When Bad Things Happen to Good People

Oct 27, 2007

Ellen rated it

I wish I could say that this book answers the question posed by its title. Instead, it is more of lesson on how "God" doesn't cause bad things - humans do. If this a concept unfamiliar to you then you might find this book mind opening and perhaps relieving. On the other hand, if you already felt this way, then this book might seem a bit elementary and disappointing. However, I give this book four stars for two reasons. One, the author seems like the coolest rabbi around. He seems to "...more

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May 20, 2010

Jenny rated it

God is not all powerful. God does not inflict suffering. Suffering is not a divine means to punish, to test our faith, or to teach us a lesson. These ideas fly in the face of what most every believer has been taught, and the ideology that is embedded and reinforced by the Judeo-Christian folk religion of the larger society. And yet, read Rabbi Kusher's reasoning and you, too will gain a broader understanding of God and what it means to be human and to endure pain, suffering, and joy. I have ...more

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Sep 03, 2008

Skylar Burris rated it

Shelves: judaism

Rabbi Kushner's position is that, because suffering exists in the world, only three options are possible: (1) God does not exist. (2) God exists but is not good, or (3) God exists and is good but is not all-powerful. He chooses explanation (3). Explanation (4), that God exists, is good, and is all-powerful, but for reasons we cannot now fully comprehend, chooses to allow suffering, is not an option.

Despite its unsatisfying theology, I was reminded of three very important things from...more

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Jan 03, 2008

Megan rated it

· review of another edition

The best I can do to explain this book is to quote it:

"But if Man is truly free to choose, if he can show himself as being virtuous by freely choosing the good when the bad is equally possible, then he has to be free to choose the bad also. If he were only free to do good, he would not really be choosing. If we are bound to do good, then we are not free to choose it." Harold Kushner, p. 79.

I think a lot of things come down to choice. And this book explains ...more

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Feb 06, 2008

Mary Ann C rated it

Recommended to Mary Ann by: Professor Tony Smith, University of Utah

Shelves: religious

First introduced to this book, by a professor of mine who taught a Child Life class. As part of the Child Life profession, we are forced to come to terms everyday about our beliefs on why children and families suffer so much pain that they don't seem to deserve.
This book has especially helped me these past 2 years as I've been in my own personal health crisis and struggling to understand how and why my life fell apart so hard and so fast. It provides wonderful insights about life's trials....more

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Aug 01, 2011

Jen added it

When Bad Things Happen to Good People, by Harold S. Kushner is one of those books that I’ve heard about for years, but discounted as popular self-help that I would never bother to read. I was wrong to judge it this way. Published in 1981, this book clearly has staying power for good reason.

I am fortunate enough to be able to read this small book without the specter of tragedy hanging over me, so I may not be able to judge the helpfulness of Kushner’s arguments as a person who has suffered mi...more

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Mar 25, 2009

Karen Field rated it

The byline of this book is “for everyone who has been hurt by life...”

The author, a rabbi by the name of Harold S Kushner, wrote this book because he had been hurt by life. His only son was born with progeria, “rapid aging”. His son died two days after his fourteenth birthday and When Bad Things Happen to Good People was the result of the pain and hurt the author felt. But, more importantly, it was the sharing of how his faith was tested to the extreme and the conclusions he made in ...moreThe byline of this book is “for everyone who has been hurt by life...”

The author, a rabbi by the name of Harold S Kushner, wrote this book because he had been hurt by life. His only son was born with progeria, “rapid aging”. His son died two days after his fourteenth birthday and When Bad Things Happen to Good People was the result of the pain and hurt the author felt. But, more importantly, it was the sharing of how his faith was tested to the extreme and the conclusions he made in the end that helped him carry on with life.

Not being much of a religious person, I was a little taken aback when I realised the direction the book was taking from the start. However, the author writes in a manner that is absorbing and touching and I found I couldn’t put the book down. More than once I felt that all familiar lump choke my throat and tears well in my eyes as I felt he was talking directly to me.

