January 12,1998
Dear Sister DeAnne:
Several weeks ago, I finished
reading a book by Vincent Bugliosi about the O.J. Simpson trial.
A prominent prosecutor who secured the conviction of the Charles
Manson family for the brutal murders they committed in early 1970,
he was “Outraged” at the Simpson verdict and undertook
a critical examination of the trial to determine why he beat the
rap, why the prosecution failed to convict him.
After making his conclusions,
he asked a very pertinent question. “How could God allow
O.J. Simpson to kill Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman without meeting
his just retribution. His outrage, at the verdict and Simpson’s
freedom, was so profound that he questioned God’s love and
character.
Seeking answers, he observed
that every Christian he spoke with, when confronted with violent
death, such as the Simpson murders, and the Oklahoma bombing,
ascribed the deaths of innocent people to the desire of God to
take them to heaven. In other words, God uses violent death as
a means of transporting people to heaven. Is this explanation
correct? Does God kill people just so He can have them with Him
in heaven? Doesn’t this make God out to be a murderer?
The Bible says that God
is love. However we interpret love, its definition, in no way
encompasses killing people. Can you imagine your reaction should
Dan say something like this, “I love you so much, DeAnne,
that I am going to kill you.” Would you consider this to
be a suitable expression of love and affection? Lets examine the
practical significance of the idea that God kills people in order
to take them to heaven by asking some logical questions.
“Father, that water
was cold and I was scared. Couldn’t you have thought of a
better way of getting me here?” “Father, I didn’t
have any life insurance, and my family no longer has a reliable
income. How will they mange without me?”
“Dear Father, I know
you love me, but my son is in a hospital, he may never walk again.
Couldn’t you have spared him if you wanted me?” “God,
you took me but not my husband, its lonely up here without him.”
When confronted with some
of these questions, the Christian explains away the inconsistencies
by suggesting that God has some unknown but totally comprehensible
reason for killing people and we must place our faith and confidence
in Him, despite these inconsistencies. All will be made plain
when we get to heaven. We are supposed, of course, to trust this
explanation, which doesn’t really explain anything. Does
God kill people? “And Satan was a murderer from the beginning.”
This simple text, if taken on face value, explains much. God does
not kill. If Satan is the author of death, does God use him to
bring his sons and daughters home.
The natural question arises,
just how does God get people to heaven. “Enoch walked with
God and was not for God took him.” Enoch, the eighth descendent
from Adam is the first person who was taken to heaven. His mode
of travel is not explicitly described, but no mention of violent
death is recorded. Elijah is the second person who went to heaven.
His mode of travel was via a fiery chariot. No violent death is
recorded here, either.
The third person, whom the
Bible says was taken to heaven, is Moses. His method of travel
was to fall asleep on top of Mt. Pisgoth. His body was then buried.
Several days later, Christ came to resurrect him and together
they ascended to heaven. Dying by falling asleep certainly is
better then being crushed beneath a falling wall. When Christ
rose from the dead, he literally rose into heaven.
These are the only people
that the Bible specifically says are in heaven. But, you may ask,
aren’t there millions and millions of people living with
God in heaven or burning in hell? No! Contrary to popular opinion,
no where does the Bible state that we, upon our death, go directly
to heaven or hell. Challenge a minister or Christian to prove,
from the scriptures, that sinners are CURRENTLY burning in hell
or the righteous are CURRENTLY enjoying paradise. I think you
will find they will equivocate, cite some human authority or minister
for their belief or misapply scripture, for this doctrine, of
immediate rewards or punishments, is a lie.
But back to my original
question, does God kill people. Allow me to make several other
observations about His character. How can we love someone who
murders our loved ones? Doesn’t the idea of a murderer repel
not attract? How can we trust ourselves to someone who might kill
us without any reasonable explanation?
“Why would any one
want to live with a murder, especially a capricious murderer,
who may also wounds and destroys? Why did O.J. Simpson get away
with murder, because of an inept prosecution. Did God love Nicole
and Ron so much that he let O.J. kill them? This is what ministers
want us to believe. Did God love our son so much that he let him
drown? I choose to believe the answers to these questions is a
resounding no!
