When Bad Things Happen To Good People

Rabbi Harold Kushner

1981



[This is a short summary by Rev. David Holwick of the argument of
 Rabbi Kushner's popular book, "When Bad Things Happen to Good People"]


The reasons people suffer, from the perspective that God doesn't send
suffering, but it results from living in a world that is truly free.

    The cause of suffering.            (p 29)
        A. Most theology assumes God is behind suffering.
            1) We blame ourselves in order to spare God's reputation.
        B. Another view - help comes from God, but not pain.   Ps 121:1-2
        C. Story of Job.            (p 31)
            1) Hypothetical story, since Job is portrayed as perfect.
                a) Unfair story, since a good God wouldn't kill children.
            2) Traditional piety contrasted with hard questions about fate.
                a) Job does complain about God, friends don't.
                b) Friends assume God knows what he is doing.
            3) Conclusion has Job swearing to innocence, asking for evidence.
                a) God's answer:  "What do you know about running a world?"
            4) Three truths assumed in book:
                a) God is all-powerful.
                b) God is just and fair.
                c) Job is a good person.
                    1> Job's suffering creates a problem.
                    2> One of above truths must be sacrificed.
            5) How the characters deal with the above truths:      (p 39)
                a) The friends blame the victim, Job.  They reject "C".
                b) Job rejects "B".
                    1> God is all-powerful and seemingly above morality.
                    2> The book portrays God as a (insecure) king.   Job 9:12
                c) Author of Job puts his answer in God's final speech.
                    1> God is really there?
                        A> Job never doubted his existence.
                    2> God is all-powerful and doesn't have to be fair?
                        A> Job has claimed this all along.
                    3> God cannot be concerned with one puny person?
                        A> Then morality of Bible would be irrelevant to God.
            6) Author of Job rejects "A".           (p 41)
                a) God is good, but not all-powerful.   Job 40:9-14
                b) Misfortunes don't come from God.
                    1> But God can still be a comfort in our sorrows.

The following are chapter headings in Kushner's book:

    I. The reason bad things happen - sometimes there isn't any.
   II. Good people are not excepted from trouble.
  III. God lets us have room to be human.
   IV. God helps those who stop hurting themselves.
    V. God can't do everything.
   VI. What the value of religion is.  


(Illustration #1434 in Holwick's Illustration database)