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[The Church Speaks By THE REV. TED STE VENS Rector St. Thomas Anglican Church Brooklln A fine young man in the prime of 111e, witb the admiration,. hopes and prayers of ail Canada focused upon him dies 0f cancer. A group of teen- agers are brutally murdered in B.C. An old-age pensioner la beaten to death for the sake 0f the few dollars he bas in hand. And thousands of littie eilidren, the world over, live and cie in refuge cam- ps and city slums,,deprived, from the start, of al that makes 111e healthy and bappy. Why? No problem vexes the human mind 50 much as this one and none is more frequently cited as a reason for not believmng In God. -Has tbe church -has the Christian Faitb - anytbing relevant and helpful to say to this issue? Yes, I believe it bas, and 1 believe that a thougbful consîderation of the things written below wiII behelpful to those struggling withÎ this problem. Point one. God did not create evil and sufferig in this world. According to tbe Bible tbey were not part of bis original plan and design, nor will he per- mit tbem to continue for ever to spoil bis creation. S0 we find that in the beginning of ,tbe Bible (Genésis) there is a picture of Creation'free of these thiùigs -and at the end (Revelation) a picture of Creation again free of tbem., In tbe interim period, in which we exist, evil is there as the resuit, direct or indirect, of man's rejection of. God and of his per- fect guidelines for man's existence. Point two. Suffering in some form or another is an inevitable part of 111e as we now know it, and none can wholly escape it. If we faîl from a heigbt we are hurt. If we touch something bot we are bur- nt. Anyone of us may die of eartbquake or eruption, flood or famine, microbe or murder. Therefore, rather than asking tbe question "Why should I- suf- fer? " the sensible person will work to avoid and reduce suffering and will develop a faith whicb will enable him to face it creatively when it cornes., Point tbree. God gives no complete answer to the question "Wby does be, being Almighty, permit suf- fering and evil to continue? " Even if be did, it would not help us to overcome them. If things are a part 0f the nature of life, it does not really help us to know-why they are so. It may interest geologists to know why Mount St. Helen's erupted, but tbat know- ledge bardly helped the locals wbo suffered from the eruption. Wbat tbey needed was practical help and moral encouragement to overcome their troubles. So we do not really need to know the an- swer to tbe-question "Why this suffering?" but to the'question "How can I make something positive and creative out of it"? Point four. Suffering is. not, generally, to be linked with the sin of the'suffered. Wben Jesus faced the sick and suffering, be very rarely connec- ted their sufferings witb their sins. Indeed, on two specific occasions be declared that there was no such direct connection (Luck 13, 1-5 and Jobn 9, 1-3). This needs to be clearly. understood, becau se people's remarks often sbow that tbey believe,deep down, that suffering is tbe punisbment for sins.. For example, the comment often heard by doctors and nurses "Why sbouldthis happein to me? I neyer did any barm to anyone" reveals bow deep-seated is this false notion that suffering is* always punish- ment, even if undeserved punishment. Point five. Suffering can be, and often is, one of "Joni" in which she stars, and which will be shown at The Marks Theatre, Oshawa, February 12 to 18, sbould be seen by all wbo are puzzled by this issue. Ifyou can't see the film, by ail means get ber books 'Joni' and 'One-step further'. They containby far the best thlnking on this issue which I have corne across, and they are by one who really knows what it means to suffer. Point six. God perfectly sympathizes with the sufferer because, in Christ, be bas suffered himself. The. Cross is the supreme example of triumphant suffering. Dorothy, Sayers, that astute Cbristian thinker, set out the matter-like this: "For whatever reason God chose to make man as he is - limited and suffering and subject to sorrows and deatb - he had the bonesty and courage to take bis own medicine. Wbatever game he is plhying witb bis creation, he bas kept bis own rules and played fair. He can exact nothing from man that he bas not exacted from him- self. He bas himself gone througb the wbole of buman experience, -from the trivial irritations of family, 111e and the, cramping restrictions of bard work and lack of money, to the worst horrors 0f pain and humiliation, defeat, despair and death. Wben hé was a man, he played the man. He4 was born in poverty and died in disgrace and thought it well Worth wbile.' To find, to trust, to know this strong, loving and symipathetic God is. to find victor-y over suffering. He bas said "Ail things wvork togetber for good for them that love God" (Romans 8:28) and the poet bas written: "Since all1 that I meet shall turn to my good, The bitter, is sweet, -the medicine food. Though painful at present, 'twill ceasebefore long, And then 0 howples- sant the conqueror's song."1 WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNÉSDAY, JANUARY 27, 1982, PAGE 9 Thnree face -drug .charges The sharp eye of an off-duty police officer bas led to the arrest 0f two men and one juve- nile on drug related charges.' Accordîng to Inspec- tor Doug Builoch of the Durham Regional Police Force, the con- stable was in. Sborty and Son Billards on Dundas Street, West last Wed- nesday 'playing pool when he observed wbat he believed to be a drug sale. Later that evening, the joint, forces squad of Durham Region and the Royal Canadian Moun-' ted Police forces exe- cuted a warrant and siezed a quantity of bash oil. Charged witb two counts of possession of a narcotic is Craig Kim- berley, 18, 0f 931 Donevan Cres. Michael William Dakin, 19, of 918 Dolnevan Cres., is charged witb possession of a narcotic and, tra-, fficklng of 'a narcotic. One 15-year-old, female juvenile Was also charged with tra- fficking a narcotic un- der the. Juvenile Delini- quent Act. Kimberley and Dakin are scbeduled to appear in Ajax provincial court on February 11. Announclng the worst kept secret ln town. 'Ihe Cordiless' Is hee! A Blftime guarantee, free service and 26 great TV.channels - how could 1 resis! This streamllnied remote control -cordless converter carnles the Beffer Guarantee. 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