Where Is God When Tragedy Strikes?
In my latest column for Ebony.com, I reflect on the bombings in Boston:
What was meant to be a day of celebration became a horror show at the finish line of the world-famous Boston Marathon on Monday when two bombs exploded just as thousands of people were finishing the race. The carnage left in the wake of the explosions turned the streets of Boston into a warzone. And through the constant media coverage, we’ve seen it all. We’ve seen the blood and tears of the victims and survivors. We’ve watched the death toll climb from two to three people and the injured list rise to more than 140 victims. We’ve seen the devastation in the streets. But where was God in all of this?
Where was God when an 8-year-old boy died just watching a race? When runners had their legs blown off, when spectators limbs and clothing were burnt off — where was God? When the evil responsible for this attack began to plot, where was God?!
To the atheist and the spiritual believer alike, these can seem like useless questions that yield unsatisfying answers. At the end of the wondering, plots have still been carried out, lives and limbs have still been lost; there’s no undoing these things or unseeing the terror.
Questions and confusion, anger and regret are normal feelings to have in times likes these. When all that is good is clouded by all that is evil, God can be difficult to find.
Read the rest at Ebony: http://www.ebony.com/wellness-empowerment/the-spiritual-life-where-is-god-when-tragedy-strikes#axzz2QdLbBk3R