Why Does God Allow the Killing of Children in Gaza?

Is it a Proof That God Doesn’t Exist?

These days, we’re hearing about the terrible violence in Gaza, with thousands of innocent people, including children, losing their lives. I believe we all agree that the suffering of children is absolutely not justified in any case, and it makes us wonder why is this happening. Why no one seems to be able to stop it?

How can we be at peace seeing that no one wants to save these innocent children who suffer daily?

Some people may find comfort in the idea that justice will eventually prevail, and that those responsible for crimes will face consequences in the afterlife. However, even if killers are judged in the afterlife, is that enough? Thousands of innocent children have been needlessly killed and their lives cannot be retrieved.

Furthermore, if no one wants to help children, then why does almighty God do nothing about it? Indeed, why does a benevolent and merciful God allow innocent children to suffer and die?

Atheists often point to acts like this as proof that God doesn’t exist. On the other hand, religious people offer various arguments to absolve God of responsibility for such tragedies. But this debate may never be fully settled unless we approach it from a different perspective.

The main argument we’re dealing with goes like this:

Children are being killed → That’s an evil act → God doesn’t exist (or He is not benevolent)

Let’s break this down step by step and explore it from different angles:

1. Children Are Being Killed

It’s undeniable that children are being killed every day unless we consider this from a non-dual perspective. This view suggests that everything is interconnected and part of a greater whole, and what we perceive as individual things are just different aspects of the same unified reality. According to this viewpoint, various things, thoughts, and objects that we perceive and discern, such as children, birds, songs, flowers, or even “me,” are only part of big imagination — maya, but nothing real.

Therefore, there are no children and nobody is being killed. It’s all just one ground of being that appears in different manifestations that captivate us. But in reality, there are no manifestations. Everything is only the “Self.”

“The Self cannot be pierced by weapons or burned by fire; water cannot wet it, nor can the wind dry it. The Self cannot be pierced or burned, made wet or dry. It is everlasting and infinite, standing on the motionless foundation of eternity. The Self is unmanifested, beyond all thought, beyond all change.” — Bhagavad Gita

So, are children being killed, or is it all an illusion?

We have arguments for both cases, but for most of us, it’s easier to accept the reality of these tragedies.

2. That’s an Evil Act

Is killing children inherently evil? At first glance, most of us would say yes. But before jumping to conclusions, let’s consider some questions that might provide a clearer perspective:

• Is killing a spider good or bad?
• Is killing a cockroach good or bad?
• Is killing a panda good or bad?
• Is killing a person like Putin good or bad?
• Is being killed good or bad?

We’re likely to receive different answers to these questions, and not everyone will respond the same way as we did. How is this possible? Isn’t goodness and badness inherent in things?

The truth is, that goodness and badness are subjective concepts determined by us, based on our values and priorities. For example, killing a spider or a cockroach may be seen as a good act because of their unpleasant nature. But what would the spider think about that? It’s doubtful that it would approve of its own demise.

Now, consider if someone were about to kill us. That would unquestionably be bad from our perspective. But if we look at it from the spider’s point of view, it might prefer us to perish so it can live in peace.

So, there can be various viewpoints and opinions, but these are just subjective perspectives, not objective facts, and they depend on the observer’s standpoint.

Moreover, it’s essential to recognize that far away in the universe, entire galaxies are vanishing while others are being born, and entire worlds are perishing along with their possibly more intelligent inhabitants than we humans are. Yet, we tend to focus on our own world and self-preservation. This is a normal human tendency.

Hence, we conclude that the killing of children is undeniably tragic from our human standpoint. However, if we step out of our human perspective, we can see that death is a natural occurrence, part of the broader scheme of things.

Finally, Why Does God Allow the Killing of Children in Gaza?

Why wouldn’t He?

The only thing that distinguishes these events from countless others is that it affects us directly. It threatens us, and it could one day be us or our children in that situation.

I’m not justifying the death of innocent children. If someone kills a child, they should be imprisoned and educated. However, I also acknowledge that everything, whether “good” or “bad,” fits into the larger plan of the universe, where everything is as it should be. This doesn’t conflict with the existence of God, even though it may not align with our expectations of how God should appear or behave.

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