Why Does The World Seem So Messed Up?
As we look around at the evil things that happen in our society, we often wonder… “Why is this happening?” We see all sorts of messed up things like child slavery, sex trafficking, wars, terrorism, and even naturally caused evils like earthquakes and hurricanes. The question of why these things happen is one that tends to stump many from various religious and philosophical positions. I do not have all the answers, but I do have a few thoughts.
Some individuals adopt the atheistic mindset that there must not be a higher power because of the presence of evil in the world. I must assume that those who hold this view have never read or understood the teachings of the Bible. Understandably, some people do not read the Bible because it is a “religious” book, but there is no doubt that it is the most influential book in history. Not to know at least some of the basics sets one up for a certain level of ignorance in a society that has been so heavily influenced by it.
So what does the Bible say about evil? Well… one thing is that we should expect it. Instead of assuming that there isn’t a god because of evil in the world, the presence of evil actually affirms what the Bible teaches about evil. It is incredibly realistic when it mentions cruelty and brokenness in the world. The Bible tells us that when God created the world, it was beautiful and good, and that God was lovingly involved in the lives of the people he had created. There was no evil at this time. Evil did not enter into the world until mankind disobeyed God in Genesis 3. As a result of this disobedience, a curse was put on the world. Mankind could no longer have the close relationship with God that they needed to sustain themselves. Because of this, they would now face hardships. These hardships would be rooted in things like selfishness, envy, hatred, and there would also be environmental issues like sickness and other naturally occurring evils.
Then the rest of the Bible tells that people continue to disobey God time and time again… they murder, they rape, they steal, and so on. But in the midst of this, God promised to send a Savior… one who would make things right and restore the people back to God. Then Jesus came and fulfilled God’s promise… he lived, was killed, buried, and rose three days later to save people from their sins. He then ascended to the Father to await the time when he will come back to restore creation and remove the curse.
So back to the original question. Why does the world seem so messed up? The short answer is because people are so messed up. If God created people with the ability to choose between right and wrong, the unfortunate result is that sometimes people choose to do wrong. Could God intervene? Yes… and I think sometimes he does. But the reality is that if he intervened every time, human beings would not really be free; they would be robots. God didn’t create robots; he created beings that could think and choose to either obey him or disobey him. And because of this, sometimes the world we live in seems really messed up. What do you think?
Check out this video for a good visual representation of this topic:
