Friday, 6 September 2013

'How can a God of love allow such suffering?'



Like many of you I expect, I see the horrific happenings in Syria and the plight of so many refugees, especially over one million children, and I think many people must be asking the question ‘If there really is a God of love, how can he/she allow such suffering?'

I find White Eagle’s teaching profoundly helpful at times like this. I do believe that there are divine laws which encompass all life and that sometimes one of the purposes of so-called evil is to open our hearts in greater compassion. White Eagle is very reassuring for me when he says: ‘God is complete and absolute justice and love. God is not hard; God is more loving, more compassionate, more tender, than any human being alive, and has set in motion a law for the evolution of all.’

The Lord Buddha, too, offers an example in his teaching about suffering and the ‘Bodhisattva of infinite compassion’ Avalakitsvara, is depicted as a being with many arms and in each palm of one hand an all-seeing eye of wisdom and in the other a different object—symbolising the care which exists for all created life to give to each according to their unique need.

At such times people also naturally ask what they can do to help and in the book ‘Healing the World’ White Eagle says: ‘There is great need for your untiring service, and we ask you to give forth to the world from the well of truth that is within you, the spirit of peace and love and brotherhood. A mighty power from the Centre of Light is being concentrated upon world affairs at this time, but also there is the opposite force at work; always there are the two: positive and negative, the constructive and the disintegrating forces, and it is of vital importance that the balance be kept. Don’t think, ‘I am so insignificant, I can do nothing’. You must never fail in your obligation to think positively, to send forth the light of love and goodwill.’ Those of us who have been working for the light for many years will know the power of this radiation and what it can achieve.

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