Jewish Suffering

The Holocaust is a major example Jewish suffering. In 1940, the believing Jew knew about the pogroms, crusades, destruction of the Temples. The Nazis believed that the German race was a superior one, and they deemed the Jews as inferior, and a threat to the racial purity of the Germans. I found Anti- Semitism similar to the suffering of the black slaves. The cause of their suffering both sourced from the isolation from other races (religious groups), separation from family, and absolute oppression. The blacks and the Jews were forced to feel inferior to anyone who wasn’t from their group.

Ever since I was little I was a strong believer that everyone should be treated equally. When I was in the 6th grade I was riding the bus home and I heard some kid laughing in the back. The 6th grader boy had asked the 5th grader boy what 100 X 100 was and the 5th grader figure out an answer. Like a bully, the 6th grader began to laugh and point out to everyone on the bus that this 5th grader was slow. Everyone quickly looked to wait for the 5th grader’s reaction. I saw he was completely humiliated and wanted to disappear right there. I could not take this kind of ridicule, so I quickly thought of my own math problem to test out on the bully. I asked the bully after I got everyone’s attention on the bus. The funny part was that the bully had an even more embarrassing reaction than the 5th grader: he was completely silent and even started to tear up. His wide-eyed look and silence put him right back in his place and he quickly turned away blushing. This showed that his mockery of the younger student was a way to cover up for his own weaknesses and insecurities. Although the suffering from the humiliation that the 5th grader faced was not at the same level as the Jewish or black slaves, the empathy I felt was the same for each situation. I don’t think that we should let any one person or religion suffer. In my opinion, even if God will solve all of the problems in the end, in the short-run there is definitely a clear loss.

The degree of the pain suffered makes it hard to comprehend that anyone could remain faithful to a higher power. The victims of the Holocaust did not control their own lives physically or mentally, however spiritually they were free to think whatever they wanted. With the hope that God might one day save them from their struggles, Jews could manage to stay sane. Unfortunately, some Jews either were unlucky or did not catch this notion and therefore did not survive the Holocaust. Others wondered where he was when they were in desperate times. A victim of the Holocaust, Judith H. Sherman, challenges the existence of God:

“I will show
You sights
Not fit
For Godly eyes
(not fit for thee
is it for me?)
who will make it fit for Thee?

For Your divine grief
I would hand a handkerchief,
I have none
Nor am I in need of one,
We drink our tears
-- water shortage.”

Sherman, along with the Jewish population in Germany during World War II, was put in the ultimate imprisonment in the Ravensbruck death camp when they were very young. The Jewish youths were innocent and blameless, yet they still endured a journey of torture, hunger, and the death. I did a research paper on Anne Frank in the 4th grade and I remember a quote that really stuck out to me about her positive attitude even in the most miserable circumstances:

"... in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can’t build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery, and death. I see the world gradually being turned into a wilderness, I hear the ever approaching thunder, which will destroy us too, I can feel the sufferings of millions and yet, if I look up into the heavens, I think that it will all come right, that this cruelty too will end, and that peace and tranquility will return again."

Fall semester of my sophomore year I am taking a class that is actually called “the Holocaust.” This will hopefully broaden my knowledge of the Jewish faith and give me the opportunity to learn how it was tested by this shameful period in history. I have always found the Holocaust fascinating and look forward to seeing the role of religion in the lives of the people the lived through it.

Native American Religion

Watch this clip to learn some history on one of the most crucial points in the Native American religion:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np-TYoZE5NM&feature=PlayList&p=DF189C46C2590711&index=1

Nearly a quarter of the Cherokee Nation froze or starved to death on the trail to Oklahoma Indian Territory. This video explores America's darkest period: President Andrew Jackson's Indian Removal Act of 1830 and the forced removal of the Cherokee Nation to Oklahoma in 1838. Nearly a quarter of the Cherokee National died during the Trail of Tears, arriving in Indian Territory with few elders and even fewer children. The journey endured just made their faith stronger, especially as a community. The Native Americans were united together in their misery as they were exiled out of their own territory.

Black Theology

The ultimate example of black suffering is slavery. Enslavement allowed the blacks to experience injustice, cruelty, and oppression. All of these negatives form one thing: evil. So how can blacks still have faith in God when these terrible things occur to them on a daily basis? The community of faith allowed them to continue in their belief that God exists despite the evident adversities. Cone compared the seemingly absence of God to the book of Job. The message conveyed is not all suffering is determined on account of disobedience. Job was an innocent, humble man who turned away from temptation, yet he suffered. In order to grasp the idea that suffering is a reality of life, one must understand in “the form of divine self-disclosure.” (Cone) Job explains this epiphany in the Bible:

“I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees thee.”
- 42:5

Therefore, the faithful can deal with the miseries with the understanding that they will be able to experience the presence of the divine. Even when the blacks are at their worst, they remain confident that Jesus is watching over them and will not leave them alone.

“Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen
Nobody knows my sorrow.
Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen,
Glory, Hallelujah!”

