Offers a moving and humane approach to understanding life's windstorms.Raises many questions that will challenge your mind and test your faith regarding the ultimate questions of life and death. From the Hardcover edition.
Rarely does a book come along that tackles a perennially difficult human issue with such clarity and intelligence. Harold Kushner, a Jewish rabbi facing his own child's fatal illness, deftly guides us through the inadequacies of the traditional answers to the problem of evil, then provides a uniquely practical and compassionate answer that has appealed to millions of readers across all religious creeds. Remarkable for its intensely relevant real-life examples and its fluid prose, this book cannot go unread by anyone who has ever been troubled by the question, "Why me?"
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
Very good purchase!!:
Bought this book as a gift. It was in like new condition. Purchase was a good buy, and was received in a timely manner. Looking forward to my next great deal.
Poor solution to a real problem:
Theodicy boils down to four propositions: God is all powerful, God is all knowing, God wishes the best for His Creatures, Evil exists in the world. Removing one of these propositions creates consistency in this system of propositions. For example, the Hindoos assert that evil is an illusion. How does Rabbi Kushner solve the problem? He denies God is all powerful. It is interesting to note that Kushner doesn't accept the biblical solution, as found in Job, or any of the other Old Testament books. Instead, he... more info
Rabbi's message resonates to all:
Rabbi Harold S. Kushner's "When Bad Things Happen to Good People" is both insightful and comforting. It cuts across religious lines to help people understand and respond to personal setbacks. You can wish for setbacks not to have occurred. You can even anguish over their occurrence. But you cannot ask God to wipe away these setbacks. You can only move forward. You only have "control" over your forward movement, not your past. The resources God gives us - friends, family, medical staff, legal staff, etc. -... more info
Makes a better case for atheism than God.:
I just finished reading this book as I write this. The first half of the book is pretty good, but this rabbi really makes a better case for god not existing than theism. As the book goes on, he starts to contradict himself and his arguments start to turn very very weak. He should have only made this book half as long. Bottom line, if you are atheist and want to maybe convince your friends or family that believing in god is stupid, this might be a good introduction book for them.
