Article September 9, 1916 Issue

From Our Exchanges

with contributions from Andrew Gillies, Henry Kingman

[The Jewish Chronicle]

The question naturally arises, Why is it that in a world framed, as we believe, by a good and ever loving God, diseases occur? Their presence is one of the things which has troubled men and forced not a few to the dreary creed of despair. To many minds disease casts its dark shadow over the face of God and quenches in their hearts all reverence and love. This would perhaps be justified if disease could be shown to be the normal condition of man,—if it could be proved to be in the very texture of his nature,—a part of its original endowment. But there are good reasons for believing that disease found no element in humanity as it came from the hand of God. God made men upright, but "they have sought out many inventions." "And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good." This seems clear from the fact that many diseases can be traced back to their origin, so that we can see exactly how they arose. We know their genesis. Fully half the maladies to which men are liable are due to impurity, either physical or moral.

Now if we can clearly trace the origin of certain diseases to the carelessness or sin of men, are we not justified in believing that all disease has a like origin and is abnormal? Moreover we know that new conditions of life have given rise to new forms of disease. The rush of life in our day, the mad race for wealth, the swift modes of travel, have given rise to many forms of nervous disease unknown to earlier and quieter days. Many considerations lead to the conclusion that disease is not from heaven but from earth, not from the great Father, but from the folly or carelessness or sin of men. Have we not been assured, "If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his eyes, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee." Therefore let us put away the too common idea that God is the author of disease. He is the God of health, not of disease; of order, not of confusion.

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