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COVER SUBJECT | WHY DO BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE? Bad Things Happen to Good People —Why? Since Jehovah God * is the Creator of all things and is almighty, many people may be inclined to hold him responsible for everything that takes place in the world, including all that is bad. However, consider what the Bible says about the true God: “Jehovah is righteous in all his ways.” “All his [God’s] ways are justice. A God of faithfulness who is never unjust; righteous and upright is he.” —Deuteronomy 32:4. “Jehovah is very tender in affection and merciful.” —James 5:11. God does not cause bad things to happen. Does he, though, incite others to commit vile deeds? Not at all. “When under trial,” state the Scriptures, “let no one say: ‘I am being tried by God.’” Why? Because “with evil things God cannot be tried, nor does he himself try anyone.” (James 1:13) God does not try, or test, anyone by inciting him to behave badly. God neither causes bad things to happen nor incites others to do what is bad. Who or what, then, is to blame when bad things happen? BEING IN THE WRONG PLACE AT THE WRONG TIME Identifying one reason why humans suffer, the Bible states: “Time and unexpected events overtake them all.” (Ecclesiastes 9:11) When unanticipated events or accidents happen, whether someone is affected or not depends to a large extent on where he is at the time they occur. Nearly 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ spoke of a calamity involving 18 people who were killed when a tower fell on them. (Luke 13:1-5) They did not become victims because of the way they had lived their lives; they were simply under the tower when it happened to fall. More recently, a devastating earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010; the Haitian government says that over 300,000 lives were lost. All those lives were claimed without regard for who the individuals were. Illnesses too can strike anyone at any time. Why does God not keep good people out of harm’s way? Some might ask: ‘Could not God prevent such deadly calamities from happening? Could he not shield the good people from the calamity?’ For God to intervene in such ways, it would mean that he knows about bad things before they happen. While God certainly has the ability to foreknow the future, the question we need to consider is this: Does God choose to exercise to a limitless extent his power to foreknow such things? The Scriptures say: “God is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases.” (Psalm 115:3) Jehovah does what he deems necessary to do ARE HUMANS RESPONSIBLE? Part of the blame for wickedness lies with humans. Notice how the Bible describes a process that can lead to harmful acts. “Each one is tried by being drawn out and enticed by his own desire. Then the desire, when it has become fertile, gives birth to sin; in turn sin, when it has been carried out, brings forth death.” (James 1:14, 15) When individuals act on improper desires or give in to wrong cravings, they are bound to suffer bad consequences. (Romans 7:21-23) As history shows, humans have committed horrendous acts and caused immense suffering. Moreover, wicked men can influence others to become corrupt, thus perpetuating badness. Humans have committed horrendous acts and caused immense suffering Should God intervene and prevent people from doing bad things? Consider how man is made. The Scriptures say that God created man in God’s own image, that is, in God’s likeness. Thus, humans have the ability to reflect God’s qualities. (Genesis 1:26) Humans have been given the gift of free will and can choose to love God and stick to him by doing what is right in his eyes. (Deuteronomy 30:19, 20) If God coerced people into following a certain course, would he not be nullifying the gift of free will? Why, humans would be reduced to nothing