Monthly Archives: October 2010

Many people wonder why do innocent people suffer, the Book of Job discusses this idea.  This story is about a man name Job, who is very wealthy man that lives righteously. One day God ask Satan what he thinks of Job’s righteousness.  Satan proposes that Job would curse God if he were to lose al his wealth; so God and Satan agree to test Job.  Satan proceeds to take away Job’s wealth, children, and inflict him with some kind of skin disease.  But Job refuses to curse God. Even his own wife asks him to curse God; she states “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God, and die” (A, 127). Everyone thinks that because something bad happens mean that you should curse God for the situation.  But Job knew better than to curse God.    Job’s friend, Eliphaz the Temanite, states while talking to Job “Agree with God, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you….but he saves the lowly. He delivers the innocent man…” (A,132).   His friend’s letting him know that if you are good to God, he will protect you. Job just has to keep faith.  God doesn’t punish you unless you have done something wrong.

The article,”Chileans in New York Cheers Miners,” by Noah Rosenberg is about the Chileans in New York cheering the survival of their fellow natives as they are being rescued.  These miners have been trap down in the mines for 69 days.  A comedian, Palta Melendez, says “Faith can move mountains, and this mountain was removed by faith” (Rosenberg).  His statement I true, all the miners’ families have to keep faith in order for this miracle to happen.

Rosenberg, Noah. “Chileans in New York Cheers Miners.” The New York Times. 13 October 2010.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/13/nyregion/13reax.html?ref=todayspaper

The Book of Job/NYT

The Book of Job says, “[t]here was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God, and turned away from evil.(A, 126)” He was rich and happy.  God believed that Job loved and honor him. During meeting between Satan and God, Satan doubted Job’s loyalty by asking, “[d]oes job fear God for nought?(A, 126)”. In other words, Satan meant that it’s easy to be pious if you have such a great life as Job had. After that Job’s troubles started: his sons died, he lost his fortune, and was in a bad state of health.  Job considered himself as innocent and couldn’t understand the reason all the misfortunes happened to him. However, he does not curse God’s name or accuse God of injustice but rather seeks an explanation or an account of his wrong doing. He did keep his faith.

As it’s written in NYT a movie based on true story had been released. “The pursuit of happiness” is an inspiring story of Chris Gardner who is a successful stockbroker.  Back in 1980^th he didn’t have that much luck,” [h]e found himself faced with a curious set of circumstances: single father to a young boy, a barely paid intern-trainee at the brokerage firm Dean Witter, and — suddenly — homeless.”

“Mr. Gardner spent night after night trudging the streets of the crime-ridden Tenderloin district of San Francisco, with all his earthly possessions on his back, diapers shoved under one arm, pushing the stroller with his toddler toward a homeless shelter. When the shelter was full, they slept in the park. Or under Mr. Gardner’s desk. Or sometimes in the public bathroom of a subway station.”

Finally Mr. Gardner got it all: success, currier, money and happiness. Sufferings were first.  Even during these dark moments he didn’t lost his faith and considered hard work and persistence crucial elements.

Same In a Book of Job, he didn’t lost faith, he truly believed. Only in a moment of extreme desperation Job cursed the day he was born.