being itself. Therefore, evil is caused by human sin, failure and natural catastrophe.

Humans have a sense of awe, the numinous, holiness, reverence and beauty in life. Many humans want to acknowledge that in worship, prayer and meditation. Humans put a human face on the ground of all being. God the father is represented by a human image in order for humans to have a personal relationship with the divine. Father is an image of God, not God himself. Most churches use the father image of God in liturgies. That usage reinforces the paternal image rather than focusing on being itself.