Zika and why God allows suffering

Geovane Silva holds his son Gustavo Henrique,
 who has microcephaly, at the Oswaldo Cruz Hospital
 in Recife, Brazil. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino
Source: Independent 

The world is on the alert for the spread of the horrifying Zika virus that has babies being born with small heads and and a poor outlook for brain development.  Thousands of these babies have been born throughout Latin America and thousands more will be, with an immense impact on the children’s lives and on their families. That is one image of suffering that we have in front of us at present.

Another image of what is harsh in life is that of rape, with the report just out in Britain that attracted headlines like “Rapes linked to online dating up by more than 450% in five years”. Further: “Every 2 minutes somewhere in the United States a woman is sexually assaulted. 1 in 4 women is a victim  of rape or attempted rape, and 75% of rapes happen when on dates”, according to the Women’s Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh. This draws attention to the pure evil that can surround us.

Both of these images of the suffering world come at a time when I was fortunate enough to read a thoughtful study of God’s place in a world where disasters, acts of individual or community evil, and death afflict us. The study gives a Biblical account of suffering and a powerful message is offered to help us understand and endure suffering.

Based on the experience of the people in the Old Testament era and the knowledge of God’s ways derived from the life of Jesus, one fundamental principle arises, namely, even if God does not remove the suffering or explain its purpose, He can be trusted. A second principle is that God made a world that was good. In contrast, the human rebellion against God gives rise to much of the suffering we encounter. Moreover, human willfulness and self-centredness can preclude the intelligent preparation of safety measures as precautions against natural disasters. We can see this when people build on what is known to be a flood area, or cut costs in construction in an earthquake zone.

Whatever the cause, suffering happens. For those who do trust God, suffering of whatever kind can be a time of learning and growth, a time to develop spiritual muscle or self-rule, even though that may entail a journey through hardship or anguish. Therefore, there is value in suffering. The Father allowed His own son to suffer to accomplish the saving of everyone, to secure their redemption from a damaged form of living,  a purpose Jesus’ companions did not comprehend when Jesus told them what was about to happen to him. They understood the big picture afterward.

First, though we want answers that are not shrouded in mystery we cannot reduce God and His ways to fit into our limited human understanding. So our starting point has to be that God’s character is unchanging. First and foremost God has power over all that is in creation. God’s power is absolute and He can bring good results out of evil and suffering. I think of Peter, Paul and Mary’s song Weave Me the Sunshine, which has the words: “The tree of love grows on the bank of the river of suffering”.

Second, God can and will put a stop to evil in His perfect time. Joseph was sold by his brothers to slavery in Egypt and it took a long time to understand why God had allowed such treatment. Of course, later he understood that God intended him to save the Egyptians and his own family from death by famine. God is always doing more than we think, whether for us it’s a serious illness or the inconvenience of missing the bus.

Charlie Keilar, son of slain lawyer Brendan Keilar,
 accepts  a bravery award for his father's heroic actions
 from Victoria Governor David de Kretser. 
Photo: Joe Armao, Sydney Morning Herald

Third, God does not let us suffer needlessly. We cannot know God’s specific purpose for each hurt, but we do know God uses every kind of suffering to makes us more like Him in strength of spirit, to make us more open to others and the world around us. The widespread influence of a person who does something for others is shown by one case that has stayed in my mind from 2007, where a lawyer going to work in central Melbourne, Australia, came across a Hell’s Angels member dragging a screaming woman towards a car. He intervened, as did another man, a tourist. The abductor pulled a gun and shot the lawyer, the father of three, killing him and wounding the tourist. The city erupted in an outpouring of praise for the two who went to help the woman. A medal was given to the family to honour the heroism their husband and father had shown. The newspaper report of the medal ceremony went on to background the 53 people who had been given medals for previous acts of heroism as a wonderful example to society at large:

 “Tales of tragedy and remarkable survival were illuminated by the recipients' acts of selfless courage in a bid to save relatives, friends, workmates and strangers.  An exploding car, burning homes, rough seas, a collapsed sand cave, sinking boats and gunmen were not enough to stop the people from rushing to the aid of others.”

Finally, although the Bible teaches otherwise, we equate a smooth path in life with God’s pleasure and see difficulties as bad.  It is clearly an erroneous idea that easy and comfortable are best. Parents provide a mix of challenge and comfort for their children. So does God: “God is treating you as His sons. Has there ever been any son whose father did not train him?” (Hebrews 12:5 and Revelation 3:19). Moreover, in this way, suffering drives us deep into God’s word.

