Between divine retribution and mercy: on the images of God in the context of COVID-19

Abstract

In this article, I pose the question: what theological views did the pandemic trigger, where did they originate, and in what direction should they evolve? In this, I highlight the encounter between two images of God – the punishing and the merciful – in the context of distortions in religious commentaries on COVID-19. I first ask: From where does the ten-dency to treat misfortunes as punishment from God come? Later, I propose an alternative model – God is guided by love. I find it more credible in the face of contemporary Church teaching. In the third step, I characterise the foundations of a model based on God’s autonomy and the world, which – in my opinion – can help provide a correct explanation of the problem of evil. It seems that in the face of evil, the thoughts of religious people are very often directed to God, and in the background of their reflection is the question: For what sins are we suffering this? One of the factors contributing to the shaping of such thinking was the expansion of the expiatory model of Revelation. In many theological statements, and above all in Pope Francis’s teaching, there is a suggestion that the image of divine retribution does not correspond to the intuitions that come from the experiences of faith and other theological sources. Since God is love, he does not strive to destroy creation, even in the face of great ingratitude. One more conclusion can be drawn from this image of a loving Creator. Since he is guided by true love, he should treat the world in a spirit of respect for freedom. Otherwise, this love would be imperfect.