Fred Clark essentially posits Jonah as a response to Job, basically “god is actually good and forgiving and not a jackass who thinks mass murder pranks are a good time”
+Question
+Reading through Job as research for the next book and y’all, it’s rough. First time going through it in like fifteen years. I can’t remember if it was Apocrypals or Bible For Normal People, but hearing a story of people struggling with their faith after reading it no longer surprises me c.c
+So, what role does this play in Christianity? Is it a demonstration of God’s power or position over man or something?
+Raised atheist, so I feel like I’m missing something important on a cultural level.
+Responses
+Fred Clark essentially posits Jonah as a response to Job, basically “god is actually good and forgiving and not a jackass who thinks mass murder pranks are a good time”
The point of Job is the ending, really. We can’t even discuss theodicy because we aren’t the ones who can see the whole picture and know what is evil and what is justified.
Here’s what I get out of it: it’s a story, probably the oldest part of the Bible, that says sometimes bad shit happens to good people, and if there’s a reason for it we may never know. There’s no pat moral answer in it, but there’s a degree of comfort in knowing that doubt and anger at God aren’t new.