Why am I so confident? Because
God is the giver of life and every good and perfect gift. It is
Satan’s most clever deception that he has succeeded in foisting
upon God’s character his own attributes and causing God’s
ministers to parrot this misconception, thus sewing the seeds
of distrust among the human race. By casting God as arbitrary
and mean-spirited, he, Satan, discourages people from seeking
for a correct understanding of His character. This is the greatest
deception this world has ever witnessed. God is transformed into
the devil while the devil is transformed into God.
It is because Sevilla and
I have had many years of knowing God that we firmly reject the
notion that God killed Tim. If anyone is responsible for his death,
he is, for he acted foolishly and unwisely when he ventured onto
the foot bridge spanning the raging creek. God brought our son
home to us to begin a new life. He was a country boy, loved milking
cows, and swapping conversation with the boys at the local restaurant.
He married unwisely, to a woman who desired city life, high society
and fashion, and prestigious employment, while Tim was a cowboy
at heart, a ranch hand. They were incompatible from the beginning.
After their divorce, he
drifted for several years until God brought him back home to begin
a new life. Two days after he died, a local woodworking company
called to offer him a job. The country was his home, not the city.
He loved to help people, work around the farm, etc., and would
have fit into the life of the mountains as a hand in a glove.
He had recently gained the
victory over alcoholism, and was desirous of gaining the victory
over smoking. While with us, his smoking decreased noticeably.
Everything was looking up for Tim, why then would God kill him.
We are told that God’s ways are mysterious and past finding
out. While this is true, he is also a reasonable God, not given
to capricious outbursts of murderous love.
One of my favorite sayings
concerns deception. “The problem with deception is that is
deceives.” So many Christians are deceived into believing
a lie that the world is filled with misconceptions concerning
God’s character. While it is difficult to reason this way,
for human love is filled with so much evil, it could be reasoned
that God’s love certainly is no less then our love. If we
wouldn’t reasonably kill out of love, then God wouldn’t
either. We cherish those whom we love, shower upon them many and
varied gifts, sacrifice for their welfare, even die for them,
but to kill, no!
I don’t know if this
rather lengthy letter has given you a different perspective about
God. Sometimes, when I write to people. I feel so inadequate to
express my understanding of God. I could probably quote dozens
of scriptures to sustain my beliefs, but I have chosen this approach
because I feel it is often more effective. The reason why Sevilla
and I are not angry or bitter at God is because we don’t
blame Him for our son’s death. He is merciful, but won’t
always interfere with our choices should we be foolish enough
to venture onto a bridge over a raging torrent.
God loved Tim and showered
him with many evidences of that love but He would not forcefully
prevent him from walking onto the bridge. Because I know God,
I surmise that He warned our son not to venture out there, but
Tim was headstrong and would have his own way. I can only surmise
this, but because I know God’s character, it is reasonable
to suppose, when he was falling asleep from the effects of hypothermia,
that Christ sang a lullaby to him. The sweetest music of the Lord
filled his ears as he fell asleep. He must have been terrified,
the position, in which I found him, was hopeless, not even several
husky men could have rescued him. In his last extremity, terrified,
and cold from the water, to hear God’s voice singing songs
of his youth must have comforted him. He knew he was dying but
took comfort in the knowledge that God was with him, sharing his
fate, comforting him, making the passage into the grave bright
with his songs and presence.
I choose to believe this
is the kind of God we worship, not the one who delights in killing
people most violently. This is a loving, compassionate God. This
is what gives us our comfort and hope. This is what enables us
to love and praise our Savior. The night Tim died, we were comforted
with the knowledge that Tim’s faith took hold on his Savior
who shared his fate for Christ offered himself on the cross as
our Savior. Christ is the life giver not life taker.
May these words of mine, so inarticulate, comfort you also, my dear sister in Christ, is my hope and prayer. May God bless you with a deeper knowledge of himself.
Allen A. Benson