As I turned the pages I felt something stir within me. The fundamental message of this book is that God is not all powerful, He is not perfect and He is not to blame for bringing the bad things into our lives. He is not punishing us for things we have done wrong, He is not piling grief and sadness onto our shoulders because He thinks we can handle it and He is not sitting back looking down on the world enjoying what He is seeing.

Bad things happen to good people, bad people and indifferent people. No one is favoured, no one is spared. But it is not God’s doing. It’s just life and nature. God is there to help us through those bad times. He will give us the strength, perseverance and the courage we need. He will walk beside us and offer us comfort.

In order to let us be free, in order to let us be human, God has to leave us free to choose to do right or to do wrong. If we are not free to choose evil, then we are not free to choose good either. Like the animal, we can only be convenient or inconvenient, obedient or disobedient. We can no longer be moral, which means we can no longer be human.

~ Harold S Kushner ~

If God is not to blame, who is? I never blamed a God I wasn’t even sure existed when I lost my son to suicide. How could I blame God for that? I blamed myself for the loss of my son. To me, something I had done had bought this about, but When Bad Things Happen to Good People has helped me see that I’m not to blame either. I am not to blame! However, I can see how a mother of a child who dies from cancer might blame God. Or why the parents of a child who is handicapped feel as if they have been abandoned by God. These things are not fair and in the midst of pain and grief, we automatically want to blame someone for what has happened. This book helps the reader see that no one is to blame. Life is cruel and so is nature, but no one is to blame.

When Bad Things Happen to Good People helped me see that I shouldn’t be asking why this has happened to me. The simple fact is that it did happen and nothing I can do will change the fact that my son is gone. I have to stop asking why this happened and concentrate on how I will respond to what’s happened.

When bad things happen to people, some of those people turn bitter and nasty, others live a life feeling disappointed and unforgiving, and others can’t push the hurt aside. But this book has reminded me that although the world and its people are not perfect, and although it doesn’t always seem like it, there is great beauty and goodness to be found around us. All we have to do is forgive and love.(less)

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Jun 07, 2011

David rated it

This book has a religious structure, but it’s absent the kind of proselytizing that not only is of no interest to me but often makes me bristle with antagonism. In fact, the author takes a number of well deserved potshots at conventional religious pretense. With religion, Kushner says one question really matters: why do good people suffer? Actually, this is a question that has plagued not only theologians, but philosophers and regular folks throughout history. You don’t have to be a theologi...moreThis book has a religious structure, but it’s absent the kind of proselytizing that not only is of no interest to me but often makes me bristle with antagonism. In fact, the author takes a number of well deserved potshots at conventional religious pretense. With religion, Kushner says one question really matters: why do good people suffer? Actually, this is a question that has plagued not only theologians, but philosophers and regular folks throughout history. You don’t have to be a theologian or philosophizer to find yourself asking, “Why me?” when you’re getting screwed for no apparent fault of your own. Kushner then proceeds to examine conventional answers religions and religious people commonly offer. These typically include the following: (1) God is punishing you for something, (2) God is testing you, or (3) it’s all part of some divine plan that is often beyond your mortal comprehension. He notes that these justifications are often followed up with fictitious assertions such as “God doesn’t give you more than you can handle” or “These are hidden blessing that will make you strong.” Kushner politely refers to these reasons as “unsatisfying” and explains how such answers are often inconsiderate and can leave any thinking person asking why they should buy in to this weak, audaciously bogus belief system, or even stirs hostile feelings toward their chosen Supreme Being. I have to give Kushner credit for his honest, forthright approach and for making this intellectual margin call. His own answer is not one that makes victims of ill-fate feel much better but is infinitely more credible. He points the finger at pure randomness. Bad things sometimes happen for no good reason and God can’t do anything about it. Kushner tells us that God is imperfect and limited by natural laws. I don’t think conventional religion can’t acquiesce to the idea that God is not omnipotent. He goes on to say that prayers asking God to intercede with natural events are misguided and doomed to failure. Here again, organized religion and most believers don’t want to believe this. They don’t want to accept the idea their God may have limited power or that their prayers have no currency for divine intervention. This all leads to the inevitable question, “What good, then, is religion?” which is the title of the book’s final chapter. The obvious answer is “none.” But this is where Kushner’s intellectual honesty comes to Judgment Day, because that’s not an answer that an ordain man of God can man up to. His answer, effectively, is that religion is a useful and compassionate crutch, and that prayer is a way of opening your heart to external support when you can’t find it in yourself. And he also makes the observation that, “Love is not the admiration of perfection, but the acceptance of an imperfect person with all his imperfections, because loving and accepting him makes us better and stronger.” With regard to the original ultimate question, Kushner gives sound, non-secular advice--when bad things happen, the question we should be asking is not, “Why did this happen to me? What did I do to deserve this?” That is really an unanswerable, pointless question. A better question would be “Now that this has happened to me, what am I going to do about it?”

