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 A man pauses at a memorial of crosses near the movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, the scene of last week's mass shooting.
July 26th, 2012
02:49 PM ET
My Take: CNN readers' 7 answers to 'Where was God in Aurora?'
By Stephen Prothero, Special to CNN Over the last few days, CNN’s Belief Blog has received more than 10,000 responses to its question, “Where was God in Aurora?” The underlying concern here has vexed theologians for centuries: How can evil happen in a world that is lorded over by a good and all-powerful God? As CNN's readers struggled to make sense of God's presence (or absence) in the Aurora, Colorado, massacre, I counted seven different answers to this question: 1. There is no God. Self-professed atheists may make up only 2% of the U.S. population, but they are extraordinarily active online, and on CNN's Belief Blog. A commenter who identified as Jason spoke for them when he wrote, “Where was God? He was where he has always been. Nowhere because God does not exist.” Bob Dobbs agreed: “God is imaginary. The question is moot.” Many in this camp also quoted the ancient Greek philosopher (and skeptic) Epicurus:
2. Don’t blame God, blame Satan. Many theists on the site described the world as a battleground between God, who is working for good, and Satan, who is working for evil. “As long as Satan is loose to promote evil, bad things will happen to good people,” wrote kat. 3. Don’t blame God, blame us. Probably the most common response from Christian commenters was that evil is a result of free will. Do we really want to be “puppets” or “robots"? Of course not. So God has given us the will to choose either evil or good. Watch: Survivor of massacre says he forgives gunman Believer summed up this position well:
Here Deborah also chimed in: “This act of violence was not God's will. I get so tried of people blaming God for evil acts. Humans of their own free will do evil things.” 4. God was behind the massacre, and it was just. Some believers saw God’s righteous hand in the Aurora massacre, inflicting a just punishment on a wayward nation now run by secular liberals rather than conservative Christians. Lenny wrote:
Read: The man who made Aurora’s iconic crosses Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, took a similar tack in an appearance on the Heritage Foundation's "Istook Live" radio show, laying the blame at the feet of a nation that has turned away from its God:
5. God was present at the massacre but with the victims, not the perpetrator One classic claim in the Abrahamic tradition of Jews, Christians and Muslims is that God is with those who suffer - the poor and the oppressed. Some commenters saw God’s miraculous hand in the midst of this suffering, not causing it to happen but bringing it to an end. “This may sound crazy,” wrote Diana, “but I believe God had a hand in that the gun jammed so that more people weren’t killed.” CNN’s Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories The most common claim in this category came from peacemaker, who wrote, “God is and was with the victims and s/he is weeping.” In a more explicitly Christian vein, Lauren wrote: “He was there in the theater, pierced by bullets with the victims. He was scarred by the shrapnel. His eyes were scorched with gas and then burned with tears as He mourned alongside the broken.” 6. Which God? Some commenters interrogated the question itself, arguing that the knots it twists us into are rooted in what commenter Ego_Death called “a false idea of what God is.” After all, the problem of evil in a world ruled by a sovereign and good God only presents itself if you posit one personal God who is both good and all-powerful. Follow the CNN Belief Blog on Twitter Referring to "our idea of a human-like personal God" as "an ancient myth," Northstar56 wrote:
Evoking something more akin to the “watchmaker” God of the deists, who makes the world and its laws and then refuses to intervene in its operation, Norm wrote: “God is not involved in our everyday mundane activities. How arrogant of man to think he’s the center of the universe and has God’s constant attention and every action is ‘God’s will.’” Taking a different tack, "varun" invoked the teachings of the beloved Hindu scripture the Bhagavad Gita:
7. Who knows? It’s a mystery Agnosticism is a rare virtue in the United States nowadays, but there were a few commenters who admitted to something less than the absolute certainty exhibited by atheists and evangelicals alike. "The answer," wrote Terry, "is we don't know where he was." Fluffy the Gerbil of Doom saw this "God works in mysterious ways" move as “ultimate cop-out/rationalization,” but I am not so sure. In September 1862, in the midst of a much greater American tragedy, Abraham Lincoln wrote a private “Meditation on the Divine Will” in which he struggled to make sense of what God was doing in the Civil War. He later reworked those reflections into his second inaugural address, one of the greatest speeches in American history. Surveying the corpse-ridden landscape of North and South, Lincoln observed, “Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes His aid against the other.” Clearly there was little good in slavery, he reasoned, yet equally clearly God was not giving a swift and sure victory to the Union. So what was God up to? In the end, Lincoln had to admit he did not know. Or, as he put it, “The Almighty has His own purposes.” I suppose this is in a sense a “cop-out,” but it is a humble one, uninfected by the absolute certainties (either pro- or anti-God) that have shed more blood on earth than agnosticism ever will. It is also a classic example of answering a question with a question: What is God doing with this war? Who knows? “Josephpusateri” also answered our question with a question. His comment was in my view the best of the hundreds I read, so I will end with it here:
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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Editor's Note: Stephen Prothero, a Boston University religion scholar and author of 
Men has not learned to take the responsibilities of what happens to us.
