Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1912-04-20
Things happen in human experience

Things happen in human experience
that BATTLE human understanding.
Every catastrophe brings TO orr
mind the age-iOng perplexity ami
puzzle Of existence. Is there really
kind Providence that governs the
world and guides the destinies OF
man? we are prone To ask ourselves,
when a great grief suddenly strikes
us.
A similar question has within the
last few days been asked by thou
sands perhaps millions, OF people.
Was God Ia any way responsible for
the wreck OF the monster ship? DID
He know that 1t was going 10 taxa
place and permitted 81? Is He indif-
fcrent 10 human suffering or Is He
powerless 10 prevent a.? How arc
we TO reconcile such an incident with
the umnlscience, the omnipotence and
goodness Of God? And because they
think that they have asked unon-
swerable questions. many think them-
selves Justified Ia assuming an atti-
tude of pesslmism. OF miaanthropy or
of moral recklessneEs
As a matter Of fact. such questions
are prompted, think, by a misunder-
standing and a misconceptlon of God
and the universe. They hetray the
old-time theology which regarded
man az the center Of the universe and
al suffering as a punishment lntlict-
cd By an angry God. But this view
IL altogether wrong. We are only
part OF the vast universei We are only
an item an a ssheme that Is infinite.
Human suffering Is not punishment.
This ~ che burden OF the most mo-
mentous OF tho worlds dramas that
IS nnfolded 10 us in the book Of Job.
The restricted theology or Jobs
three friends who considered Jobs suf-
fering as q punishment from on high
is here disproved and corrected. The
fundamental truth for US 10 grasp s.
that the world h governed by law;
that this law. which God instituted
IN nature. - immWable. and that the
very lmmutability of natures laws r.
meant 20 help us and not TO harm
as. True. the Same law often brings
suffering and misery ana despair.
True. also. this same Jaw often in-
wolves the suffering and misery and
despair 10 the Innocent aH well as 90
the guilty. 20 the good az well as %
tho wicked. Iiut what respect could
you have for a Law whose operations
were from time 90 time suspended
What regard could you have Tor a
deity whose ordinances were not reg
ular ana reliabie2 suppose the child.
ignorantly and innocontly places ita
delicate little hand into the fire.
would you expect God 90 suspend the
law Of oombustion2 Seventeen hun-
dred ana seventy-six persons were
dashed into the ley deep BY the law
81 gravitation. Would Il have been
reasonable to expect God 90 suspend
the law OF gravitation7 II that has
been done. what would have become
Of this planets OF ours with rs hun
droda Of millions % people?
Nay, the very suffering ana mis-
cry that Gods law in the universe
often entails are requisite for mans
progress,
Him whom Providence means q
advance she takes from iifo Of oas'
and Incidence ana places him amids
hostile elements, amidst battling OBJ
siacloa. amid pimchlng wants. amlda
formidable foes. Ia this way sh'
forces him 10 apply his brain in plan
ming and schcming-to exercise hi
viii In doing and subduing. Ia use hi.
strength in protecting ana defending
The Heverer the hostile powera arr
with witch nature surrounds such
man. the higher may be tho place FOL
which God Is hitting him. When ma
ture seems most aevOrc God II prob