Though I personally find all responses to evil through the perspective of religion to be largely incomplete and irrational, the concept of promise is likely one that has the largest contradictions and falsehoods. Promise as the primary response to evil can be seen in large religions such as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. All interpretations of the response provide consolation in the form of a better future, a messiah, heaven, or the perfect afterlife. Among the major religions and within their subgroups there is disagreement regarding whether the promise has occurred or is yet to come. This can be observed in Jewish Orthodoxy, in which there is a promise of a nation of Israel led by a messiah (Cunningham & Kelsay 108). Despite this, the current state of Israel is rejected as this sacred land, thereby suggesting the promise is yet to come.
Such an approach to evil is largely unsatisfying as it attributes the loss and despair that results from evil to a hypothetical future. It highlights the inability to respond to evil in a reasonable manner within the present time and deludes an individual into accepting either a future punishment for evil-doers or a reward for one’s suffering. However, the promises lack basis and are founded entirely on belief and theory while evil acts remain starkly grounded in reality. As such, it becomes not only intellectually unsatisfying but incapable of addressing the emotional and spiritual needs of individuals. Additionally, the variations in community perceptions of the arrivals of messiahs or miracles suggest that it is unlikely that a confirmation of the promise finally occurring can ever be determined. Therefore, the function of a promise is hollow and inefficient.
Work Cited
Cunningham, Lawrence, & Kelsay, John. The Sacred Quest. Pearson, 2012.