Doesn't a lightning rod on a church steeple indicate a complete lack of confidence?

On one of the PD forums I visited recently, there arose a discussion as to whether or not God exists and if he does exist, why does he permit the existence of disease. I didn't get into the whole thing because, I am afraid, this puny (deteriorating) mind of mine can't contemplate the metaphysical to any great degree. However, had I entered the round table, I would have contributed these three thoughts

1. I don't believe in the "big bang" theory of the creation of the universe, despite the accumulation of evidence that the whole shebang began from a singularity (whatever that is). I think the universe has always existed and will always exist. The only certainty is change. The existence of the universe is not necessarily evidence of a God who created it because, in my philosophy, there need not be a beginning or an ending just because they both exist on earth.
2. The Star Wars "god", the FORCE, makes more sense to me than a bearded man lurking somewhere above the clouds. My Force is everywhere, waiting to be discovered. It may even be so powerful that mere humans can communicate with it through prayer and face it, all of us have used prayer at one time or another.
3. My force does not hover around, waiting to strike down humans with a disease. That is just a matter of chance and bad luck. Something, somewhere, has caused me to get PD. It's nobody's fault so there is no one to blame and prayer just takes the edge off (the very few times I might have resorted to it which, I admit, I can't remember if I have done so since diagnosis. Probably not.)
4. I don't think religions have the answers, seeing as how they all are different in their beliefs and probably none is correct.

So I don't get emotionally involved with any of the questions that begin with "Why me?" and the question of the existence of God. Maybe disease is one of God's little mistakes, like earthquakes and tornadoes; although, as Archie Bunker said in a recent rerun of All in the Family, "God don't make no mistakes. That's how he got to be God."

Wpgchap has left the blog.

Nota bene - the use of the pronoun "he" as a reference to God is an all inclusive use, meant to include the possibility, however remote, that God is a woman. If a female were in charge, the world would not be as absurd as it is now.