The answer is: He did! One question that I constantly struggle with is the presence of suffering. 2. Probably one of the greatest challenges faced by Christianity and Christians is the reality of evil and suffering. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS God and the Mystery of Human Suffering Introduction 1. At the beginning of man’s history there was no death, no suffering, no tears and no sorrow (Genesis chs. If God exists why does he allow suffering? The story of the bible is the story of God taking responsibility for fixing up the mess through Jesus. Some people believe that we are here by chance – a result of evolution; that we make our own destiny and decisions; that it is down to humankind to help each other with no greater power existing to help us along the way. Since there is evil, there must be no God. 1-2). They turned away from God and suffered the consequences. At times even great thinkers are baffled by the seeming contradiction between the existence of a loving God and the fact of evil. How did bad things come about? If God is all-powerful and all-loving, then why does He allow evil and suffering in the world? Buzzle sheds light on some interesting philosophical questions about God and the debates that have ensued. Augustine, however, laid the burdens of the cause of, and responsibility for, the evil and suffering in the world on humanity, rooted in the rejection of God. Jesus reveals the intensity of God’s concern for the human race. But even medicine is a gift from God where man tested God’s creation and created … But the God of the Bible charts a different course. As a result, God … God wants people to follow the example of Jesus and help those who are suffering. ... Generally, we tend to link the person’s suffering with God’s punishment, in which case, it may be said that God indeed punishes sinners. Isaiah’s prophecy shows us that, in His innocence and sinlessness, Jesus experienced the desolation of rejection and the agony of a cruel death. So pretend with me for a moment that there is a God who in your mind is "just." We may wonder if God could possibly understand our suffering, but the truth is God has experienced suffering to a degree we can’t imagine. Various answers have been given but permanently settling the issue is impossible (this side of heaven) because so many of our answers raise further questions. How Can God Allow So Much Evil and Suffering? Today, let’s look at what scholars, theologians, and the writers of the Bible have to say on the subject of God and suffering: God had one Son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering. Or if there is a God, he must not be good or he must not be all-powerful. That is kind of an odd way to phrase the question, honestly. Back To Article Death and Suffering Questions and Answers Key Articles. Though his ways are higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9) and we cannot fully understand it at the time, God’s Word reminds us to remember and ignite the eternal hope we have in Jesus, the one who has reconciled us back to our Creator. The problem of evil is the question of how to reconcile the existence of evil and suffering with an omnipotent, omnibenevolent, and omniscient God. We do know that all suffering will cease. At least as important as the question of why there is suffering is the question of how we will face the pain. These attributes tell us the following about God: (1) God is capable of preventing evil, and (2) God … God must have a reason for allowing evil and suffering but the reason is beyond human understanding. God, why do You allow Your people to go through such great suffering? Q. But the existence of suffering in God's world is much more than an academic question or an intellectual conundrum. Many Christians wonder if it’s okay to take medicine for the disease, illness, or other type of suffering God ordained. Lord, how long will You be silent? Indeed, our beliefs about God and suffering expose the fault lines between our natural assumptions and the biblical narrative. To find out why God allows suffering, we need to think back to the time when suffering began. The amazing outcome was that God was able to bring Job into complete confidence in God’s goodness without receiving a direct answer to his questions regarding suffering and God’s justice. The question, “why does God allow pain and suffering,” is always asked of pain and suffering experienced by those we deem to be innocent or undeserving of such affliction. Is cruelty normal? By continuing to allow suffering in this world, God shows us every day that something is wrong. God, don’t You care that people are dying? If God prevented sickness, disease, war, famine, hurricanes and other matters that cause people to suffer – then we would be in heaven. If God ordained it, then perhaps we should endure it in full strength. God is good The Bible affirms that “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).At the end of each day of creation, God stated that the works of His hands were either “good”, or “very good” (Genesis 1:4,10,12,18,21,25,31). But, as we shall see, He willingly suffered for our benefit. When Satan led Adam and Eve into disobeying