One other item having nothing much to do with the thesis but of particular interest to me in my broader studies was Kushner’s observation that people seem to seek order and equilibrium in the affairs of man. We want life to balance—good deeds to be rewarded and bad deeds to be punished, hard work to pay off and laziness not. We want the world to be orderly and predictable. As far as I can tell, we don’t yet really know to what extent it works out this way, and we are inclined to be fooled by randomness. The existence of a God is agreeable to us because He would fulfill this need we have for order. Religion’s pat answers to why we suffer are not offered because they hold up to scrutiny, but because they impose a vision of the world that we desperately want to believe. The balance sheet of our universe and the distribution of intangibles is unknown and unexplored, and goes begging for inquiring minds.
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Dec 04, 2009

Jane rated it

Have long heard about Harold Kushner, and have often heard him quoted during sermons at churches, but had never read any of his works firsthand. Thought of reading this now, as we are trying to help Gordon's parents come to terms with their essential incapacitation at relatively young ages. (Of course, everything seems younger to me now!) I could appreciate Kushner's perspective on bad things; to sum, he encourages us to not blame God, to not be jealous of other's relative good fortune, and, ...more

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Sep 08, 2011

JoAnn rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: religious, 2011

I agree with the basic premise of the book, that bad things happen because of the imperfect world we live in and the freedom of each of us to choose. I disagree with his belief that God is imperfect and this imperfection limits his ability to spare us suffering.
What a blessing to have a knowledge of the plan of salvation. To know our perfect Father in Heaven is in charge, but is limited by eternal laws, laws that make us free to choose liberty and eternal life through Christ, or spiritual ...more

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Dec 03, 2010

Leah, I'm Sexy And I Know It rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: for-educational-purposes, 3-stars

Why do bad things happen to good people?

There's not really an answer to that question as far as I know. Well, at least not one that is accepted by everyone. There are many ways to explain the bad things that happen to good people but, is there really any reason that is going to offer someone comfort when they lose someone they love? I don't think so. These many theories are addressed and explored by Rabbi Harold S. Kushner in When Bad Things Happen to Good People.

No...moreWhy do bad things happen to good people?

There's not really an answer to that question as far as I know. Well, at least not one that is accepted by everyone. There are many ways to explain the bad things that happen to good people but, is there really any reason that is going to offer someone comfort when they lose someone they love? I don't think so. These many theories are addressed and explored by Rabbi Harold S. Kushner in When Bad Things Happen to Good People.

Now, I would be lying if I said that I wasn't religiously affronted at some of the points Kushner made. As a believer, I was insulted by the some of the claims he felt it was acceptable to make, claims that I don't think he even fully believes. However, they were ideas to be considered, and Kushner definitely presents many philosophical questions that can make you take a second look at your faith.

