Hatred.Is.The.Absence.Of.God
“Gods not real,” Ian said.
“And how have you come to that conclusion?” I asked.
“Hatred.”
“Hatred?”
“Yes,” he replied, “There is so much hatred all around us and has been for centuries. Genocides happen all around the world. There is human trafficking that turns women and children into sex slaves. There’s no way God is real with all this going on.”
My friend brings up a good point. A point that I hear a lot of people make all the time. Point being if God is real then where is he when these things happen. Where is God when we are at war with one another? When Nazi Germany killed Jews by the thousands? When innocent women and children are sold as sex slaves on the black market? When injustice takes place in our own neighborhood? In our own lives? Where is God then?
When I was in high school I couldn’t stand science class. I found it to be very boring and very useless. But what I did find interesting were these two concepts.
Concept 1: You can’t measure darkness. Darkness is a word that we have given to the absence or lack of light. Once you have reached pitch black or absolute zero light you can’t go further backwards into a deeper state of darkness.
Concept 2: You can’t measure coldness. Cold is a word that we have given to the absence or lack of heat. Scientists believe the absolute zero of heat is - 273 C or -406 F. This is the stage where atom particles come to a complete stand still and have no more energy but once this stage is reached we can’t go further backwards into a deeper state of coldness.
God gives us the choice whether or not we want to accept his love, mercy and grace. At the end of the day it is up to us how we want to live. God longs to be in a relationship with us but isn’t going to force us into doing anything we don’t want to. He gives us free will to make that decision on our own. And I believe if we make that decision God’s love will flow out of our lives and into others around us. I also believe if we choose not to make that decision we open ourselves up to the consequences of the lack of God’s love. So here I pose a third concept.
Concept 3: You can’t measure hatred. Hatred is a word that we have given to the absence or lack of God. Since we have the choice whether or not we want to experience his love we see periods in our history and in our present day where entire societies choose to deny his existence. Once we reach this state of no God we can’t go further backwards into a deeper state of hatred.
So then to answer those questions.
Q: Is there a God?
A: Yes.
Q: Where is he when hatred is happening around the world? When genocide takes place? When war takes place? When innocent people are taken advantage of? When injustice happens?
A: He is waiting for his people to accept him and his love for them.
I choose to believe that God’s love is the answer to all our problems.
I choose to believe that if we could all accept that this world would be at peace.
I choose to believe that hatred can’t be measured.
Because I choose to believe that Hatred.Is.The.Absence.Of.God
-Billy
