Why the world is broken
... and the way out
Why are there wars?
Why do earthquakes happen?
Why do floods sweep a whole community away?
Why do people die?
Why do babies die?
Why are there natural disasters?
The answer to these questions lies in man. Man is the “source” of the bad things in life.
I will explain.
When people quiz life and fail to understand what happened from the beginning, they either drift to become atheists or agnostics. But these extremes do not give answers to their questions. It rather masks them.
Evil exists in the world because man, who was given charge of creation, veered away from the plan. This veering away from the original plan is what we refer to as sin.
For context's sake, observe this story.
There is this ancient Yoruba lore about a revered ancestor who received specific instructions from the gods on how to perform a sacred ritual to ensure the prosperity and well-being of the tribe. However, out of curiosity or perhaps arrogance, the ancestor disobeyed one crucial aspect of the instructions.
Instead of using a particular type of sacred wood for the ritual, as directed by the gods, the ancestor opted to use a different wood that was more readily available. Despite warnings from elders and shamans, the ancestor proceeded with the ritual using the substitute wood.
As a consequence of this disobedience, the ritual failed to yield the intended results, and a curse befell the tribe. From that moment on, the Yoruba people began to experience a series of misfortunes and hardships, including crop failures, sickness, and conflicts within the community.
Despite efforts to rectify the mistake and appease the gods through subsequent rituals and sacrifices, the curse persisted, becoming deeply ingrained in the fabric of Yoruba society.
Generations later, the consequences of the ancestor’s disobedience continue to manifest in various forms of societal dysfunction and adversity experienced by the Yoruba people.
Now, let’s assume this lore was true.
Would the Yoruba people in generations to come be fair to blame the misfortune of their crop and health on the gods?
Certainly not.
The revered ancestor who deviated from the rudiments of the sacrifices was the one who subjected the entire tribe to chaos and suffering.
This is the same story of the earth and its woes.
Adam was given charge of the earth. He even named the animals. But then, he left God’s plan, and this took with him the whole of creation into rebellion.
Apostle Paul would put it this way:
Romans 8:20,
“For against its will the universe itself has had to endure the empty futility resulting from the consequences of human sin...”
Romans 8:21,
“all creation longs for freedom from its slavery to decay and to experience...”
Romans 8:22,
“To this day we are aware of the universal agony and groaning of creation, as if it were in the contractions of labor for childbirth.”
So, natural disasters are man-made. Famines and fire outbreaks are man-made. Evil in the world is man-made.
What is the way out?
This is where the story gets interesting.
The way out of evil is not world peace forums. It is not human rights. It is not savvy, technological innovation. In fact, as we experience more advancement in technology and science, these tools in the hands of the same evil man will further bring chaos to man and the earth.
Who created nuclear bombs, God?
Okay.
To this day, the effects of the Hiroshima atomic bomb are still felt in long-lasting effects on survivors and their descendants.
Creation is garbage-in-garbage-out. Truly, no energy is lost but is converted from one form to another. The ozone layer is being depleted primarily due to human activities, specifically the release of ozone-depleting substances (ODS) such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), halons, and certain types of solvents and propellants. These substances are commonly found in products like refrigerators, air conditioners, and aerosol sprays.
Their release into the atmosphere leads to the destruction of ozone molecules, resulting in thinning of the ozone layer.
Today and in more centuries to come, the consequences of ozone depletion are leading to increased exposure to harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun, which can lead to higher rates of skin cancer, cataracts, and other health issues. It can also affect ecosystems and biodiversity, impacting marine life, plants, and even microorganisms.
We do not know what could break out in the year 4030 because of the heavy depletion of our ozone layer caused by our activities today.
Every human action against nature has consequences. Some of these consequences can come in our time or gather momentum to erupt centuries after us.
Changes in UV radiation levels could affect climate patterns and contribute to global warming.
I could go on and on.
I am not a student of ecology. Just a simple reading can give you all this information at your fingertips.
What about the consequences of vegetative destruction?
My dad, God bless his soul, was my geography teacher back in my secondary school days. This man would make you fall in love with geography, earth science, etc. Some things can be fascinating for real. It’s a shame we just can’t do everything in our lifetime. For some of us, our minds are so wild that we want to explore all forms of knowledge, but time and this body are limitations.
Oh my ...
Back to my question: What is the way out?
I’ve shown you already that man is the architect of his problems. By leaving the divine plan, he has brought upon himself all these woes.
So, to fix his mess, he must go back to the plan.
That’s why salvation is not a “church, heaven, or hell” thing.
Salvation is about creation, governing all of the science and the knowledge around you back to the original design.
It is bigger than you “lied to someone and went to ask for forgiveness” (I am not saying this is wrong or not important). It’s bigger than who to marry, what to eat, drink, etc. That’s what Jesus said.
Luke 12:23,
“The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment.”
Salvation is a route back to God’s plan for creation, not to go to heaven or escape hell. This is what Apostle Paul says again about our salvation and how it relates to the liberation of ourselves and creation:
Romans 8:21-23,
“All creation longs for freedom from its slavery to decay and to experience with us the wonderful freedom coming to God’s children.”
[22] To this day we are aware of the universal agony and groaning of creation, as if it were in the contractions of labor for childbirth.
[23] And it’s not just creation. We who have already experienced the first fruits of the Spirit also inwardly groan as we passionately long to experience our full status as God’s sons and daughters—including our physical bodies being transformed.
[24] We were given this HOPE WHEN WE WERE SAVED. (If we already have something, we don’t need to hope for it.
Other translations say: “For this is the hope of our Salvation.” In other words: THIS IS WHY YOU WERE SAVED.
This draws a perfect connection from the troubles of life, science, nature, etc., back to salvation and ultimately back to God.
If you look at what man has been able to achieve without God, what do you think Earth would have looked like with God?
Your mind cannot comprehend this yet.