If God is All Good, Why Is He Blamed for the Bad?

God is good. All the time.

God is never bad. Ever.

Such a simple concept, isn’t it? If God is All Good, then God can never do anything bad. God will never be part of anything bad. Nonetheless, when people are looking for someone to blame for their troubles, they get angry at God.

Let me deal with this anger part first. Okay, on one side is the Almighty, All-Powerful God. On the other side is little ol’ you.

Arguing with God

Is there any chance you are going to win an argument with God? Let’s put emphasis on that part about your opponent being GOD. If it were the gods like Zeus and family, you would know that you stood no chance (Think Sisyphus). So are the odds any more in your favor against the one God of Justice and Truth? Hmm?

Besides, who deserves to win – you the sinful and obviously ungrateful child of God or the One who is All Good? Let’s think this through logically – Nope, not a chance it’s you. Pretty stupid to try.

No sense in being mad. God is your Creator, loving parent, Savior. He died for you! He wouldn’t turn on you, so why should you turn on Him?

Better to seek consolation in God so you can feel better instead of making things worse with bitterness. Since He is God, what more powerful friend could you have? Who better to help you in tough times? If you get angry with God, you are rejecting His aid and comfort, which are better than anybody’s else’s.

Blaming God

Sadly, people forget that God is All Good and cannot do bad things. When tragedy strikes, one of the first things they do is ask, “How could God let this happen? How could God do this to us?”

The answer is: God couldn’t do this bad thing to you because God does only good things. I’ve often thought that if I were a priest giving a homily on this subject, I would step to one side of the aisle designated as good and say, “This is God’s side. He is only good.”

Then I’d move to the “bad” side of the aisle and say, “This is the bad zone. The devil is here, but God is not.” I might jump back and forth between the two sides saying, “Good side, God. Bad side, devil. Get the difference?” hoping that people would get the point if thus illustrated!

Does God allow bad stuff to happen? Yes. It’s called free will. Since Adam and Eve, we have been allowed to make our own mistakes, to be affected by the interplay of others, and to be subject to evil forces.

Could God intervene? Yes, but that isn’t going to be a routine occurrence. Miracles are considered miraculous because they are extraordinary. Miracles occur according to God’s plan, not ours. However, they can be obtained through prayer. God likes to be asked, and a show of sincere faith on our part helps.

Still, you hear people say: “I can’t believe in a god who would let a kid have cancer.” “I can’t believe in a god that allows the horrors of war (Holocaust, slavery, etc.) to exist.” “What kind of mean, cruel god is that?”

For an answer, see the above about how God does only good things but gave us free will. God doesn’t give kids cancer; it happens because we live in this world where illness and death are a part of life. Violence and cruelty are human failings inspired by Satan.

Relying on God

God won’t step in to prevent the tough times that humanity ultimately brings on itself or the devil provokes, but God can protect you or a prayerful community and help you find a way to better times.

Have faith that God will guide you to finding solutions to your problems, no matter how dire. Place your hope in God. It is a sure bet. All the time. God does not walk away, go on vacation, or ignore you no matter how annoying and unworthy you are.

So put your anger away. Aim the blame at the right target. Look for the love in God, and you will find it.

God is good, all the time, no ifs, ands, or buts. All the time, God is good. Believe it.