This is very interesting! I guess I never thought of the fact that whatever you say about God implies something else about evil. My idea about God being present in our current suffering is that you need "eyes to see" this reality. I have definitely felt the presence of God in my most troubling times. I think it requires spiritual discipline to be able to experience this. That is why my favorite idea about the Apocalypse is that it will be a great unveiling event - we will see what is already true in this world. I know that it is hard to believe in that which is hidden from our sight, but I do believe that God is an "ever present help in time of trouble" we just need to "be still and know." May God bless you this Advent season!
“What I am saying here is that we lack the imaginative capacity to imagine a suffering life being a life worth living.”
I think this is a key problem for any modern philosophy, especially given that we have such powerful methods to alleviate pain. For example, it’s hard to know how to answer the opiate crisis without being able to say anything about a painful life being worthwhile.
Discovered your substack and very much enjoyed reading tonight. Joining Christ in the fellowship of suffering means union with him in the deepest darkest parts of our lives. A comfort.
This is very interesting! I guess I never thought of the fact that whatever you say about God implies something else about evil. My idea about God being present in our current suffering is that you need "eyes to see" this reality. I have definitely felt the presence of God in my most troubling times. I think it requires spiritual discipline to be able to experience this. That is why my favorite idea about the Apocalypse is that it will be a great unveiling event - we will see what is already true in this world. I know that it is hard to believe in that which is hidden from our sight, but I do believe that God is an "ever present help in time of trouble" we just need to "be still and know." May God bless you this Advent season!
yes, this "unveiling" is certainly a part of it- that Jesus is Lord will be revealed as the truth about the world-
it has similarities to the transfiguration in this way-
“What I am saying here is that we lack the imaginative capacity to imagine a suffering life being a life worth living.”
I think this is a key problem for any modern philosophy, especially given that we have such powerful methods to alleviate pain. For example, it’s hard to know how to answer the opiate crisis without being able to say anything about a painful life being worthwhile.
Discovered your substack and very much enjoyed reading tonight. Joining Christ in the fellowship of suffering means union with him in the deepest darkest parts of our lives. A comfort.