Good, bad is relative and created by us. There is nothing good or bad. Good for one may not be so for someone else.
God is all merciful at all times to all.
Every events which we experience when measured in terms of vastness & timeless universe are meaningless and yet we are so dismayed when we face such an event.
When we credit or blame God for every event that we experience reflects on our misunderstanding of God.
If we can neither credit nor blame god, how then can we know s/he is merciful?
There is no god the god that people talk about is in their imagination, just like satan. There is however a supreme being with greater intelligence than humans,we were made in their likeness by cross breeding as they visited earth millions of years in the past this is the only plausible way human life started on this plant, not by some magician god that one day said now that I made this plant so perfect after trying millions of times before now I will put a let's see I will make a upright animal that reasons although not real well sometimes on this here plant oh yea by the way he will need another animal to breed with so I will give him a mate. Oh please what a hoot. Some advanced civilization made us from them, and from animals that inhabited this planet millions maybe billions of years ago, that's how human life started, and that's the only way
The below argument that everyone states is build on their definition of "omnipotent". All POWER doesn't necessarily mean the ability to do anything you want. The bible is full of things that God, while omnipotent, cannot do: lie, behold evil, change his revealed nature, etc. It supposes our reasoning processes to be on a level with God. It goes with the argument of "who made god" arguing cause and effect. Who cares really. Even if god was made by another god, he made us and has enough power to deal with you or me. I always love how humans never even think about god until something bad happens then its: Where was god?
Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Then whence cometh evil? Is he neither able nor willing? Then why call him God?
The bible was written by people who wanted you to believe certain things. Honestly, the real Messiah could be here right now with a new book and the sheep would ignore it because the book that was written hundreds of years after Jesus' death is the only true book according to them. Honestly the prospect of eternal life has made people crazy over the years.
Well, my guess is that most people using the argument are finding the definition of god and his/its omnipotent power in the bible. Hence, using the bible to explain what other things it says is not attempting to validate its "divine" origin. If people are making the argument that god is omnipotent, where are they getting the idea he/it is omnipotent?
Where was god? He was too busy watching the The Dark Knight Rises at his crib with a do not disturb sign on the door.
The funny thing is, if there was really a God and he showed himself, we could call him crazy and lock him up, then use him as fodder for the media.
Indeed. Jesus won't return because he would be dismissed as crazy these days unless he could do magic.
There is no god. It only lives in the minds of humans. Religions were created by the politicians in power to control its subjects, that's all. The bible and other "religious" texts were written by MEN-NOT gods, 500-700 yrs ago, to provide answers, rules of society, and to CONTROL the uneducated masses, and today they are no longer relevant. The people in power amassed incredible wealth, and spread their power by fabricating answers to the the causes of disease, weather, and biology, and telling its subjects to procreate. Religion produces war, racism, biogotry–all waged in the name of Allah and God. The people in power use religion to keep its subjects uneducated and in poverty–and educated population would not tolerate such abuse of power, and demand change. Take back your power-educate yourself in every science available, to give you the answers you need. Believe in "god" if you must, but don't follow blindly a MAN in power, because they are nothing more than politicians, feeding their greed and lust for power and control.
