It says in the Writings that mortal illnesses come to people to bring them
closer to God. One might expect, therefore, that those getting diseases
like cancer would be the ones who really need the spiritual benefit the
illness could provide. In other words, the least spiritual people. One
would not expect saints to be so afflicted. Speaking from experience, it
seems quite random to me who gets these illnesses (note that I'm not talking
about illnesses caused by such things as malnutrition or old age). I knew a
really good Baha'i who was quite prominent in NZ, and he died quite early
because of cancer. He hardly seemed like he "needed it," as he was doing
better than most spiritually. It seems purely random to me who gets these
diseases. I don't think what is said in the Writings has to be interpreted
to mean that people who get the diseases do for some reason. I don't see
anything that would enable me to predict who might become afflicted, as the
good and the bad can be afflicted. Is it purely random? One of the Baha'is
in my community had several miscarriages (eventually conceiving) and
wondered if God might have made it happen that way to teach her something.
It seems to me that such things are totally random, and she simply had
particularly bad luck. I don't think God directly intervenes in affairs as
much as some Baha'is seem to believe. Is there anything in the Writings
that can shed some light on this area?
David
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