Analysis Of When Bad Things Happen To Good People By Harold Kushner

Harold Kushner, a Jewish Rabbi, wrote the book “When Bad Things Happen to Good People” after the tragic death of his son at a very young age. His son, Aaron, was diagnosed with an aging disease early in life and died at his fourteenth year. To find answers to his own tragic story, Kushner wrote the book which he also targeted to help individuals substantially hurt by life either by death or other tragedies and help them find answers to their crises of faith. Through his book, Kushner wished to help individuals find solace and withstanding faith to get through such troubling times. In life, we all go through trying times, and in such moments rather than faith making us stronger, it can make us weaker and thus question God as to why such situations …show more content…
Job undergoes the most torturous moments, losing his livestock, his crops, his health deteriorating, and losing his children. However, in the midst of all this, he retains his faith up until one point the misery becomes too much and he speaks to God “I cry out to You, but You do not answer me; I stand up, and You regard me. But You have become cruel to me; with the strength of Your hand You oppose me.” Job 30: 20-21. (NKJV). At this point, Job is at a point where he asks God the question why. This is a point where many individuals get to in life, at the blink of losing faith and blaming God. Most of us at this trying moments would wish to have an umpire that would take our cries to God and perhaps get answers to the questions that we ask at those …show more content…
Job had gotten to the point where he was almost losing all his faith, it was becoming too much for him to handle. He asked why, but did not get a reply, and at this point with the aim of being ever faithful even though his own wife and friends advised against it, he wished that somehow God was obligated to answer His deed to someone. While this is not the case, we cannot fathom what Kushner thought of such a situation while undergoing his own tragedy. Job might have had the solace in understanding that there was a supreme God one free from lives justness and righteousness, but in real life it can get too difficult to understand. More so, Job did not doubt God’s existence for once, his problem when the misery became too much was His fairness, accountability, and empathy. From both Kushner and Job’s tragedies, it is clear that Christians want to hold on to their faith even in moments when God does not respond. Therefore from the Old Testament to this day, having an umpire between God and man would be a sure way that God has reasons for his deeds or