This song confirms that blacks are faithful when experiencing trouble because thy know that “God is the companion of suffers.” (Cone)

“Soon-a-will be done with the trouble of the world;
Soon-a-will be done with the trouble of the world;
Going home to live with God.
All-a-my troubles will soon be over with,
All-a-my troubles will soon be over with,
All over this world.”

Often the spirituals and the blues of the black’s theology relate to the suffering of Jesus. Separated from their family when inflicted into slavery, blacks felt the abandonment Jesus went through when he was left to sacrifice his own life for everyone else. Therefore, it is concluded that God is the replacement for any shortage found in the community that blacks so strongly depend on to live through their struggles. “To those who know God is their striving for being, God is a mother to the motherless, a father to the fatherless.” (Cone) The spirituals are not songs that blame God for their suffering because black slaves did not perceive the source of their oppressed condition as being ordained by God or Jesus Christ.

Christianity

Suffering in Christianity is to be a witness to the truth of the faith, not the result of one’s own antisocial behavior. Experiencing the misery of suffering, Christians can become closer to God because they share a taste of what Christ went through to sacrifice himself for the forgiveness of sins. Therefore, Christians must find resignation and patience to deal with the suffering as the will of God.

“Beloved, do not be surprised at the painful
trial you are suffering, as though something
strange were happening to you. But rejoice
that you participate in the sufferings of Christ,
so that you may be overjoyed when his glory
is revealed. If you are insulted because of the
name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit
of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer,
it should not be as a murderer or thief or any
other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler.
However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not
be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.”
- Peter 4:12-16

By Christians going through suffering, they become aware of Jesus Christ. There is comfort in suffering because God can use struggles as a lesson to teach us and make us better people. Often it takes suffering to make us realize the brevity of life, and the importance of living for Christ. It can be understood that God uses suffering to accomplish things that would not otherwise be accomplished.

"Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
- James 1:2-4

Hinduism

Suffering in Hinduism is occurs on a mental and physical level. The degree of suffering depends on one’s past life. They call this consequence karma. It is not believed to be a punishment, but rather a natural result of the moral laws of the universe in response to the past negative actions. Therefore, if a Hindu was struggling through a rough time and asked “why me?” or “what caused this to happen?”- a response as I understand from the Hindu religion would be that it is due to the soul’s previous activities. This is the price that a Hindu must pay if they made bad decisions in their previous existence. Suffering is understood to be part of living until the Hindu reaches moksha, and is released from the present suffering on Earth. As long as the Hindu is on Earth, he or she will experience physical pain. But as I mentioned before, physical pain is separate from mental pain. While the body may be in pain, the Self or soul is not in any way affected or harmed. From the story of Arjuna, a seeker of wisdom in The Bhagavad-Gita, the relationship between suffering and soul:

“The self embodied in the body
of every being is indestructible”.

- The Bhagavad-Gita

and also:

“Weapons do not cut it,
fire does not burn it,
waters do not wet it,
wind does not wither it.
It cannot be cut or burned;
it cannot be wet or withered;
it is enduring, all-pervasive,
fixed, immovable, and timeless”.

- The Bhagavad-Gita

Therefore, it is considered temporary suffering and not solely bad but as experiences that need to be viewed from multiple perspectives. Hindu traditions hold that all things are manifestations of God, so nothing is only good or bad, including suffering. To view suffering as bad is to see only one side of it. Suffering is positive if it leads to progress on a spiritual path. Some even embrace suffering as a way to progress on his spiritual path, to be tested and learn from a difficult experience.

“Contacts with matter make us feel
heat and cold, pleasure and pain.
Arjuna, you must learn to endure
fleeting things—they come and go!
When these cannot torment a man,
When suffering and joy are equal
for him and he has courage,
he is fit for immortality.”

- The Bhagavad-Gita

Under Hinduism, the process of suffering is seen as an opportunity to break through to the unconscious and not plead for pain relief. Most important would be to refocus away from pain to dharma.

You can read the entire Bhagavad-Gita by following this link:
http://www.bhagavad-gita.us/

Expression of Suffering of Different Religions

For most religions, suffering is the result of human failure or the lack of human understanding. In monotheistic or most Western religions, suffering is wrapped up in the concept of sin and human failing. In the Eastern religions, suffering is the result of humankind's lack of understanding, or enlightenment. Whatever the source of suffering is — human failure or human "blindness" — religions give their members hope by offering ways to overcome the suffering. In Western religions, the goal is salvation; in Eastern religions, it's enlightenment. Suffering is something that people from any religion can relate. However, each religion deals with their struggles differently. Based off the religions we discussed in class, I found the methods or theories utilized to manage their anguish very interesting. The founding of each religion has a story of their people suffering. Based on their experiences the people of the various religions find a way to express their pain either songs or stories. All the religions seem to have a trend that one cannot understand the true meaning of the pain expressed unless they understand or have been through it before. I would like to show some examples of the religions’ songs or stories that regard suffering. In order for the people of any religion to experience their God or Gods they must understand the bad or evil side of life to notice the good and moral side of life provided by their faith.