I was given a Chinese-translated version of Warren’s book as a gift by a devoted Christian couple, some 5 years ago. I read it then but instead of answered any of my questions, it raised more. I met my couple friend recently again and decided to read this book again but in its original English edition. It hasn’t changed my mind about my original thought. You can call me self-centred person.
I must be honest and that I would state the followings. I DO believe God exists. I DO believe Jesus has died for our sins. I DO believe many things happening around us are just miracles, e.g. creation of a human being. I DO believe some of the events many Christians have witnessed, etc etc. But….
…I beg answers. Most recently, the 4-years old Jessica Whelan died of face cancer. My immediate questions are: Why did she die in such tragic circumstances? What sin did she commit so that she and her parents have to suffer in agony? Why did God make her suffer? Why do we not allow euthanasia so that she could pass away more peacefully? Also on the continuous tragedy - the Syrian refugees. Why did some of the Syrian refugees, who tried to escape from the brutal regime and tried to cross the Mediterranean, but die in such horrific circumstances, regardless of their different religious belief? God made them too, didn’t he? What did they, especially the women and children, do to deserve their lives to be taken so tragically? You might argue the answer to this is simple, they are the collateral damage of a political and power struggle of some small group of people. Or simply they are not Christians. What about the victims of the earthquake, the tsunamis, the famine,…..etc etc, which are happening regularly. What did these victims or their surviving relatives do to deserve those tragic experience. I don’t even know any of these people but I have wholehearted sympathy for them. These may happen long after Warren’s book was written but there will be numerous examples of similar kinds. Warren’s book makes no mention of any of such tragic events happened before or happening now.
Warren’s book says that all of us were made for one and only one purpose – to serve God. You try to tell the father of Jessica and those who died or are dying in those horrific circumstances, whether the cause was man-made or not. Warren does not offer any answers to these SIMPLE questions, in fact, he avoids any of these. But he states that you will be allowed to join the family of God to live eternally, only if you become a Christian. He also says we are put on Earth so that we are prepared for eternal life BUT we are given the choice of free belief. So what’s the point of living on Earth as a tourist or as a witness or something?
I have a lot of respects for God and what Jesus did for us, but I feel helpless when watching those events unfolded before me. Warren says we were put on earth only temporary, so don’t treasure the time here, since our eternal life is prepared for us unless we do what God expects from us – i.e. to worship God. Yes of course, but why does God allow those tragic events happens right before us, this requires a lot of convincing.
I can go on and on about these tragic happenings but unless Warren can provide answers, all he did was to promote Christianity in the way he sees it. But we are now here on Earth, no matter how temporary it is for everyone, the tragic events are still happening all around us, whether I like it or not, this book offers little in respect of answering these tragic events. Unless there is some explanation in these, I can’t see how I would adopt the practice of worshipping God, apart from acknowledging that he is the creator of all things. Tom Honey gave a TED talk “Why would God create a tsunami” in 2007, in which he admitted that he didn’t know the answer. Isn’t belief all about seeking the truth?
On a similar note. Buddhism is NOT a religion but a philosophy. They practice kindness and Buddha once said, if he doesn’t go to hell to rescue the lost souls, who will? Buddhism teaches us how to be kind, how to consider the cause & effect before acting, and preaches future life. Quoting the words by Jerry Neumann “Buddha does not want you to believe, he wants you to seek out the truth--the very essence of philosophical enquiry”
Warren’s book is nonetheless an interesting read, especially I read it twice in different language, so I give it 3*.
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