When I was young and unformed in the faith, my fiance’s 13 year old brother was killed violently. I couldn’t reconcile his death with a God who intervenes, so I became a deist. It was easier for my unformed intellect to accept a God who doesn’t intervene at all than one who seemed to intervene arbitrarily.
I’ve grown from that immature reaction to extreme grief, but I remember very clearly my struggle. I was young and had never encountered serious evil and suffering.
Now, I see God’s hand everywhere. I see that he does want us to minister both materially to end suffering whenever we are able, but that the eternal has a greater consequence. I can also see that efforts to do good without the framework of faith very often go astray.
For example, embryonic stem cell research–the intent is to help end suffering, but because it is done contrary to God’s laws, it only causes more suffering. But adult stem research is just and it has great promise.
Communism has some ideals about ending suffering on Earth, but because it is atheistic, it actually has the effect of causing more suffering.
Prayer and Works should not be separated.
Mother Teresa really is the most perfect model of Christian social justice.