Well said. Educated people have no need for it.
I suggest you spend a little less time on the internet parroting others argument that "educated people" don't believe in god, and do some research.
I agree with Donna E but, as an agnostic, I am still puzzled by the science of the universe. Where did the marvels of the human body and so many unanswered wonders come from? What say you Donna E?
Research what Alfred? Your phoney God? Because oh I forgot there is undeniable proof of that so why even debate it. I suggest that you get ready for.church and make sure to give extra when they pass the plate.
+1 – Where was God? The same place it was when Stalin , Hitler, Pol Pot, etc did their things. Some say God helps those who help themselves. Tell that to the belly bloated infants starving to death in Sudan and other places. Those who embrace religion can see only as far as the tip of their self-righteous noses.
ad hominem "freewillphill". Attack me personally and skirt the issue. The issue is not me going to church (which I am not). The issue is your statement that "educated people" do not believe in god. If I have to explain what "doing some research" is, well I suppose you have nullified your argument that "educated people" don't believe in god.
how would a human being 700 years ago know that wine helped kill germs? There were no microscopes back then. People were mirrored in the image of animals. That's why people look like apes, rats, poodles, cats, horses, wolfs...etc.. What animal do yiou look like?
how would a human being 700 years ago know that wine helped kill germs? There were no microscopes back then. People were mirrored in the image of animals. That's why people look like apes, rats, poodles, cats, horses, wolfs...etc.. What animal do you look like?
I have but one comment: God Helps Those Who Help Themselves! We are not helping ourselves very much in the US society of today!
That basically means that people help themselves then give praise to God for giving them life in the first place so they could experience the reality of having a deranged gunman shoot at them.
Reading most of these comments give me hope,it's a good thing people are looking at the reality of things and not trying to explain the obvious faults that gods have. Religion is finally dying, albeit a slow death, this can only be good because once religion is dead and reason rules this country we won't need to be talking about all these tragedies becaus ewithout religion, people won't feel a need to kill as often! Most senseless murders are done because of some irrational belief system, it is the fault of religion that allows these BS beliefs to continue. Everyone who praises their gods after senseless acts of murder like this, really need to look at themselves as ask why they think their all loving god loves to kill so many children year after year.
Prayer changes things .
Prayer is.people helping.people. not a magical God helping people.
Praying for people is a cop-out for those who don't want to actually DO something for others. Prayer lets people feel as if they are doing something without actually doing anything constructive.
Right on atheist mom! That's right! Rather than reach out and help they'll send prayers so that maybe God will send someone else to actually do the helping. Then when it turns out positive they can say I prayed.for.that. If negative then they can say it was God's will so it must be what he wanted.
Your post suggests that religion is healthy. If this is so, which god should we ask children and other living things to seek – Modern Jewish, Hasidic, Sunni Islamic, Shi'a Islamic, Modern Mormon, Fundamentalist Mormon, Calvinist, Lutheran, Catholic (too many varieties to mention), Unitarian, Greek Orthodox, any one of a dozen major Hindu faiths, OR any one of hundreds of active versions of deity that people believe in? Prayer to anyone of these versions of god doesn't change anything except the mind of the person who prays – and depending upon which god you pray to, your mind will be altered in a different way.
If everyone would stop trying to dispute God and do your own research about Him, then your questions would be answered and your life would be changed. Bottom line...There is a God and because of His son Jesus Christ, we are able to live freely. Whether you believe or not is your choice, but for those who do believe have a duty if you will, to share the same experience they had with others as God's goodness is never ending.
Sounds like Mother Goose. Tell that to the people running for their lives when an psycho is firing at them from point blank range. God's will, right?
Yeah, his goodness was never ending for those who suffered at the hands of a maniac...
Can you say santa claus, easter bunny, tooth fairy. Same imaginary being written up by a human being
What about religions that don't believe in Jesus? Those that research god and find in him other scriptures or other beliefs that do not include Jesus – are they wrong? If you really mean "research," then you must mean researching all the beliefs which might lead to the conclusion that all religions are inventions. If you claim there is only one source for research – your favorite scripture say, then expect others will not consider you much of a researcher.
