An Alternative to Ignoring Suffering

* Re “Why Suffering? The Case Against God,” On Faith, Feb. 10:

At the end of an excellent presentation of the philosophical problem of evil, Joseph McKenna suggests that believers could just accept the apparently contradictory realities that God is, and that suffering also is, and that it is “better to ignore the theoretical problem of suffering and join the struggle to ameliorate its concrete effects.”

I would like to propose a somewhat different conclusion: that it is better to ignore the theoretical problem of God (particularly in view of the not insignificant amount of suffering which, in the form of religious persecution, many humans obsessed with a particular interpretation of “God’s will” have inflicted upon others who have interpreted divine will differently). In this way, we can be more effective in joining the struggle to not only ameliorate but also prevent suffering from occurring in the first place.

By studying “God’s creation” with the help of the scientific method, we can (as a concrete example) learn about colliding continental plates and how to make the Lisbon cathedral more earthquake-resistant. Or we might decide that we do not any longer need any man-made cathedrals or temples to Siva. The universe as a whole and our hearts individually are already good enough abodes for the divine, as they were for Einstein and for the Native Americans.

BENITO FRANQUI

Orange

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* Re “Using ‘Pharisee’ as a Pejorative Distorts History,” Feb. 10:

Rabbi Mark S. Miller’s eloquent and informative article gives a clear explanation and sets the record straight regarding the centuries of misinformation about Jews, as perpetuated in the New Testament.

WINNIE ROSS

Corona del Mar