Why We Suffer
I was watching George Carlin’s little comedy sketch on Religion and why it was Bullshit, a few days back. I laughed at his jokes of course but was not swayed with his hypothesis on why Religion and God are a joke.
Almost 30 years of Catholicism running through my blood has never let my belief falter. So after being entertained by this video I promptly forgot it. But I guess on that day God had other plans.
One of the funny parts of the sketch was when George Carlin said that as an Omnipotent Being, God was the worst. Because of all the suffering that is happening on this earth and with God just standing idly by allowing it all to happen (War, Disease, Hunger, Crime… etc).
When I woke up the following morning I suddenly had an urge to open the Bible. I flipped through some pages randomly and read some passages. After the 2nd book I ended up in Genesis 3. And therein lay the answer as to why we suffer.
Because we gave into the temptation of the serpent. Which was to partake of the fruit of life because we desired to be like God who knew the difference between Good and Evil (Gen 3:4). Man then, as his most favorite creation, lost favor with Him and was cast out of Paradise. Because of our transgression we are forced to live life always having to choose between what is Good and Bad.
17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat of it,’
“Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat of it
all the days of your life.18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.19 By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return.” [source]
When you think about it, the same greed that allowed ourselves to be overwhelmed by temptation, is the same reason why there is this much suffering around us. Man’s desire to possess at all cost that which he does not have has led to the infliction of pain to his fellowman.
Yes, there is all that he had mentioned prevalent on this earth. But Man as a species has the power to change all this or lessen its effects. If Man learned to share and forego his personal ambitions then the effect of War, Famine, Disease, Hunger etc wouldn’t be as disastrous.
[source]
Tags: Genesis 3:16
“War, Disease, Hunger, Crime…”
The Ice Capades. Don’t forget the Ice Capades.
Personally, I think the Buddhists are more right on why we suffer. Desire leads to suffering. Stop desire, and you stop suffering. Makes more sense, anyway, than a story about a snake, but that’s just me.
“The Ice Capades. Don’t forget the Ice Capades.”
I intentionally left that out because not many in the Philippines can relate to the Ice Capades.. hehehe
Thanks for dropping by and sharing your views micketymoc.
:D