Is God to blame for some of the world’s problems?

DEAR CHAPLAIN >> The problem I see with the world is there’s too much division. I feel if God would’ve made everyone the same race and had them speak the same language we wouldn’t have all of these deep rooted issues facing our society today. I believe we would get along much better if we were the same race and color, and communicated the same. So isn’t God really to blame for all the trouble in the world, as it relates to race and languages?

— Signed, God’s Problem

DEAR GOD’S PROBLEM >> Thank you for your question. I agree with you, if we were all the same race and all spoke the same language perhaps there would be less division in the world and we could get along better with one another. I believe the Bible supports your position as well. According to the book of Genesis, after the great flood, we see there was only Noah and his immediate family on Earth. Everyone was the same race, had the same genetic makeup, spoke the same language, and lived in the same region. There also appeared to be no division among them. They seemed to get along. However, after they collectively, with one mind, decided to embark on making a tower to heaven, their language was confused and they were scattered to different parts of the earth.

Genesis 11:1-9 “1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. 3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter. 4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth. 5 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. 6 And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. 7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. 9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.”

Although the people on the Earth were divided, the reason was not God’s fault, mankind was directly to blame. Instead of them using their unity for good, they used it for evil. Instead of getting to heaven the way God planned (through our savior Christ Jesus), they devised their own plan by making the Tower of Babel. Instead of making God’s name great throughout the earth, they wanted to make their name great. Instead of filling the Earth as God instructed in Genesis 1:28, they wanted to reside in one place. Although the people were somewhat successful (Because they tapped into a spiritual principle that there is power in agreement, as in Matthew 18:19, “If two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven”), God brought their work to a screeching halt since they were attempting to use their unity, not for good, but rather for evil. Instead of God destroying them once again, he punished them by confusing their language and dispersing them throughout the earth. As the families migrated around the word into smaller groups, these groups inter-married, and procreated. Genes within the human gene pool became dominant in certain regions, while others became latent. Within a few generations, these genes produced the skin color, hair color and texture, bone structure and other physical characteristics that made each group distinctive within its isolated geographical area. As a result, diverse races of people came about and can be traced directly back to certain regions of the world, such as we see in some of our modern genetic testing today. So the problems we now face in our world concerning races and communication is not God’s fault, but rather a direct result of mankind’s poor choices. But all is not lost! In God’s infinite mercy he gave us another chance to be unified as one people, and to use our unity for good and not evil. After Jesus ascended, he sent the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost to unite us, to give us power to do his will and his work, and to enable us to communicate with those of diverse tongues. In Acts 2:121, the Christians were all together in one place, and the Holy Spirit came and filled them, and they began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them, and all those who were around gathered in astonishment to hear people of other nationalities speaking in their languages. This was the beginning of God’s people no longer being divided, but unified, not in race or color but through the power of the Holy Spirit working in each of us, to do God’s will and God’s work, so we can all get to heaven, God’s way.