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Introduction “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). Most people who live in advanced nations find it easy to believe that the state of humanity has never been better. For them, evidence they see every day would make it hard to argue otherwise. Technologically advanced countries command the highest standard of living in history. They enjoy comfortable, affordable housing; fast, efficient transportation; plenty to eat and drink; mostly secure employment; educational opportunities; and a dizzying array of entertaining gadgets and opportunities. They benefit from incomes high enough to meet their basic needs and have plenty left over for many of their wants. But such is not the case for most of mankind. Most people go to sleep with hunger gnawing at their stomachs. Their meager income goes to purchase just enough food to keep them alive. Some have a little left over for housing, clothing and transportation. Every day 35,000 children—enough to populate a fair-sized city—die of starvation or disorders related to chronic malnutrition. Premature death from disease takes the lives of tens of thousands more every day. Cholera, malaria, tuberculosis and typhoid—almost eradicated in the advanced countries—are deadly throughout much of the world. Even in advanced nations cancer, heart disease and AIDS kill thousands by the hour. None of us has experienced a truly peaceful world. During the last few decades humanity has developed the horrifying ability to exterminate all human life. Now we have the weaponry—nuclear, chemical, biological and conventional—to kill every man, woman and child on earth many times over. The last century alone saw catastrophic wars that took the lives of more than 150 million men, women and children—mostly civilians. In more recent years dozens of armed conflicts, uprisings and insurrections have raged around the globe every year, shattering the lives of millions. Few realize that even now the stage is being set for far greater catastrophes. Why does so much conflict, violence and downright evil permeate our societies? Where can we find the answer? If a bright spot could be found in the world, surely it would be in the arena of religion, wouldn’t it? But, sadly, even religion, to which many look for solutions to the world’s problems, is in disarray. Many recent wars have seen Christian fight Christian, Muslim kill Muslim, Jew confront Jew. Confusion abounds in the religious world. Even many preChristian religions with their pagan rites, practices and superstitions are making a comeback as people search for the meaning they no longer find in conventional rituals and beliefs. Why are we plagued with these problems? Why such chaos and confusion? Is the anguish of the human race simply the result of uncontrollable circumstances—time and chance? Is our collective suffering simply the way things always have been and the way they always will be? Scientists recognize that a basic law of the universe is that a cause exists for every effect. Things do not just happen; they occur because something or someone causes them to happen. In fact, we can find a cause for every evil we see in the world. Crime, war, religious confusion, famine, starvation, disease and premature death in their many tragic forms all exist for a reason. Broken marriages, broken families, broken relationships and broken societies do not just happen. You can know the cause for this world’s problems, the underlying reason for so many of the difficulties you face in your own life. This booklet will help you understand that cause and—more important— what you can do about it.
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