FREE ESSAY ON WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE

WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO GOOD PEOPLE

Is There a Real "God"
Rick Raisch
2nd Hour
5/17/00
Ideative Essay On:
When Bad Things Happen to Good People
There have been many times in life when I have turned to a "God" with problems and wanted
answers or solutions and received nothing. When this happens I take the time to reflect
and ask myself, "Why, when I do some many good things, do I not receive any answers or
solutions to my problems?" The book When Bad Things Happen to Good People, written by
Harold S. Kushner, has brought some answers to my problems. This book explained and help
clarify why even though I am not a bad person, that sometimes bad things are bound to
happen. When Kushner wrote this book I feel that the meaning of his writings were that
God does not mean to punish us, he just means to test us and present us with problems and
see how we react to them. As put best he wrote, "The God I believe in does not send us
the problem; he gives us the strength to cope with it."(127). Kushner makes many
references to the bible and his belief in a higher power, "God". I personally may not
think there can be one and only one God but I do believe in a higher being or power and I
like how Kushner makes sure to point out that he is not calling it the God but "his" God.
It shows an almost non-biast opinion and it shows a lot of respect towards all groups of
people. I remember one time specifically when my great-grandpa recently passed away I
turned to God for answers. Instead of getting an answer I got more problems. My
great-grandma and grandma both had strokes, my long-standing girlfriend and I broke up,
my parents got split up and divorced, along with all of the other normal problems that go
on in live that we, as humans, have learned to expect in everyday life. My belief in one
and only one "God" diminished. I felt that there was no one up there looking out for me
and then in reading this book answered a bunch of my questions on why "God" didn't give
me any specific answers. It showed me that perhaps God has given me the strength to move
on and realize that everything will go on and how to cope with everything. Kushner also
had a good point in saying that, "Could it be that God does not cause bad things that
happen to us?.....but rather stands ready to help them?"(29-30). I agree with what he is
saying in this quote. My God helped me through those rough times just like his God helped
him through everything that was going on with his son. Even though the person that meant
the most to him was suffering of a bad disease, and eventually passed away, he trusted in
God and understood what God was doing and that everything that happened was a test and
made things better in the long run. He understood and helped me understand that God does
everything for a reason and has a "master plan" that he wants each of us to abide by and
to follow. This book gave me a lot of insight on life and what everything means to me and
what I should expect with life. Even though I do not believe in the same God as Kushner,
I still believe that there is a more powerful being up there watching over us and making
sure that we are ready to experience an enlightening afterlife. I thought that Kushner
did a good job of not offending me in the fact that he had a wider opinion on God and his
beliefs and not being narrow-minded about the fact that people are different in their
opinions.