more than machines, doing exactly what they were programmed to do! The same would be true if fate, or Kismet, dictated what we do and everything that happens to us. How glad we can be that God dignifies us by allowing us to choose our own course! This does not mean, though, that the harm caused by human error and bad choices will forever plague mankind. IS KARMA A CAUSE OF SUFFERING? If you were to ask someone from a Hindu or Buddhist background the question posed on the cover of this magazine, you would likely hear this answer: “Bad things happen to good people because of the law of Karma. They are reaping the fruitage of what they did in their previous lives.” Regarding the teaching of Karma, it is helpful to note what the Bible says about death. In the garden of Eden, where humankind originated, the Creator said to the first man, Adam: “From every tree of the garden you may eat to satisfaction. But as for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad, you must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will certainly die.” (Genesis 2:16, 17) If Adam had not sinned by disobeying God, he would have lived forever. Death came about as a penalty for disobedience to God’s command. Then, when children were born, “death spread to all men.” (Romans 5:12) Thus, it can be said that “the wages sin pays is death.” (Romans 6:23) The Bible also explains: “The one who has died has been acquitted from his sin.” (Romans 6:7) In other words, people do not keep paying for their sins after death. Millions of people today explain that the problem of human suffering involves Karma. A believer usually accepts his own suffering as well as that of others without getting too disturbed by it. But the fact remains that this concept holds out no hope of stopping bad things from happening. It is believed that the only relief offered to an individual is liberation from the cycles of rebirth through socially acceptable behavior and special knowledge. These ideas, of course, are far different from what the Bible says. THE PRIMARY CAUSE! The primary cause of wickedness, though, is not man. Satan the Devil, originally a faithful angel of God, “did not stand fast in the truth” and brought sin into the world. (John 8:44) He instigated a rebellion in the garden of Eden. (Genesis 3:1-5) Jesus Christ called him “the wicked one” and “the ruler of the world.” (Matthew 6:13; John 14:30) Mankind in general follow Satan by heeding his urgings to ignore the good ways of Jehovah. (1 John 2:15, 16) “The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one,” says 1 John 5:19. There are other spirit creatures who have turned wicked and have joined Satan. The Bible indicates that Satan and his demons are “misleading the entire inhabited earth,” causing “woe for the earth.” (Revelation 12:9, 12) Thus, the principal blame for wickedness has to be placed on Satan the Devil. Clearly, God is not responsible for bad things that happen to people; nor does he make them suffer. On the contrary, he has promised to eliminate badness, as the following article will show. ^ par. 3 Jehovah is the name of God as revealed in the Bible. ^ par. 11 To learn why God has let wickedness continue, see chapter 11 of the book What Does the Bible Really Teach? published by Jehovah’s Witnesses. ^ par. 16 To learn about the origin of what is called the law of Karma, see pages 8-12 of the brochure What Happens to Us When We Die? published by Jehovah’s Witnesses. ^ par. 18 As to what the Bible teaches about the condition of the dead and the hope for those who have died, see chapters 6 and 7 of the book What Does the Bible Really Teach?
