By David Thiessen
This is a question asked, sometimes spoken as a demand, by unbelievers almost every time there is a senseless murder or a mass shooting. The victims are usually people that the rest of the world felt were innocent or good and that they did not deserve to have their lives cut short in that manner.
When they ask this question, they are really asking, “Why didn’t God stop this from taking place? He is supposed to be all-powerful.” Usually when this question is asked people are looking at the number and age of the victims. In this case, Friday’s school shooting, they are focused on the young children and the number 26.
What they do not see is the number 436, which is the number of survivors. Will God get credit for protecting that many people? No, because humans are selfish and greedy. They want a 100 percent save rate. The credit so far has gone to the adults who took action and no one has thanked God for giving those people the courage and intelligence to rescue the other children
Then the question comes, “Well if God has all-knowledge why didn’t he stop the shooter before he shot up the school?” One reason is that he may have communicated to other humans about the impending danger but they did not listen and took no action.
If humans do not listen to the warnings then how can we blame God for not taking action, given the nature of today’s world where most people would think it a hoax because the shooter was a “good boy” who never caused any trouble.
Most people today do not believe God exists, think the Bible is wrong and do not want to follow his standards of morality, right and wrong. How can God communicate to those who do not believe in him? Would they even accept the message being given to them or would they dismiss it as some sort of prank, ghost or think that they were just hearing things?
God has already said, “Thou shalt not kill,” so people have already been told that killing is wrong yet that doesn’t stop people from committing that crime, so why should school shootings be any different?
God has given his creation free choice and if they reject him and his words, in favor of pursuing evil then evil is what people do. People would not like the idea of being God’s little robot who are told what to do and say every moment of the day. They would lament the lack of freedom, the lack of choice and so on.
What about God using his power to stop the shooter? That would constitute a miracle and many people do not believe in miracles any more than they do God and he would not get any credit which would go to whatever event or person God used to stop the killer.
No matter what God does he cannot win. He saves 436 people but gets blamed for 26 lost lives; He brings the police faster, they get the credit for a quick response; he performs a miracle and no one credits him. He sends a warning and no one listens yet he will be blamed because children were involved.
What people need to remember is that the Bible tells us that it is appointed unto man once to die and when it is time for a person to end his or her sojourn on earth. God will not interfere and that person will die. No faith healers, no miracle drug, no doctor, no machine will be able to stop that from taking place.
Where was God? He is sitting up in heaven waiting for people to turn to him, listen to his words and obey. He has warned us in the Bible but people prefer darkness to light. God did not tell that boy to kill, nor does he tell others to sin but they do because they listen to a different master.
We have the way out through Jesus but too many people reject that option in favor of their own ideas and desires. Don’t blame God, we only have ourselves to blame
The writer taught English in Korea. His email address is archaeologist@fastmail.fm.