When Bad Things Happen to Good People
Written by Harold S. Kushner
Narrated by Harold S. Kushner
4/5
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About this audiobook
Harold S. Kushner
Harold Samuel Kushner is a prominent American rabbi. Born in Brooklyn, he was educated at Columbia University, the Jewish Theological Seminary and also studied at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is the author of the remarkable When Bad Things Happen to Good People - which deals with the problem of evil, in the light of the loss of his young son Aaron to the premature aging disease progeria. He is also the author of several other books on popular theology, including Living a Life that Matters and When All You've Ever Wanted Isn't Enough.
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Reviews for When Bad Things Happen to Good People
5 ratings1 review
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Sep 3, 2020
"When Bad Things Happen to Good People" by Harold S. Kushner
This is the book my oncologist recommended to me. It is not written by a doctor, it is written by a rabbi who had a son with a disease of premature aging who died at 14 years old. The book is dedicated to his son Aaron, who has passed away.
Its postulate is super interesting, and I fully identify with his reasoning. What he proposes is that God does not send us illnesses or suffering as punishment for something we have done, nor does He do it so that we "learn something"; God simply does NOT send it to us.
The world obeys certain natural rules that even God cannot change. That is why the world is not fair. That is why bad things happen to good people, and bad things happen to bad people too!
And in general, there is more good than bad.
God is as outraged as we are when an injustice occurs that even He could not prevent. His role is to help us overcome that tragedy, to give us strength during that illness, to find people who will accompany us in our pain, to let us know that we are not alone.
The facts of life and death are neutral. We give suffering either a positive or negative meaning with our attitudes.
For me, it is indeed much easier to believe in a God who hates suffering but cannot eliminate it than in a God who chooses to make innocent people suffer.
It is up to us to give suffering meaning.
And finally, the question we must ask ourselves is: "Now that this has happened to me, what can I do about it?" And from there, to get the best out of any situation.
The book is very interesting, very deep, and very assertive.
I liked it a lot.
I wish I had found it 20 years ago when my dad died of pancreatic cancer.
I thank God for having found it during my own cancer journey.
The best support book I have read to find some explanation for the eternal questions;
Why do bad things happen to good people? ?
Why does it sometimes seem that good things happen to bad people? ?
An excellent philosophical dissertation explained in a very understandable way. (Translated from Spanish)
