The Role Of Suffering In The Book Of Job

Have you ever wonder, why there is so much suffering on the poor if there is a God who is on their side? The answer is faith. During the 20th century, Gustavo Gutiérrez started a movement called liberation theology in which he defines in his book A Theology of Liberation: History, Politics, and Salvation as, “The theology of liberation attempts to reflect on the experience and meaning of the faith based on the commitment to abolish injustice and to build a new society” (174). He started a revolution in Latin America in order to give the poor, the ones who suffer, the one who experience injustice, and the needed a way of seen faith as God is always on their side in providing a better quality of life within their lifetime. Hence, Liberation theology …show more content…
He is very concern on why all this is happening to him. He losses his wealth, children, and gets really sick. This is supposed to represent the suffering of millions of Christians in the world. Nevertheless, he says, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and that at then end he will rise above the dust… and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then in my flesh I shall see God…” (19:25-26). This passage shows a new perspective on why suffering should be seen a test, because at the end of it the suffering would go away and one would see God. This is the reason many Christians who suffer through pain, sorrow, and misery are always contemplated with the idea that God should and would not leave them behind; God will always advocate for them. Job serves as an example that sometimes in order to liberate oneself from misery, one should always stick with God. Liberation theology calls Christians on sticking with God through the misery in order to be rewarded out of suffering. For example, when putting a reasoning on the the face of the Hispanic community suffering in the United States, we clearly see that liberation theology serves as tool on understanding such suffering. In Juan G. Feliciano’s article, “Gustavo Gutiérrez' Liberation Theology: Toward A Hispanic Epistemology and Theology of the Suffering of the Poor,” he mentions that, “Hispanic-Americans, and other people in the USA, struggle to survive in …show more content…
Many liberation theologians believe this is all caused by the uppity of the wealthy to maintain power and oppress others with such wealth. However, one might argue that what happens to these people during their process of suffering, what happens to their families, to their suffering, to their misery? Is it just not worthwhile or not cared about? Liberation theology responds to these questions as The Book of Job says, “I had heard of you [God] by the hearing of the ear, but now my eyes sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (42:5-6). This is showing that although there is much suffering, at the end the suffered will see God and he would pronounce great wealth and prosperity for the suffered. Nonetheless, this might be true and liberation theology provides such perspective of the suffered, Tim Noble’s article, “'You Shall Not Make My Father's House A House Of Trade': Liberation Theology's Critique Of Late Modern Capitalism,” demonstrates a counter argument on why liberation theology does nothing for those suffering and God acts as an “idolatry” who is doing nothing for them. Tim Noble writes, “For, essentially, the economy is offering a vision of how the world could be, one in which there is fullness of life for all…it sets itself up as a god and demands worship