& my interest was piqued

Proclaim the Truth

The modern philosopher Bertrand Russell wrote:

‘‘There is to me, something a little old about the ethical values of those who think an omnipotent, omniscient and benevolent Deity, after preparing the ground through millions of years of lifeless nebula, would consider Himself adequately rewarded by the final emergence of Hitler and Stalin and the H-bomb…
It is clear that fundamental Christian doctrines demand a great deal of ethical perversion before they can be accepted. The world, we are told, was created by a God who is both good and omnipotent. But if, before He created the world, He foresaw all the pain and misery it would contain, He would have to be held responsible! It is not sin that causes the river to overflow its banks or the volcano to erupt. And even if this were true, it would make no difference.
If I were to beget a child, knowing beforehand that this child would become a homicidal maniac, I would have to accept responsibility for causing his crimes. If God, as such, knew in advance the sins when He decided to go ahead and created the man anyway…
The unusual Christian argument is that the world’s suffering is purification for sin and is therefore a good thing. This argument is, of course, only a rationalization of sadism- but in any cases it is a very poor argument. I would invite Christian to accompany me to the children’s ward of any hospital, to watch the suffering endured there, and then to persist the assertion that these children are so morally degenerate as to deserve what they are undergoing.
In order to bring himself to say this, a man must abandon all feelings of mercy and compassion. He must in short, make himself as cruel as the God in whom he believes. No man who believes that all is for the best (in the suffering world) can keep his ethical values unimpaired, because he will always find excuses for pain and misery. ’’

Because we do not have all the answers to these questions raised by individuals like Russell, that does not mean God does not exist, but only that we do not understand all His doings.
Atoms existed in reality long before men knew about them, before scientist proved the hypothesis that postulated their existence. Atoms continue to exist, though they still pose mysteries for us. If we cannot explain why Hitler and Stalin existed in the creation of an omnipotent, omniscient and benevolent Deity, neither can Bertrand Russell explain why thousands of saints have been ready to give their lives in suffering for love, truth and God.
Russell has no explanation for why rivers overflow, but neither can he explain why rivers exist in the first place and are a boon to mankind and a delight to the eye.
When we say God can do everything, it means He can do all things that are consonant with His character. He cannot annul the cause that produces a certain effect, though He can perform miracles. But the miracle does not cancel the laws of nature that He Himself set in motion. It introduces new elements that counteract or accelerate the predictable effects. Even God cannot make wrong thinking yield the truth.
Russell’s error consists in judging reality as subject rather than object. There are beauties that can be seen only from a certain position. The position of subject versus object is not the right position to perceive and understand material and spiritual realities as they are.
One of the biblical names for God is El Shaddai, which means ‘‘a sufficient God.’’ Since He answers all our needs, we don’t need Him plus explanations about Him. A man can live a full life breathing air without having its qualities explained to him.
God is one, the only one. All reality exists in Him. There is no one apart from Him or co-equal with Him to affirm or deny Him. His creation, for which He alone is responsible, does not break up His oneness. ‘‘In Him we live and move and have our being.’’(Acts 17:28)
Billions of bacteria and viruses inhabit our bodies, but if they had Bertrand Russell’s mind, they would deny our existence, they would be against us because we sometimes take medicines that destroy them. God is far above our categories of believing or nonbelieving.

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