President Bush on the problem of evil
January 13, 2006 Posted by Roger Overton
The following exchange took place on New Year's Day in San Antonio:
Q Mr. President, in August you said that Katrina could — the effects
of it could test the strongest faith. I'm sure of some of the things
that you saw today, that's the case, as well. What do you tell a young
soldier or his young wife about how a loving God could permit or cause
some of the things you saw today?
THE PRESIDENT: First of all, Mike, I'm conscious not to be trying to
substitute myself for God. I am, on the other hand, inspired by the mom
who told me upstairs that she prays every day and believes in the
miracle of healing; that I think we see God's work here every day. I
think when you find nurses and doctors who work around the clock, who
come in at a moment's notice to save a life, I happen to believe there's
a lot of divine inspiration to that kind of dedication and work. The
parents I saw or the wives I saw, many of them were in prayer on a
regular basis for their loved one.
And, you know, war is terrible. There's horrible consequences to war –
that's what you see in this building. On the other hand, we also see
people who say, I'd like to go back in, Mr. President, what we're doing
is the right thing, because many of these troops understand that by
defeating the enemy there, we don't have to face them here. And they
understand that by helping the country and the Middle East become a
democracy, we are, in fact, laying the foundation for future peace.
And, I, as the Commander-in-Chief, I am resolved to make sure that those
who have died in combats' sacrifice are not in vain. And I am resolved
to make sure that these kids who are recovering here, that have suffered
terrible injury, that their injuries are not in vain by completing the
mission and laying that foundation for peace for generations to come.
And I'm optimistic we'll achieve that objective.
This might be a fine answer to a different question, but it seems
a bit lacking as a response to the problem of evil. Granted, the
problem of evil is a difficult one; but I don't think it's expecting
too much from the president to ask for something a little more
compelling than what he offers here.
Related posts:
- Is the President Out of Control?
- President Hinckley on Joseph Smith
- The Enemy of My Enemy…
- Natural Evil – Answering By Exegesis
- The Contrast
- Our New President And Abortion
Posted in Apologetics, Main Page, Philosophy, Politics, Religion (General)
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January 13th, 2006 at 1:01 pm
I disagree. I'm pretty sure most folks would not have a very coherent answer to the problem of evil, particularly when asked on the spot unexpectedly in the presence of those who have actually suffered severely.
Many of the smartest folks I've read don't have a compelling answer to the problem of evil. And those include apologists and philosophers alike. I suspect this is because our reason is limited and we see through a glass darkly on these matters. If Jesus asked God why He was forsaken on the cross, I don't know why we think we'll do a whole lot better.
I'd be happier if President Bush were more articulate about political matters, and I bet he'd do pretty well in a casual conversation about how he feels and thinks about the problem of evil. But this criticism seems to be a sort of category mistake.
January 13th, 2006 at 4:20 pm
I think the commenter above has a good point, and I would add that as President Bush strikes me as more of a pragmatist than as deeply reflective, it's not surprising that this was the answer he gave..
The problem of evil is a challenging question that would require time and consideration for most people, and it would be a challenge to give a good off-the-cuff answer unless one had been already reflecting on the answer.
I have written some about this topic– looking at Katrina, for example, and asking whether it was a judgment of God, or more recently, a post regarding Pat Robertson's comments on Ariel Sharon, which seem to reveal a view of God as retributive.
Blessings,
Alex
January 13th, 2006 at 8:29 pm
Micah and Alex, I think you may be letting the president off the hook for a political answer to an apolitical question. The reporter asked a tough question, but the president spun it into a chance to reaffirm his resolve. His answer would have been appropriate had the reporter asked whether what he had seen had shaken his resolve to keep fighting. But when asked how he squares his previous statements on faith with something he just experienced he sidesteps the actual question.
And none of this addresses the fact that even the least reflective of believers typically come up with some sort of answer, even if it is a weak appeal to Romans 8:28.
January 14th, 2006 at 1:15 am
….I can't help but be struck by the “If we don't fight them there, we'll have to fight them here” comment….since most Al Quada are not Iraqi, but coming into Iraq to do just that…I wonder how the average Iraqi citizen feels about being the “there” where this battle gets to take place…..
January 14th, 2006 at 1:51 am
The question the President was asked was “What do you tell a young soldier or his young wife about how a loving God could permit or cause some of the things you saw today?” Yes, the President was being asked to relate his answer to faith in God, or to his own faith in God, and as far as I can tell, he attempted to do so in his answer. Why does God permit evil things? The President didn't answer this question directly, and I suppose he could have given a more theologically-oriented answer, but as Commander-in-Chief, he was there to build morale. So his answer was basically that war, though a terrible thing, is a necessary evil, and that the men and women who are courageous enough to fight in this war, and those who support them as healers and in prayer, are all reflecting their faith in God and in the cause they fighting for (“we see God's work here every day”).
Really, not such a terrible answer, in my opinion.
January 14th, 2006 at 3:25 pm
I mean no disrespect to the President, but he seems to have difficulty with political/policy questions, which he should be on top of. To hear the President speak remotely meaningful in a public setting like that about the problem of evil would hardly be realistic. He's just not an effective speaker. Being a poor speaker doesn't mean he's a poor President, but… it's just not his strength.
January 14th, 2006 at 4:09 pm
“….I can't help but be struck by the “If we don't fight them there, we'll have to fight them here” comment….since most Al Quada are not Iraqi, but coming into Iraq to do just that…I wonder how the average Iraqi citizen feels about being the “there” where this battle gets to take place…..”
Probably a matter of comparison. Life under Saddam, or life as it currently is. While there are undoubtedly some who preferred life before, I don't see a groundswell of support for re-instating Saddam.