The Lima family, from left: Ana Vitoria, Viviane,
 Carlos, Maria Luiza and Julia (Photo: Bruno Kelly)

To return to my opening, the spreading Zika scourge, among all the articles describing possible causes and the impact on the often poverty-stricken parents, there have been some descriptions that can be seen as examples of the way God does train us and deepen our spirit. we see something of the truth of Paul's insight in Romans 8 that"we know that all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose". God has a plan for those who love Him, consciously of in the depth of their heart and nothing can surmount that plan; His purpose is always accomplished, no matter the trials and difficulties we face.

Britain’s Independent reports on two cases of those who have been through a life under the weight of the effects of the Zika virus. The first tells us about Ana Carolina Caceres, a 24-year-old Brazilian who was born with  a smaller-than-normal head. Her parents were warned by doctors that “she would never walk or talk, and had a slim chance of survival”. However, Ms Caceres is able to exclaim, “But I’m still here and doing more than anyone predicted.” She graduated with a degree in journalism last year and has penned a book about her life. “I’ve been suffering on the side-lines all my life, but now I’m able to tell millions of people that microcephaly is not the end of your world.”

The same Independent report also introduces the Lima family:

 Viviane Lima, 34, a Brazilian mother of three, [has] two girls born with microcephaly within the space of two years. “For the past 17 years, I have struggled to cope. Ministers are promising to support hundreds of women with healthcare and money, but we constantly have to rely on ourselves”…. Both girls, Ana Vitoria, 16 and Maria Luiza, 14, suffer from speech and cognitive problems. “Doctors told me both my children wouldn’t walk, talk or laugh. Today, Ana rollerskates and we are one big happy family on an amazing journey,” Ms Lima said.
Ms Lima’s husband Carlos, 34, stepfather to the two elder girls, knows the Zika virus is causing havoc to many, but he offered hope for those affected. “Love and patience have pulled us through and every day being father to my daughters is a fantastic experience,” he said. “One that’s changed me for the better.”

Psychiatry condemned for over-reaching

Science and its associated intellectual pursuits have long been of interest to me because of the certainty that practitioners claim and the public mostly accept about “discoveries”.  Previous posts here and here have highlighted the dangers of unchallenged acceptance of what that may turn out to be an honest misreading of evidence, perhaps a limited account of the facts, even outrageous self-promotion.  The point is, investigate all that is in the natural world, try to find ways to cure diseases of the body and the mind, but recognise the breadth and depth of the human person.

Anthony Daniels, who writes as Theodore
Dalrymple. Photo Source: Wikipedia

This time my attention turns to the medical science of psychiatry. A new book has generated pathways to information about trends in this form of health care, and these are worth taking to explore how confident we can be at the pronouncements of those prominent in the field. The book is Admirable Evasions: How psychology undermines morality, by British journalist, doctor and psychiatrist, Anthony Daniels, who writes under the name Theodore Dalrymple. The title alludes to Edmund’s lament in King Lear: “ . . . an admirable evasion of whoremaster man, to lay his goatish disposition to the charge of a star.” The theme of the book is that psychiatry responds to, in fact fosters, the belief whereby people “find it easy to blame their actions on material forces in the way earlier generations blamed them on astrological forces”.
In other words, dissatisfaction with any manner of things in our life, the melancholy which may come upon us in the midst of a fruitful life, are forms of the unhappiness known through the ages, and should be faced up to as part of the demands of being a responsible person with a moral dimension. That unhappiness should not be labelled as depression, and its relief not sought on a psychiatrist's couch or by consuming drugs under the assumption that a faulty brain or its chemicals are the cause.
Condemnation - not too harsh a term -  of the present day practice of psychiatry arises, too, in an article in the New York Review of Books,  which sympathetically reports  that the authors of books under review offer “powerful indictments of the way psychiatry is now practiced. They document the ‘frenzy’ of diagnosis, the overuse of drugs with sometimes devastating side effects, and widespread conflicts of interest.” On top of that is that the benefits of the “best practice” treatment through the prescribing of psychoactive drugs, cannot be proved to be greater than the harm produced in the person seeking help.
Just as Freud has been shown to be wrong, as have behaviourists of the ilk of B F Skinner, Dalrymple vents his “own frustration with the intellectual over-reach and ‘damn lies’ told by the world of psychology”. His main point is that great literature has more to say about the suffering of the human mind and heart and soul than does the study of the brain, worthwhile though that is.  The reviewer stresses this point:

In searching the works of Shakespeare, Auden, Burgess, Blake and others, for signs of condition and predilection that psychology now calls its own, [Dalrymple] argues that the knowledge of melancholy or a dysmorphia of character can be no more informed by it than our great literary canon. Does Dr Johnson’s Rasselas,  he asks, not capture the ‘tragic dimension of human existence’ more so than modern neuroscience? 

To which the reviewer responds emphatically: “Quite!’, adding, “I have learned more about myself from Larkin, Orwell, Burke and Virgil for the simple reason that they promote self-examination, as opposed to self-obsession. A claim that psychology, our author agrees, can’t make for itself.”