When God made the first man and woman, he made them at 30 years old and strong. They weren't babies cause who would take care of them? There had to be GOD to instruct them since there were no medicines and no knowlege, what I'm saying is that there was too high a failure rate for them to die being so vulnerable and so few. God also can't be in places where there is distractions and sinning. That's where Satan likes to hang out! Satan is actually the guardian angel of God and hates mankind since he wants to govern all in Heaven and in Earth!
That's crazy talk.
yes , crazy talk indeed, Why would you EVEN NEED MEDICATION? isnt god perfect? So how did he make is inperfect which lets us even lets us catch sickness in the first place? Also when you take medication, your relying on SCIENCE to help fix the situation! How about this, the next time you get sick, or your family member get criticaly ill, DONT give them meds, or hospital treatment. Sick back and kick your feet while they are loosing a lot of blood and see what will happen.... Sorry to use ur family and friends but I want it to feel personal so you can see the immidiate shock like the victims in the shooting. YOU people always say god gave the shooter free will....WELL, what about YOUR FREE WILL TO LIVE? Its one thing to let the guy shoot the gun already but , when YOU try to hide, WHY didnt god let the bullets AT LEAST miss the victims? SO god chose the FREE WILL of the killer over the FREE WILL of others to esape????? yeeeaaaa god is real alright... BS.
why is there even SATAN Existing? And Why is it a problem if GOD made them babies? Who would take care of them? WELL GOD ! By u saying what you said of why he HAD TO make them 30yrs old (which is never said in bible), u just admited GOD doesnt exist. U just basically admited NO ONE WOULD BE AVAILABLE TO TAKE CARE OF BABIES..... SO , we can already see here that u ADMIT GOD DOESNT project kids or babies....like the 4-6month old in the theater shooting.
god doesnt exist. Someone killed your child or everyone in your family reguardless of your everyday prayers , or theres...how can you say god is good? or exist, or loving? Stop lying to urself. Thank goodness religion is dying off slowly.
In the internet digital age, Even a 6 yr old can verify all the crap your saying for himself.
Weren't Adam and Eve really just 21 when God made them?
Hey Jason1985,
Whow, hold up. You have alot of questions thrown at me about the book of Genesis. First off, if you haven't in a while, open a bible, to make it unbiast, why not compare three (just to make sure they're saying the same things) and ready at least to Deuteronomy. You'll see that man had to pay the price of death for disobeying God. Yes God is a potter...an artist. He crafted man out of soil and minerals (that's why when you die you turn to ash)..also that's why you need to eat foods with minerals in them....but as for HONORING God, we didn't. So the punishment in death. However, that's where your Karma kicks in. It's up to God to decide how your exit from this life will be. However, death is not the end of things! Your breath of life is taken back and recycled with God! Didn't you know that the cosmos is a giant graveyard of soul orbs? God can place your soul and the breath of life in another corpse when the time comes and if you loved/searched for him. Otherwise, I wouldn't blame God if your soul orb stayed stuck in outer space. Oh and one final thing. There are many curses placed on mankind for rebelliousness such as the curse of language, (Babylon) divisions, (political for example), etc....there all in the bible if you look really hard you'll find them. (Noah's Ark)...etc.
There sure are a lot of 5150's in these over 3300 responses. I'll save you the google search it's police code for "crazy person on the loose". Though sadly the definition of crazy for some reason cannot be used in relation to faith. Although its pretty close to the definition. All you bible quoting christans on this post speak based on a book that was written by a person not one of you has met though might meet if you follow rules that you don't even follow. You are hell bent on this man and woman marriage issue though it really has no effect on your lives at all. You claim that this is a sacred event but the divorce rate in this country is almost half. Till death do us part thats a laugh. As for the topic of this article I'll take the first answer in this story. No need to quote any bible references. Actually here is a fun idea lets see if the killer believes in god maybe just maybe he's that 2% that does not. In closing what happened was a tragedy. An explanation by a god is not going to happen. Instead of trying to get an answer we should be helping those hurt but this event. So christans and the like why don't you take that 2 bucks you give so easily to the church and give it to those effected by this event.