One thing, I didn't like about this book was that Kushner used so many examples. Sometimes I felt like all the stories he was telling either had no relevance to what he was talking about or they were overkill, and that was when I started getting a little bored.

Also, I think that some of the reactions he suggested that we should have are highly illogical and not likely to happen. Here's one example:

It would be equally improper for a high school senior, holding a letter from a college admissions office, to pray, "Please God, let it be an acceptance"

As a high school senior who has applied to colleges and done this very thing before opening my acceptance letters, I can tell you that this reaction is never going to stop. Kushner can tell us that it's illogical to do this because this prayer is not going to change whether it is an acceptance or rejection letter, but high school seniors all around the world are going to continue to do this for years to come. It's an instinctual reaction.

The last thing I want to comment on is the used of the word "retarded" when referring to mentally disabled children. I find that word offensive when referring to people with mental disabilities. There is nothing they can do about disabilities but that doesn't make them "retarded." I think that one reason that this really struck a chord with me is because I recently attended a "seminar" at school about children with Down's Syndrome, during which two women who have children with the disability talked to us. During the seminar, they talked to us about their children and it touched a special place inside of me, leaving a mark. Mentally disabled people aren't retarded, so please don't refer to them that way.

Overall, this was a good book. I never would have taken the time out to read it on my own time, but reading it for school was a good experience, I suppose. It certainly made me think about certain things and, while I may not exactly agree with Kushner, I can try to appreciate his point of view.(less)

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Jul 14, 2011

Holly rated it

Shelves: religious

I only finished this book by Rabi Kushner because I truly wanted to understand the author's position and therefore that of thousands in this world. I enjoyed his logical methodical manner of understanding trials and God's role, there are some points I agree with.
1. God follows the rules and laws of nature.
2. Many bad things happen because of the nature of the world.
3. God is deeply saddened by the pain and cruelty of the world.

However, I heartily disagree with a fe...more

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Dec 18, 2011

Peter rated it

In all honesty, this is probably my favorite book of this sort. And when I say this sort, I guess I'm talking about the type of book that tries to make religious sense out of our psychotic, awesome world. And I guess that includes The Bible and The Book of Mormon, as well. That statement will sound heretical to some and actually be so to others, but this book just makes sense, to me. I have never read a religiously based book--albeit I have not read many--that makes logical sense and which provi...more

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Mar 19, 2009

Walter rated it

I am disappointed to say that I was disappointed by this book. I have known it for decades as a classic, yet had not read it. Upon discovering the 20th anniversary edition, I took the plunge. It was like diving into an unheated pool ... not in a refreshing way, more like a bracing one. Although several parts of the book were quite moving, I found it to be quite uneven and its author prone to what I call relativism (by which I mean that he so often prescribes the scope of the divine as to ble...more

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Sep 12, 2011

Jerome Espinosa Baladad rated it

· review of another edition

I finished this book while on the background I could hear the reading of the names of those who perished in the 9/11 horrific events on TV during its 10th anniversary. I was also wondering why this book has remained to be among my bestsellers in my online bookstore via Amazon.com (I must have sold 3 copies of this book, which got me curious and made me start reading and finishing the book). Actually, the book's a wonderful 'moving on' material, which didn't occur to me until after I finished rea...moreI finished this book while on the background I could hear the reading of the names of those who perished in the 9/11 horrific events on TV during its 10th anniversary. I was also wondering why this book has remained to be among my bestsellers in my online bookstore via Amazon.com (I must have sold 3 copies of this book, which got me curious and made me start reading and finishing the book). Actually, the book's a wonderful 'moving on' material, which didn't occur to me until after I finished reading it.

