And God Created the World...

“I have a question for all of you,” said my college freshman daughter, Meg, last week-end, “Is there more good or bad in the world?”

“It doesn’t matter,” replied my husband, “It’s our job to be on the side of good.”

“We can’t tell,” was my younger daughter’s answer but she agreed with her father that it’s our mission to be working for The Good.

I was surprised. I thought the answer to Meg’s question was obvious, but their evasive non-answers gave me pause. Was I the only one who thought like that? Maybe the question went deeper than I knew. Maybe I was just naïve. “What do you say?” I asked Meg, the question’s originator.

“I believe the world is mostly good,” she said a little slowly. But she went on to add that a good friend—an evangelical Christian—believes the world is mostly bad. “She’s constantly talking about all these dark forces and evil powers.”

We discussed the various theological perspectives of different Christian denominations for some moments before Meg asked, “What do you think Mom?”

“I believe what it says in the Book of Genesis,

‘God called the dry land “the earth,” and the basin of the water he called “the sea.” God saw how good it was. Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth vegetation: every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree on earth that bears fruit with its seed in it.” And so it happened: the earth brought forth every kind of plant that bears seed and every kind of fruit tree on earth that bears fruit with its seed in it. God saw how good it was.’

God created this magnificent earth and saw that it was good. Ever since then, we human beings have been trying to mess up God’s work. Yet He loves all of His Creation especially us and this is still a good world—mostly in spite of us. Sometimes, when we cooperate with Him, it is a good world through us but always it is a good world because of Him.”

Since then I’ve been posing this question wherever I go, is this world good or bad? Or as my daughter phrased it, is there more good or bad in this world? I’ve been amazed at the answers I’ve received to the question, but—so far—no one has given me an answer (although several have tried!) which has convinced me God’s world is bad. I pray they never do. So... what do you think?