Wonderful...Typical human being....If anything good happens then immediately we say it is because of MY great hard work...That time no body says that this is just expression of power provided me by GOD...that time ME ME and ME and when something goes wrong or bad like Aurora then start screaming "Where is god?" "What GOD is doing?". Now why human is standing up and saying that YES ...for this mess I am responsible. I gave guns to my kids..I gave violent video games, movies to my kids...I provoked them to act violently...Why blame god..We should say that as a society we failed and NOT GOD..........
We failed to pass on some moral values and ethics to our next generation. Think first why we need so many guns..why we have reached to such a stage that we are afraid of each other or ready to kill each other.We are giving day in day out education to our kids that there is no god and you are in driving seat for your life.We took the control from GOD and now after accident we are blaming god. This is typical human being...He is giving us signs or wake up calls but instead we are questioning HIS existence. The god has given a beautiful and supreme gift to human being and that is "He CAN BE". All rest of the great things in nature got all there power by birth or god gifted like Mountains has steadfastness but only human being has a power that "HE CAN BECOME like mountain,sea or tiger. So we should understand this great power and use it wisely. We can become a good or evil. Choice is ours and NOT GOD's. And never ever dare to question his existence or challenge his powers ...It is like looking at sun and spitting on it...Don't worry the spit will fall on your face only. Look at yourself ...deep inside you and you will find answer why we have incidences like AURORA.
Nonsense. People thank God when they succeed and not when they fail. One interview of an Aurora victim read "God saved me". Oh really? So God also said I'm going to let these others die?
Moot question. There is no god. period, end of story and I mean it is all fable.
Agree. There isn't one. Created to help those fearful of death to sleep at night.
The same place as always, looking from the spectator seat.
Why do we keep apologizing for a God which doesn't exist? This article is nonsense.
I'm complete nonsense, too. Why else would I be doing this on a Sunday morning?
I am your true God why do you mock me boy? You want me to send you to H E double hockey sticks 'cause I will! Now go to church and give extra money because the pastern needs a new ride.
I heard he was busy in the next county giving a baby brain cancer.
I'm also a complete idiot.
After reading some of these posts, I have to wonder what exactly some people where taught in school or have actually read any books beside the Bible. When science,chemistry,biology, and math are pushed to the rear in favor of theology and creationism you get this result. To be ignorant in an undeveloped country without the resources to educate is one thing, to be ignorant in this country is inexcusable.
God is a laissez fairist. God does not interfere with our actions, but saves his punishment for after we die.
And you know this how? Post-death interviews?
if your god allows this he certainly is not loving and caring so keep her. I still do not understand why people believe things for which there is no and I repeat no evidence.
Well because they fear death. Humans are scared to die and so how convenient for religion to come forth and say guess what if you believe you wont ever die! Brilliant isn't it? The sheep have followed this garbage for thousands of years because of it.
YEP people are scared to die. When children commit suicide for bullying why are you christians sooooo sad about it......LIKE NON believers....cough even...gasp atheist. YOU SHOULD BE HAPPY!!! I mean that IISSSSSss what you mean when you say they are in a better place now? If that place was always better, you should be happy for starving children then? No need to feed them....That means when you were a child, heck even a newborn...the first time you got sick your parents would be HAPPY! and wait for you to transfer to the 'Better' life. But How are there even adults around to begin with? its because they had treatment and care through their life that help them live this long..... Which means you dont even want to goto the 'Better world that God made for you. People Made up heaven because they are scared of dying, and YET, they are still SCARED of the transition to heaven in the 1st place too. ...DYING! I know im scared that im going to die one day. I understand, but no need to make up a bunch of crap about gold floors and meeting other dead relatives.....they sound juuust like those terriorist they laugh at. AT least they are not afriad to die, even its for 75 virgins. According to christian logic, its perfectly possible. arent there more then 75 in heaven since it was created? well then im sure there must be at least 75 virgins somewhere up their who died....hey, nuns are virgins and there are tons of them! just that they are old... sigh.