click on image to shop for David\u2019s art<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>This cartoon speaks for itself. But I have a few words to add.<\/p>\n
After the bombing at the Boston Marathon yesterday, as expected, the theological BS started to flow. What is even more remarkable to me is that every theological chunk of BS resembles the theological pronouncements of Job\u2019s comforters. Job\u2019s comforters and their theologizing only added<\/em> to his suffering. Stupid theological statements add to ours. We should know better.<\/p>\nYou suffer because there\u2019s sin in your life. And even if there isn\u2019t any sin really outstanding, you\u2019re still not perfect. And even if you do call on God for help, the fact that you are proud prevents God from answering. And even if we don\u2019t understand it fully, we can count on the fact that you are suffering in order to make you a better person because even though God is just he is also a God of love. Blah blah blah.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The whole point of Job, which I consider to be the most honest book about suffering, is that there is no meaning. Job never gets an answer. He never finds out why he suffered. In fact, his comforters are rebuked! Even though their theology is sound it is wrong. And Job is vindicated! He was right to claim his innocence and cry \u201cUnfair!\u201d Because it was unfair. He never discovers the why. Maybe that\u2019s a good thing because we, the readers, know that it was just a wager between God and Satan. It was all just a game. So even the meaning is meaningless.<\/p>\n
I think the point of Job we should walk away with is that we cannot understand suffering. If there is meaning, we cannot know it. But what we can do, like Job and his comforters, is be friends and help one another.<\/p>\n
People suffered yesterday. We can\u2019t understand why such things happen. But we can bring comfort and help one another. As was so admirably done.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
This cartoon speaks for itself. But I have a few words to add. After the bombing at the Boston Marathon yesterday, as expected, the theological BS started to flow. What is even more remarkable to me is that every theological chunk of BS resembles the theological pronouncements of Job\u2019s comforters. Job\u2019s comforters and their theologizing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":349,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[3269,3266,603,3270,722,3267,3268],"class_list":["post-13518","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cartoons","tag-book_of_job","tag-bullshit_meter_cartoon","tag-david_hayward","tag-meaning_of_suffering","tag-nakedpastor","tag-theological_bs_cartoon","tag-theological_bullshit"],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/a>