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TEMA S NASLOVNICE | ZAŠTO SE LOŠE STVARI DOGAĐAJU DOBRIM LJUDIMA? Zašto se loše stvari događaju dobrim ljudima? Jehova * je svemogući Bog i Stvoritelj svega što postoji, pa mnogi smatraju da je on odgovoran za sve što se događa, između ostalog i za nevolje koje pogađaju svijet. Međutim, pogledajmo što Biblija kaže o pravom Bogu: “Jehova je pravedan na svim putevima svojim” (Psalam 145:17). “Svi [su] putevi njegovi pravda. Bog je on vjeran, bez nepravde, pravedan je i istinoljubiv” (5. Mojsijeva 32:4). “Jehova [je] pun samilosti i milosrdan” (Jakov 5:11). Bog ne uzrokuje zlo. No da li potiče druge da čine zla djela? Nipošto! U Bibliji stoji: “Neka nitko, kad se nađe u kušnji, ne govori: ‘Bog me iskušava.’” Zašto? “Jer Boga se ne može zlom iskušavati, a ni on nikoga zlom ne iskušava” (Jakov 1:13). Bog nikoga ne iskušava tako da ga potiče na loše ponašanje. On sam nikome ne nanosi zlo niti navodi druge da čine zlo. Tko je onda kriv za loše stvari koje se događaju oko nas? U KRIVO VRIJEME NA KRIVOM MJESTU Ukazujući na jedan od razloga zašto ljudi pate, Biblija kaže: “Vrijeme nevolje i nepredviđeni događaji snalaze svakoga” (Propovjednik 9:11). Hoće li netko stradati u nekoj nesreći ili nepredviđenom događaju uvelike ovisi o tome gdje se u određenom trenutku zatekne. Prije gotovo 2 000 godina Isus Krist spomenuo je nesreću u kojoj je poginulo 18 osoba jer se na njih srušila jedna kula (Luka 13:1-5). Ti ljudi nisu stradali zato što su bili loše osobe, nego naprosto zato što su se našli u blizini kule kad se ona srušila. I u novije vrijeme ljude snalaze razne nevolje. Naprimjer, u siječnju 2010. Haiti je pogodio katastrofalan potres u kojem je, prema podacima haićanske vlade, poginulo više od 300 000 ljudi. Svi oni poginuli su bez obzira na to jesu li bili dobri ili loši. I bolest može u bilo kojem trenutku pogoditi svakog čovjeka. Zašto Bog ne štiti dobre ljude od prirodnih katastrofa? Neki se možda pitaju: “Ne bi li Bog mogao spriječiti takve nevolje u kojima pogiba velik broj ljudi? Ne bi li mogao dobre ljude zaštititi od zla?” Kad bi Bog to učinio, to bi značilo da on unaprijed zna da će se dogoditi nešto loše. Istina, Bog ima sposobnost predvidjeti budućnost. No da li on tu svoju sposobnost želi baš uvijek koristiti? U Bibliji piše: “Bog je naš na nebesima. Sve što je htio učiniti, učinio je” (Psalam 115:3). Jehova čini samo ono što smatra potrebnim, a ne sve ono što je u stanju učiniti. Tako postupa i kad je riječ o predviđanju budućnosti. Naprimjer, kad je u drevnoj Sodomi i Gomori zlo prevršilo svaku mjeru, Bog je patrijarhu Abrahamu rekao: “Odlučio sam sići da vidim rade li zaista kako govori tužba koja je došla do mene, a ako nije tako, da znam” (1. Jehova neko vrijeme nije znao koliko zlo vlada u tim gradovima jer je tako bio odlučio. Slično tome Jehova ne mora sve znati unaprijed ako to ne želi (1. Mojsijeva 22:12). No to ni u kom slučaju nije pokazatelj njegove nesavršenosti ili slabosti. Biblija za njega kaže: “Djelo mu je savršeno.” To znači da svoju moć proricanja budućnosti uvijek koristi u skladu sa svojim naumom. On nikad ne prisiljava ljude da postupaju na određen način * (5. Mojsijeva 32:4). Što na temelju svega toga možemo zaključiti? Kratko rečeno, Bog se služi svojom sposobnošću predviđanja samo onda kad to smatra potrebnim. JESU LI LJUDI ODGOVORNI? Ljudi su djelomično odgovorni za to što postoji toliko zla. U Bibliji je opisano što može dovesti do loših postupaka. U njoj stoji: “Svakoga iskušava njegova želja, tako što ga privlači i mami. Zatim želja, kad začne, rađa grijeh, a grijeh, kad je učinjen, donosi smrt” (Jakov 1:14, 15). Ako ljudi sprovode u djelo svoje neispravne želje ili dopuštaju da one ovladaju njima, sigurno će zbog toga snositi loše posljedice (Rimljanima 7:21-23). Povijest pokazuje da su ljudi u stanju počiniti strašna zlodjela i nanijeti jedni drugima neizmjernu bol. Osim toga, zli ljudi često znaju iskvariti druge, pa se zato uvijek iznova događaju loše stvari (Mudre izreke 1:10-16). Ljudi su počinili strašna zlodjela i nanijeli jedni drugima neizmjernu bol Treba li se Bog umiješati i spriječiti ljude da čine zlo? Da bismo dobili odgovor