The Everyday Club

2/22/11 William, about 50
I happened upon a man named William at a laundromat who was more than happy to talk about his beliefs as he did his laundry. He seemed a little confused at first, and I wasn't sure if he was really understanding much so I almost cut the conversation short. But then he asked "If God is so good, why would He let so many bad things happen in the world?" We talked about this a while, and he asked other questions, each initiating more good quality conversation - "Why did God give us the Ten Commandments if He knew we would break them?" "Why are we blamed for Adam and Eve's sin?" "What happens to little babies who die before they have a chance to believe?" and so on. I've been asked questions like this before, but usually with the purpose of trying to discredit the Bible or Christianity. William seemed to really want to know, and was willing to talk through my answers for each one. I can usually tell about a person's involvement in a conversation by the quality of the questions they ask. I'm glad I didn't dismiss William too quickly as being unable to understand.