The Israel-Hamas War and the Problem of Evil
Q: Is God asleep, or did He want this war? A: Neither.
If you believe God controls everything, then you’re left with two possible spiritual explanations of the Israel-Hamas war.
Either God fell asleep at the wheel, or God wanted Hamas fighters to slaughter hundreds of innocent Israeli civilians and take hundreds more hostage, provoking Israel to launch airstrikes that have killed 5000 Palestinians and counting in advance of a full-scale ground invasion that will multiply the body count exponentially.
Because if God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-loving, then God knew what Hamas planned over a two-year period, could have intervened to stop it, would have wanted a positive outcome for the people of Israel and Gaza, and … just let Hamas continue.
If God is all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-loving, then God knew how the Israeli government would respond to Hamas’ attack, could have intervened to force a different response, would have wanted peace, and … just let Israel launch its counter-attack.
So, God fell asleep on the job, or God approved of the Hamas plan and attack, the Israeli response, or both. A God who controls everything cannot escape culpability for something like the Israel-Hamas War.
