I would be so happy if I was never born so I would not have to face all the suffering, disappointment and trials that come with this life. Anti-natalist[1] philosopher David Benatar argues life would be better if we were not born and it is our duty to not bring any children into this world. He wrote, “While good people go to great lengths to spare their children from suffering, few of them seem to notice that the one (and only) guaranteed way to prevent all the suffering of their children is not to bring those children into existence in the first place.” He continues, “human life is cosmically meaningless[…] In the absence of cosmic meaning, only ‘terrestrial’ meaning remains. But every couple, or every person, can decide not to have a child. That’s an immense amount of suffering that’s avoided, which is all to the good.”[2]

Life without suffering is a goal that pursuers of peace have sought out for generations. If that is our goal than what Benatar argues has merit. Life might not be worth living and who then would want to bring another into this world of suffering and sorrow. Questioning life and it’s purpose is what we all have done at some point. “Theology is any reflection on the ultimate questions of life that point toward God”[3] Gentz goes on to say, “The ultimate question of all life’s ultimate questions is the question of God, for this is the question to which all others point.”[4] If we all ask these poignant questions then we are all on some level, theologians.

The search for these answers of purpose and meaning have led down many paths. Looking at the world, its attraction to religions, and philosophies helps us understand that there is a deep desire that is at the heart of every sojourner of truth. Making a trek up a tall mountain, hiking in difficult weather and enduring adversities to seek answers from a holy person is seen for many as a worthy task to take in ones life. In China there are numerous locations for pilgrimages. One such place has taken an unusual approach to this journey. At the end of a long journey, a seeker can enter into a holy area and ask a deep and spiritual (I dare say theological) question of the local monk. “Xian’er is a two-foot-tall robot in an orange robe that dispenses bits of Buddhist wisdom. It will then quote from the Buddhist Scriptures the appropriate response to life questions.” [5] Answers to deep seeded questions that are doled out like fortune cookie platitudes seems insincere. One of the local monks stated, “We’re not doing this for commerce, (although it costs) but just because we want to use more modern ways to spread Buddhist teachings.” So when asked, “What is the meaning of life?” The robot answers, “My master says the meaning of life is to help more people finally leave behind bitterness and gain happiness.”[6] Even Christian pastors have also been known to dispel platitudes like a robot monk, giving simplistic, sometimes not thought through, answers.

“Celebrity David Beckham has a tattoo with a philosophical meaning. This is a Chinese proverb. It reads, Death and life have pre-determined appointments; riches and honor are from heaven- 生死有命,富貴由天”[7] Beckham has obviously spent time questioning what this world means. He might not have the same understanding of God as we do, yet he nonetheless desires to know the answers to questions that a robot monk can not fully answer. Riches and honor are from heaven or God, what does that mean for those that are following their own personal path of self glory? When does a book or a tattoo, just become inspirational words from one time in our life rather than a reminder of the path we need to be on? “Being a Christian theologian at any level requires that a person be more interested in knowing God than in amassing ideas about God.”[8] Pursuits, such as knowledge, wealth and even attempting to live a good life, are like a thanksgiving dinner. We eat and are full thinking we never would eat again, only to realize this kind of satisfaction is fleeting.

The founder of Chinese Communism in 1921 said,“People’s happiness in life is the result of their own effort and is neither the gift of God nor a spontaneous natural product. If it were the gift of God, how is it that He was so generous with people today and so stingy with people in the past?”[9] After 90 years of a country trying to make its own hope while suffering some of the greatest self-inflicted tragedies, they still are searching for meaning. Even though it goes against all philosophies and sometimes cultures of China today, some are finding this fulfillment in Christ. “While it is true that Jesus unites, it is also true that Jesus divides.”[10] Even with these divisions that separate some believers from their families, or jobs that demand loose ethics, Jesus unites and brings this hope.

For David Benatar, anti-natalism is his source of hope, knowing less people will suffer. For Christians, advent brought that hope through Jesus. An advent passage for this Sunday is Isaiah 64:1-9, It begins with, “Oh, that you would burst from the heavens and come down! How the mountains would quake in your presence!” and verse 9, “Look at us, we pray, and see that we are all your people.” Hope comes without cliches yet gives answers that all theologians seek.

[1]      Anti-Natalism is philosophical position that assigns a negative value to birth. They believe people should refrain from procreation because it is immoral. http://www.yourdictionary.com/antinatalism. Accessed November 30,

[2]      https://www.newyorker.com/culture/persons-of-interest/the-case-for-not-being-born. Accessed Nov. 28, 2017

[3]      Grenz, Stanley J.. Who Needs Theology?: An Invitation to the Study of God (p. 13). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.

[4]      Ibid, 15

[5]      https://www.inverse.com/article/14904-a-robot-monk-in-china-will-tell-you-the-meaning-of-life. Accessed November 28, 2017

[6]      Ibid

[7]      http://www.nganfineart.com/calli-tattoo/tattoo_celeb_david-beckham_en.html. Accessed Nov. 28, 2017

[8]      Grenz, Stanley J.. Who Needs Theology?: An Invitation to the Study of God. InterVarsity Press.135 Kindle Edition.

[9]      Chen, Duxiu, “The True Meaning of Life.”Asia for Educators. New York: Columbia University Press. 2. http://afe.easia.columbia.edu

[10]      Grenz, Stanley J.. Who Needs Theology?: An Invitation to the Study of God.InterVarsity Press.60 Kindle Edition