“Why does a loving God allow so much suffering on the planet?”
“Why does a loving God allow so much suffering on the planet?”
If you found this article perhaps you, too, have struggled with a wavering faith or still are. This is a question that would surface within me for years as I searched for a deeper understanding of a greater power. This question, to me, felt like a barricade anchored between me and God from a place of hurt and anger. It was a way that I was able to keep God at an arm’s length away. I think it’s safe to say that if you’re human you’ve inevitably faced pain, suffering, hardship, and darkness during your years here on Planet Earth. Evil exists, and if you’re in denial watch the news any evening and see what’s happening in the world. I must admit I admire questions like this because it shows that someone is aware enough to acknowledge what they’re seeing on the planet, and they’re consciously (or subconsciously) trying to understand why things are the way they are. This seeking for deeper knowledge is ultimately what led me to the Modern Mystery School which still to this day has been the greatest blessing of my life. Rumi himself stated that “what you’re seeking is seeking you,” so I hope that people continue to stay open through curiosity and questions because it helps us remain open-minded. If I hadn’t, I’d be fearful of where my path might have led me.
Before we dive head first into the opening question, I’d like to share one of my favorite quotes which so perfectly answers it.
“God did not create evil. Just as darkness is the absence of light, evil is the absence of God.”– Albert Einstein.
If this quote just smacked you with the same amount of profound, simplistic truth that it hit me with (eventually), then read no more, print this quote out, and spread the word! 😉 All joking aside, let’s delve into this a bit more, shall we? Albert Einstein, a Mystery school initiate, is referring to the Hermetic Principle of Polarity within his quote. What are hermetics anyways? Let’s unpack that…
One area of study in The Modern Mystery School is Hermetics. Hermeticism by definition is a label used to designate a philosophical system that is primarily based on the teachings of Hermes Trismegistus. He is associated with the Greek God Hermes and the Egyptian God Thoth. According to Sir Flinders Petrie, an English Egyptologist and pioneer of systematic methodology in archaeology and preservation of artefacts, these teachings date back to 200 – 500 BC, before religion or modern science even existed. The uncanny accuracy and depth of Hermes’ teachings still cannot be fully explained by science today. The 7 Hermetic Principles are the foundation of Hermeticism. These Principles form the basis of occult philosophy:
- Mentalism. “THE ALL is Mind; the Universe is mental.”
- Correspondence. “As above, so below; as below, so above.”
- Vibration. “Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates.”
- Polarity. “Everything is Dual; everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites.”
- Rhythm. “Everything flows, out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall.”
- Cause and Effect. “Every Cause has its Effect; every Effect has its Cause; everything happens according to Law.”
- Gender. “Gender is in everything; everything has its Masculine and Feminine Principles; Gender manifests on all planes.”
– Three Initiates,The Kybalion
I highly recommend reading the book The Kybalion, by Three Initiates if you would like a comprehensive and detailed breakdown of each Principle. So with that foundation we can return to breaking down the question, “Why does a loving God allow so much suffering on the planet?” I have selected two of the Hermetic Principles to illuminate this from different perspectives.
Principle of Polarity:
First, I would like to focus on the Principle of Polarity. This Principle explains that “all manifested things have ‘two sides’; ‘two aspects’; ‘two poles’; or ‘a pair of opposites,'”(The Kybalion, pg. 94) with many varying degrees between the two extremes. The mind wants to compartmentalize things with labels and assumptions that are very black and white, but the principle of polarity would have us question that assumption. “Everything is and isn’t, at the same time”; “all truths are but half-truths”; “every truth is a half false”; “there are two sides to everything”; “there is a reverse side to every shield.” etc. (The Kybalion, pg. 95). Essentially this principle explains that the difference between things that are seemingly exact opposites is merely a matter of degree. A physical and perhaps more palpable example of this is thinking about temperature, or hot and cold. There’s no arguing the difference between how something boiling hot feels on the skin versus something bitter cold. Yet per the principle of polarity, they belong on the same scale. From understanding the scale you can discern different properties or essences about them. Another example would be the polarity between light and dark, as explained in the above Einstein quote; these are two distinctly different states, indeed. You would never confuse what it’s like to be in a room filled with the light from rays of the sun versus being closed into a windowless room with all light shut out from it. Einstein is also explaining this polarity with his statement, ‘evil is the absence of God.’ Everywhere we see evil in the world, that is not God. Where you see evil exist, God does not exist there.
Principle of Correspondence:
I’d like to also approach this from a much different perspective by discussing the foundational understanding of who and what we are. Many of you may have heard the famous quote from French Philosopher Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” As mentioned in my last article, Founder Gudni Gudnason states that,
“We are eternal beings, we have never been born therefore we can never die.”
Something within us knows, deep within the heart or even on a subconscious level, that we are more than just a sum total of our physical body, thoughts, and feelings. We indeed came here for a specific reason, yet we all go through the ‘amnesia-like’ process of forgetting who we are. The good news is if we choose to, we can experience the joy of rediscovering and awakening once again to our true, divine magnificence. Not only are we eternal beings, but, “God created man to be immortal, and made him to be an image of his own eternity. The righteous, because they are made in the image of God, can rest in the full hope of eternal life.” – Wisdom of Solomon 2:23. We are created in God’s image as stated in the Bible. To give an analogy that perhaps feels a bit more tangible, you can compare it to how our parents also created us in their image. In Hermetics you’ll often hear the term “as above, so below; as below, so above” (The Kybalion) and this principle essentially means that what happens on a higher level of reality also happens on lower levels. The microcosm and macrocosm are related. There is a correlation or relationship to the way we are born from our parents, which is similar to how we are created from God. Just as we have the energy and essence of our parents within us, we ALL have the energy and essence of God within us. Therefore, we are all God. I am not saying we are THE God, but we all have God within us. Why am I taking the time to explain this? Well, going back to the question, “Why does a loving God allow so much suffering on the planet?” I would ask if we are created in God’s image in this physical density, why are we allowing this to happen? Why are we waiting for someone else to stop the suffering on the planet? Why do we think change happens outside of us? If you see something that bothers you, do something to change it. God is within each of us, we are here in the physical and we must be the ones who create change.
When you read the original question now, does it resonate differently? Do the two principles provide a different understanding or perspective? If you desire more insight and understanding of these thought-provoking principles, I suggest that you begin your journey with The Modern Mystery School. Master Teachers and International Instructors guide you through deep universal teachings with topics like hermetics, metaphysics, and Universal Kabbalah so that you may deepen your awareness of your divine nature and purpose here on Earth.
With Love,
Rachel