na to pitanje, osvrnimo se nakratko na to kako je Bog stvorio čovjeka. Biblija kaže da ga je stvorio na svoju sliku, odnosno sličnog sebi. To znači da ljudi mogu pokazivati osobine kakve ima Bog (1. Mojsijeva 1:26). Dobili smo slobodnu volju te možemo izabrati hoćemo li ljubiti Boga, biti mu odani i vršiti njegovu volju (5. Kad bi nas Bog prisiljavao da postupamo na određen način, ne bi li nam time onemogućio da koristimo slobodnu volju koju nam je dao? Zapravo, tada bismo bili poput strojeva koji rade samo ono za što su programirani. Nešto slično dogodilo bi se i kad bi našim životom i postupcima upravljala sudbina. Doista možemo biti sretni što nam Bog iskazuje čast tako što nam dopušta da sami odlučujemo o svom životu! No to ne znači da će cijelo čovječanstvo zauvijek patiti zbog zla koje su ljudi prouzročili svojim pogreškama i lošim odlukama. JESU LI PATNJE POSLJEDICA LOŠE KARME? Kad bismo nekog hinduista ili budista upitali zašto se loše stvari događaju dobrim ljudima, on bi vjerojatno rekao: “To je zbog zakona karme. Ljudi samo snose posljedice onoga što su činili u prijašnjim životima.” * No dobro je upoznati se s onim što Biblija kaže o smrti. U edenskom vrtu, odakle potječe ljudski rod, Stvoritelj je prvom čovjeku Adamu rekao: “Sa svakoga drveta u vrtu slobodno jedi do sita. Ali s drveta spoznaje dobra i zla ne smiješ jesti, jer u onaj dan u koji okusiš s njega, sigurno ćeš umrijeti” (1. Mojsijeva 2:16, 17). Da Adam nije bio neposlušan Bogu i tako mu zgriješio, živio bi vječno. Smrt je zapravo bila kazna za neposlušnost Božjoj zapovijedi. Prvi ljudski par s vremenom je dobio djecu, “i tako se smrt proširila na sve ljude” (Rimljanima 5:12). Stoga se s pravom može reći da je smrt “plaća za grijeh” (Rimljanima 6:23). Osim toga, u Bibliji stoji: “Tko je umro, oslobođen je od svojega grijeha” (Rimljanima 6:7). Drugim riječima, čovjek ne plaća za svoje grijehe nakon smrti. Danas milijuni ljudi misle da su patnje povezane s lošom karmom. Oni koji vjeruju u to obično se ne uznemiravaju previše ni zbog svojih patnji ni zbog patnji drugih ljudi. No činjenica je da učenje o karmi ne pruža nikakvu nadu da će zlo jednog dana nestati. Prema tom učenju, osoba se može osloboditi patnje jedino ako se izbavi iz kruga ponovnih rađanja. Da bi u tome uspjela, mora se ponašati u skladu s društvenim normama i doživjeti posebno prosvjetljenje. Ta se učenja jako razlikuju od onoga što stoji u Bibliji. GLAVNI UZROČNIK ZLA I PATNJI Glavni uzročnik zla ipak nije čovjek. Sotona Đavo, koji je nekad bio vjerni Božji anđeo, “nije ostao postojan u istini” te je donio grijeh na svijet (Ivan 8:44). Upravo je on izazvao pobunu protiv Boga u edenskom vrtu (1. Mojsijeva 3:1-5). Isus Krist nazvao ga je “Zlim” i rekao za njega da je “vladar svijeta” (Matej 6:13; Ivan 14:30). Većina ljudi potpala je pod njegov utjecaj te odbacuje Jehovine pravedne zakone (1. “Cijeli je svijet pod vlašću Zloga”, stoji u 1. Ivanovoj 5:19. Međutim, postoje i druga duhovna bića koja su se iskvarila i pridružila Sotoni. Biblija otkriva da Sotona sa svojim demonima “zavodi sav svijet” i uzrokuje nevolje svima na Zemlji (Otkrivenje 12:9, 12). Dakle, glavni uzročnik zla i patnji upravo je Sotona Đavo. Očito je da Bog nije odgovoran za loše stvari koje se događaju ljudima te da ne uzrokuje njihove patnje. Naprotiv, on je obećao da će ukloniti sve zlo, o čemu govori sljedeći članak. ^ odl. 3 Biblija otkriva da Božje ime glasi “Jehova” ili “Jahve”. ^ odl. 11 Više o tome zašto Bog dopušta zlo možete pročitati u 11. poglavlju knjige Što Biblija doista uči?, koju su objavili Jehovini svjedoci. ^ odl. 16 Nešto više o zakonu karme možete pročitati u brošuri Što se s nama događa kad umremo?, stranice 8-12. Brošuru su objavili Jehovini svjedoci. ^ odl. 18 Ako želite saznati što Biblija uči o tome što se s čovjekom događa nakon smrti te koja je nada za umrle, pročitajte 6. i 7. poglavlje knjige Što Biblija doista uči?