LETTERS

A theology of God inflicting pain is not the spirituality of Jesus

The Editor: As one who is alienated from the cultural mores and values of western society, I look forward to Rev. Ron Rolheiser’s In Exile column. He often reflects the anguish one feels living “in exile” in one’s own land.

Rolheiser’s recent column on Christian spirituality, however, seemed to take a position not uncommon among fundamentalist sects. Rolheiser notes: “C.S. Lewis once said pain is God’s microphone to a deaf world.”

Such a view is poor theology indeed and portrays God as a rather sadistic sort.

God does indeed have “microphones” by which he attempts to break through to our sinful and very deaf world. These microphones include Jesus the Christ as well as all the prophets before him. Nor should we forget all those who have proclaimed the Gospel of Christ down to the present age.

Contrary to theologies that portray God as vengeful and mean-spirited, Jesus himself described God as a loving father who only wants what is best for his children. Hence God has sent the prophets and his own son to plead with us to repent and live in love with one another. He does not torture us (i.e., deliberately inflict pain) to make us submit to his will.

Rather than being God’s microphone to a deaf world, pain is the consequence of the world’s deafness to the entreaties of our Creator. Pain is not an act of God, but a consequence of the failure to heed God. The parent does not choose to burn the child who fails to heed the warnings about red hot elements on the stove. The child is burned because he or she failed to heed the words of a loving parent.

Thus, the notion that pain is God’s microphone to a deaf world is repugnant to those who proclaim a God of love. It is cracker-barrel theology of the worst kind.

To portray God as saying, “I’m hurting you because I love you” is unacceptable. — Dallas McQuarrie, St. Ignace, New Brunswick

Wise people throughout history despise war and its horrors

The Editor: As your readers may have noted, my letters often contain details of the astronomical costs, the horror of the maiming and death of soldiers and civilians, including children, and the general uselessness of war.

When many Canadians worry that our federal government is increasing military expenditures and aligning Canada with America’s military/industrial complex, does that mean that we simply are less patriotic?

There is hope. Millions of people and thousands of organizations are struggling for a more peaceful world. But first we need to debunk the myth of the glory of war and eliminate misinformation and curtail the propaganda of warmongers and the manufacturers of the weapons of war.

Your readers will be interested in reading what wise people in our history had to say about war:

Abraham Lincoln: “Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?”

Albert Einstein: “He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once. Heroism at command, senseless brutality, deplorable love-of-country stance, how violently I hate all this, how despicable war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be part of so base an action! It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder.”

Petrarch: “Five enemies of peace inhabit with us — avarice, ambition, envy, anger and pride; if these were to be banished, we should infallibly enjoy perpetual peace.”

Eleanor Roosevelt: “It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.”

Leo Tolstoy: “War is such a terrible thing that no one, especially a Christian, has the right to assume the responsibility of starting it.”

These express my thoughts. — Leo Kurtenbach, Saskatoon