Those of you who are religious or have different faiths other than Judaism may not exactly like the idea of hearing from the experiences of a Rabbi who wrote this book. He wrote the book because he wanted to understand reasons behind having a son who was born to his family but died so soon because of 'progeria,' which is an affliction causing one to die so quickly because those afflicted get so old fast than most of us normal people undergo. I hope that description made some sense, just like what this book says about randomness and other difficult-to-explain events that happen to people. But more about the book, the Rabbi Harold S. Kushner has expounded on areas in life (that we would rather not discuss about normally, i.e., issues that really matter to our hearts and inner minds), which thoughts would be helpful to those among us who will be undergoing difficult, really rough situations in life (there's no running away from them, it seems).

I won't share here (nor summarize) his 'tips' as they're not exactly tips, nor are they not exactly 'how-to's.' Life's too precious to be just listed down into these brief words you may be reading here. It's not exactly a book about how-to-lead a more convenient lifestyle, despite all the hassles and challenges thrown our way. Suffice it to say that the book's very much worth reading and learning from, if you will find the time to get distracted from your varied activities. It's a good tool to help you listen very well the next time something grave happens with someone you know and [s]he would like to share you something about it.

This last copy I got actually came from the estate of someone who died from AIDs complications --- I knew the story from second hand sources. But I could understand why he would be reading this book (he died in the early 90s here in NYC). He must have wanted to somehow understand his situation; I like to imagine that now as I ponder on the book's merits. I may have to keep this one for myself but then again I think I can provide some help to others out there if I offer it again on my bookstore. Get one for your reading leisure - it may come handy one of these days. Or you may start by reading the story of Job in the Bible to gain a perspective on the story that's being mentioned and discussed in this book. (less)

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Apr 19, 2010

Denise rated it

Bad things happen to good people everyday. Bad things happen to all people and life often seems very unfair. The author of this book is a rabbi who experienced tragedy first hand when his son died at age 14. Kushner explores many of the ways that people try to understand why terrible things happen to their loved ones. His conclusion is that God is not the cause of human suffering on earth. God feels badly for his children when they suffer, but He cannot stop the earthquakes or storms or can...more

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Jan 26, 2009

Leslie rated it

In reading this book, I was reminded vividly how different faith-righteousness is from work-righteousness. It is full of pragmatic wisdom for people dealing with tragedy in a world they expect to conform to their own views of justice.

I do think that bad things happen to everybody, and that who we are is defined in how we respond to those tragedies. I think our lives are a dialogue with God about our salvation, and part of that is worked out in our turning towards or away from him...more

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Oct 20, 2010

Nancy rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, owned, read-in-2010

Kushner has written a thoughtful book, inspired by the illness and subsequent death at 14 of his son, Aaron. The book, bolstered by many real life anecdotes, forced me to think about many things, including why bad things happen to good people. I like the idea that God doesn't control everything and that tragedies and hurts are not punishments. God is dismayed by these happenings, also. I can accept that "some things happen for no reason, and that there is randomness in the universe."...more

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Sep 21, 2011

Heather Leipart rated it

Well this book is good encouragement during hard times and impresses the fact that we are not alone in human suffering. Too often it seems the act of living often means experiencing pain. There seems to be seasons of our life that are more difficult than others and author Harold Kishner puts this all in perspective. He is a Jewish Rabbi who had a child die of a terrible disease, Progeria, and so offers a unique perspective on God and our response to Him. I especially thought it funny and had ...more

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Sep 28, 2010

Robert rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction, religion, good-and-evil, sas, muhlenberg, favorites

This is a book that has shaped who I am. No doubt about it.

I first read this at St. Andrew's. I read it again in college. I have read it several times since.

Rabbi Kushner has explained suffering with an analogy that makes sense to me. The idea is that people are too close to the design of life to be able to see the pattern. Much like a tapestry, if one were to stand too close, one could not see the entire design, thus missing out on the beauty of what is there. God'...more

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Aug 09, 2011

Marisa rated it

· review of another edition

I read this book against my better judgement as it is the selection of the library book club and I found it lacking in so many ways that it would be impossible to enumerate them all.

