LETTER TO THE EDITOR

I wrote a letter to the editor of the Sioux City Journal in response to a column written by Leonard Pitts Jr. titled by the Journal, "Looking for Some Answers From God." Pitts' column was in response to the revelation that for the last 50 years of her life, Mother Teresa felt spiritually abandoned and cut off from God. She felt no Presence. She felt alone. Pitts' column is a conversation with God. Pitts humorously asks God at one point, Do you have any idea how much easier you make it for atheists when you act like this?" It was a good column!

My response was this: I thoroughly enjoyed reading Leonard Pitts', Looking for Some Answers From God." The feeling of being abandoned by God that Mother Teresa felt is a common experience of being human. Those who work in tragic and difficult situations, as she did, almost uniformly have the same experience and those who are grieving experience it too. Several prominent Biblical figures, including Jesus Christ himself, experienced it, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" he said in his last moments. The Psalmist cried out, How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?" Within the pages of scripture these honest expressions of anger toward God are allowed. This emotional honesty is one of the reasons I believe the Bible to be the "real deal."

Since what Mother Teresa experienced is pretty much the normal human experience, atheists are left with a couple of problems, why is there any faith in God at all? And, why would this God be thought of as being loving and caring?

Grace&Peace,
Tom