Jehovah, an important question was raised. Isn't human suffering proof that a just, all-powerful God must not exist? Which biblical text(s) have you found to be most illuminating in facing the mystery of suffering? It means that He simply has chosen not to do so. People are divided on the question of whether or not God is real. Satan did not call into question Jehovah’s power. If you’ve already asked these questions—whether secretly or out loud—and somehow felt guilty for even entertaining such doubts and questions about God, I want you to know that it’s okay. The Fall: a cosmic catastrophe: Hugh Ross’s blunders on plant death in the Bible; How can an all-powerful, loving God allow suffering and death? ~ Augustine. Does he cause substances that are poisonous to lose their poison as soon as we drink them? The existence of suffering does not at all mean that God cannot stop all of it. The Problem Non-Christians almost always raise the question: If God is good and God is great (all-powerful) then how can there be evil in the world? God allows suffering to show us that something is wrong. One thought on “ Question: How do Atheists/agnostics understand suffering and evil? Although evil existed at the time God created the world, the consequences of evil such as human death, pain, and suffering did not. The God worshiped by Christians is embodied in the Lamb of God—the Messiah. However, the first human couple rebelled against God’s rulership, choosing to set their own standards of good and bad. This answers the question you hear so often: "Why didn't God merely create a world where tragedy and suffering didn't exist?" We sometimes ask, “If there is a loving God, why does He stand back and do nothing while the world is full of suffering?” Suffering in our own lives can be a big problem. Our response to the question “If God is in control, why does he allow suffering?” will also depend on whether or not they are in the midst of suffering. The philosopher Alvin Plantinga knows this subject well, and in his book God, Freedom, and Evil , he applies penetrating philosophical scrutiny to the problem of suffering from his breadth of knowledge and depth of understanding. I think we need to deal with a couple of issues: Is this a good argument against the existence of God? This is a question that has been asked many times, and there have been various answers that have been given by philosophers and theologians. On the contrary, says Boston College Professor of Philosophy Peter Kreeft. What assumptions about God and suffering do you bring to this exploration of the tradition? Yesterday, I answered the question – Why does God allow suffering? The best known presentation is attributed to the Greek philosopher Epicurus by David Hume, who was responsible for popularizing it.Hume summarizes Epicurus's version of the problem as follows: "Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Second Corinthians 6:14 reminds us, we should not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. Rachel February 11, 2013 at 3:24 pm. The loving, omnipotent God of our imagination would move swiftly from creation to new creation, from the garden of Eden of Genesis to the heavenly Jerusalem of Revelation. What does He do to prevent suffering? 3. Question: "Why does God allow evil?" If the Christian God is real, why is there evil and suffering in the world? (From The Creation Answers Book) Why would a loving God allow death and suffering? Some ask this question from the safety of a late-night student discussion or TV chat show; for them it is an “armchair question”. Your promise revives me; it comfits me in all my troubles. The curious, as well as the critics of Christianity, ask this question. Today we are experiencing the effects of their bad choice. Answer: The Bible describes God as holy (Isaiah 6:3), righteous (Psalm 7:11), just (Deuteronomy 32:4), and sovereign (Daniel 4:17-25). And the Bible does describe a real place called heaven (a place without suffering) where all who trust in Jesus Christ go when they die. The theodicy question – the question about evil, suffering and guilt in God’s good creation – cannot avoid the question of God itself. He prefers to encourage the kind of faith that does not demand answers. But in no way did God originate human suffering. Whether Christian or not, questions concerning suffering often show up during grief and tragedy. The problem of suffering. God is more concerned with strengthening man’s faith. God could be using suffering for His divine plan, in order to teach, for discipline, because people are free, etc. The answer to this question is that none of us are truly innocent or undeserving. This is a continuation of the theme of God’s suffering and grief at human sin and unbelief that is found in the Old Testament (Judges 10:16; Isaiah 40:11; 53; Jeremiah 3:1; Hosea 3:1). God never answers Job’s question about the reason for human suffering. We have sympathy for those who suffer greatly and want to do what we can to help. A. What I struggle with is if our God is an all loving, merciful God, then why are there children dying of starvation or cancer? How much evil should be stopped? 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