Kushner has experienced suffering, without a doubt, but his approach to suffering in this book is not authentic and rational in terms of theology. He humanizes God to the point that he is more like a concerned neighbor than an almighty creator. He effectively incapacitates God by stating that God has no control over...more

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Dec 18, 2009

Hayal rated it

This book was one of the things that has helped me deal with the loss of a very important person in my life, by giving me a different perspective on the role of God in people's suffering. While existential and faith-related questions still linger in my head, this book was able to provide a new perspective (if not a definitive answer) for me to tackle these questions. The thing I liked the most in this book is perhaps that it acknowledges your loss and the pain you're going through in a very real...more

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Apr 21, 2011

Barbara rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

This book has been in my personal library for many years, but I do not forget it. Although it is written by a rabbi, it is well suited for people of any faith. Rabbi Kushner, whom I have met, has had his own share of personal tragedy, so it is fitting to state that he is not just sermonizing. His words help in many ways to make sense of loss, grieving and turmoil. An important feature of his writing is that he enables a traumatized individual to shed guilt or fault-finding related to the problem...more

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Aug 03, 2010

Nichole rated it

I read this book in a day or two. Easy read and talks a bit about the bible. I believe the main theme in the book is forgiveness and love, he drives the point on guilt and reasonable answers/requests on what a higher being (in this case GOD), the responsibility and the unwanton guilt and shame we put on ourselves when bad things happen. I especially liked how he talked on the Book of Job and the three friends who consoled him by making him feel worse. Good information on being a good listener...more

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Feb 26, 2010

Edward rated it

I've heard of this book for years and finally got around to reading it, prompted by a random sighting in the local library. The key word is "when", not "why" as you might expect. He is not justifying the way of God to man (they are unjustifiable) but rather rephrasing the question so that it asks how are good people going to act when the inevitable "bad things" occur in their lives. Nothing abstract about the book, just the author's personal reflections on the p...more

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Apr 19, 2009

Bird Brian rated it

Shelves: religion

What I like about this book is that the author seems like a very genuine person who is trying to explore the big questions of life in a thoughtful manner. The tone of the book is comforting. I also like that a religious leader (the author is a rabbi) is not afraid to take a stand on an allegorical rather than literal interpretation of holy scripture.
What I don't like about this book... well, it is important to note that the title of this book is "W[HEN:] Bad Things Happen..." and...more

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Sep 30, 2011

Glenn Ardi rated it

Shelves: essay, philosophy, spirituality

Buku ini berisi tentang konsep. Ya betul, konsep bahwa mengapa orang yang baik sekalipun, seringkali tertimpa cobaan yang berat.
Latar belakang penulisnya adalah seorang rohaniwan, jadi isinya tentu dilihat dari sudut pandang agama.

Saya melihat cara penulis yang agak konyol dalam menjawab pertanyaan "Mengapa hal buruk menimpa orang baik?" Mengapa upaya ini saya anggap konyol? karena dalam buku ini, penulis mencoba untuk membuat suatu konsepsi baru - konsep bahwa Tuhan...more

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Apr 17, 2011

Jen rated it

Ultimately, this book was disappointing. I've seen a video of Rabbi Kushner speaking on theodicy (the problem of why there is evil in the world), and it was so moving and inspiring. He said something along the lines of (quoting from my unreliable memory):

"People often ask where was God when so many were killed in the holocaust? Where is God when bad things are happening? Why didn't God stop them? God was right next to them, suffering with them."

This book didn't ...moreUltimately, this book was disappointing. I've seen a video of Rabbi Kushner speaking on theodicy (the problem of why there is evil in the world), and it was so moving and inspiring. He said something along the lines of (quoting from my unreliable memory):

"People often ask where was God when so many were killed in the holocaust? Where is God when bad things are happening? Why didn't God stop them? God was right next to them, suffering with them."

This book didn't have that tone. It was more rudimentary, more simple and didn't quite inspire me the same way. That said, these quotes were especially beautiful:

What I think is the thesis of the book, on p. 45 of the 1981 edition: "If we have grown up, as Job and his friends did, believing in an all-wise, all-powerful, all-knowing God, it will be hard for us, as it was hard for them, to change our way of thinking about Him (as it was hard for us, when we were children, to realize that our parents were not all-powerful, that a broken toy had to be thrown out because they could not fix it, not because they did not want to). But if we can bring ourselves to acknowledge that there are some things God does not control, many good things become possible.” I also love his thoughts on Job, but they are too in-dpeth for me to go into here.

". . . But suppose God didn't quite finish by closing time on the afternoon of the sixth day? We know today that the world took billions of years to take shape, not six days. The Creation story in Genesis is a very important one and has much to say to us, but its six-day time frame is not meant to be taken literally. Suppose that Creation, the process of replacing chaos with order, were still going on. What would that mean? In the biblical metaphor of the six days of Creation, we would find ourselves somewhere in the middle of Friday afternoon. Man was ust created a few "hours" ago. The world is mostly an orderly, predictable place, showing ample evidence of God's thoroughness and handiwork, but pockets of chaos remain. Most of the time, the events of the universe follow firm natural laws. But every now and then, things happen not contrary to those laws f nature but outside them. Things happen which could just as easily have happened differently. . . Einstein preferrred to believe that "God does not play dice with the cosmos. . . Our world may not be a system left to itself. There may in fact be a creative impulse acting on it, the Spirit of God hovering over the dark waters, operating over the course of millennia to bring order out of the chaos." (pp. 53-55, 1981 ed.) I think this is a compelling lens to put on for a while.

The entire chapter 8, “What Good, Then, Is Religion, is worth re-reading. This is touching: “I am a more sensitive person, a more effectinve paster, , a more sympathetic counselor because of Aaron’s life and death [his son who died of prgoeria] than I would ever have been without it. And I would give up all of those gains in a second if I culd have my son back. . . But I cannot choose.” A few pages later: “Let me suggest that the bad things that happen to us in our lives do not have a meaning when they happen to us. They do not happen for any good reason which would cause us to accept them willingly. But we can give them a meaning. We can redeem these tragedies from senselessness by imposing meaning on them. The question we should be asking is not, ‘Why did this happen to me? What did I do to deserve this?’ That is really an unanswerable question. A better question would be ‘Now that this has happened to me, what am I going to do about it?” It sounds much kinder in context.

Overall, a classic of theodicy, and a good book, but ultimately not exhaustive enough.(less)

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Mar 06, 2011

Eric rated it

Shelves: philosophy-and-religion

I have wanted to read this book ever since I heard the author interviewed on the radio, an interview which can still be found online at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story...

Kushner addresses one of the most fundamental questions of religion and faith, namely the question of how to reconcile faith in God with all the bad things that happen in the world. Kushner has dealt with this issue in his own life, having raised a son with a debilitating disease which eventually ended his li...moreI have wanted to read this book ever since I heard the author interviewed on the radio, an interview which can still be found online at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story...

Kushner addresses one of the most fundamental questions of religion and faith, namely the question of how to reconcile faith in God with all the bad things that happen in the world. Kushner has dealt with this issue in his own life, having raised a son with a debilitating disease which eventually ended his life at the age of 14, and also having counseled and comforted people as a rabbi.

Kushner takes the position that a lot of the things that people say to comfort people may inadvertently cause them pain. The idea that everything has a purpose, or that God intends these things to happen for our own good does not suit many situations. When someone dies people might say that it “was their time” or that “God needs them more than we do”, but when a tragic accident happens and hundreds of people from all walks of life die in an airplane crash or natural disaster it doesn’t make sense to say that it was just time for each one of them to go, or that others who survived were less ready to die.

Now I don’t agree with somethings he says. Kushner seems to believe that God’s influence in our lives in response to our prayers is mainly in supporting and strengthening us in our trials and that people should pray for that sustaining force and not for our trials to be taken from us. People should not pray to be healed, for example. This belief may be problematic for Christians who believe in the miracles performed by Jesus and the healing power of faith and prayer and even more problematic for people who believe that faith healing was performed by the apostles after Jesus or that it still exists in the world today. (Kushner being a rabbi, his perpective is somewhat different than this.) But it should be no more problematic than the observation in real life that faithful and religious people still suffer and grieve through the trials of life just like anyone else. Kushner seems to believe that since people of faith suffer in spite of their prayers, that God can never intervene to stop suffering. He believes this because he cannot accept that God would allow bad things to happen to some people and not to others simply on the basis of their faith. This is the one point of his that I find I disagree with. Rather, I recognize that I do not understand why terrible things happen to some people of faith in spite of their faith and prayers, but I continue to believe in God’s influence in my life for good.

I like the stories and experiences that Kushner used to explain his point, and I particularly enjoyed Kushner’s analysis of the story of Job. The analysis is nuanced and poignant. Although in some particular points I may have disagreed with the author, I really enjoyed this book and I think I will be a better person for having read it. I hope that I will be better able to comfort people in times of grief, and that I’ll be better able to deal with grief in my own life when it comes. Thank you, Rabbi Kushner. God bless you.
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Dec 26, 2011

Kyle Walton rated it

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Believers may want to take what I say with a grain of salt as I am an atheist. However, I did try to read this with two frames of mind: one where I was back in my Catholic mindset and one in my current mindset. That being said, here we go.

Taking my theist interpretation first: believers may have varying degrees of satisfaction with the book, depending on how ardently they hold onto standard doctrine. Rabbi Kushner has to depart from the usual definition of omnipotence for God here. He ...moreBelievers may want to take what I say with a grain of salt as I am an atheist. However, I did try to read this with two frames of mind: one where I was back in my Catholic mindset and one in my current mindset. That being said, here we go.

Taking my theist interpretation first: believers may have varying degrees of satisfaction with the book, depending on how ardently they hold onto standard doctrine. Rabbi Kushner has to depart from the usual definition of omnipotence for God here. He is by no means the first to do so (e.g. Richard Swinburne). However, Kushner deflates omnipotence pretty far here, down to the point where God cannot intervene with the laws of nature. While it does resolve his dilemma, I'm sure it raises many more for those who still want to hold onto the possibility of miracles and classic omnipotence. It also may affect some believers' conception of prayer as Kushner's God does not intervene at all, it seems. In fact, the way Kushner talks about it an observant third party might be unsure if God's even there at all.

One might ask why God wouldn't have changed the rules at the beginning to sidestep all these bad things, but my guess is that Kushner takes the same approach Leibniz did and says that this is the best possible world--bad things are minimized as much as they can be. And while I'm fully willing to grant that I don't know if many believers would. I think it all comes down to how willing you are to accept Kushner's redefinitions here. The problem is that he doesn't really offer much argumentation to support his position. This is somewhat okay because Kushner doesn't set out to make an argumentative thesis. Instead, he wants this to be a book of spiritual guidance, more or less. The problem is that he's dealing with something that a lot of people seem pretty settled about. It's very hard to change others' concept with a book full of "I cannot believe..." and "I believe..." unless you give them some reason why they should agree.

Now with my atheist eyes: this book might actually be pretty helpful for those that can find the good parts. Kushner offers up a lot in how to deal with grief and tragedy, particularly in how to avoid blaming yourself. But perhaps the heart of Kushner's advice lies in asking yourself about what you're going to do now. Bad things happen to everybody and Kushner appears to take the position that how we react is what makes the difference. And I think that's a lesson anybody can embrace.(less)

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