The answer to this question is that none of us are truly innocent or undeserving. This answers the question you hear so often: "Why didn't God merely create a world where tragedy and suffering didn't exist?" Although evil existed at the time God created the world, the consequences of evil such as human death, pain, and suffering did not. Back To Article 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? People are divided on the question of whether or not God is real. Jesus reveals the intensity of God’s concern for the human race. Second Corinthians 6:14 reminds us, we should not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. 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? Which biblical text(s) have you found to be most illuminating in facing the mystery of suffering? (From The Creation Answers Book) Why would a loving God allow death and suffering? However, the first human couple rebelled against God’s rulership, choosing to set their own standards of good and bad. What I struggle with is if our God is an all loving, merciful God, then why are there children dying of starvation or cancer? I don’t understand why an all-powerful, ever-loving God would allow this type of suffering to happen. The problem of evil is the question of how to reconcile the existence of evil and suffering with an omnipotent, omnibenevolent, and omniscient God. At times even great thinkers are baffled by the seeming contradiction between the existence of a loving God and the fact of evil. 3. I think we need to deal with a couple of issues: Is this a good argument against the existence of God? 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. 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. If God exists why does he allow suffering? DISCUSSION QUESTIONS God and the Mystery of Human Suffering Introduction 1. Rachel February 11, 2013 at 3:24 pm. The curious, as well as the critics of Christianity, ask this question. Isn't human suffering proof that a just, all-powerful God must not exist? What assumptions about God and suffering do you bring to this exploration of the tradition? 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. If the Christian God is real, why is there evil and suffering in the world? 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. There are a few ways to answer this question, and the appropriate answer depends on the meaning of the question. The theodicy question – the question about evil, suffering and guilt in God’s good creation – cannot avoid the question of God itself. 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. How much evil should be stopped? One question that I constantly struggle with is the presence of suffering. This is a question that has been asked many times, and there have been various answers that have been given by philosophers and theologians. But in no way did God originate human suffering. Answer: The Bible describes God as holy (Isaiah 6:3), righteous (Psalm 7:11), just (Deuteronomy 32:4), and sovereign (Daniel 4:17-25). Does he put a force field up any time armies are thinking about fighting? What does He do to prevent suffering? Or if there is a God, he must not be good or he must not be all-powerful. God, don’t You care that people are dying? 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). If God ordained it, then perhaps we should endure it in full strength. 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. By continuing to allow suffering in this world, God shows us every day that something is wrong. Yesterday, I answered the question – Why does God allow suffering? 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. Does he cause substances that are poisonous to lose their poison as soon as we drink them? If God is all-powerful and all-loving, then why does He allow evil and suffering in the world? But, as we shall see, He willingly suffered for our benefit. If God prevented sickness, disease, war, famine, hurricanes and other matters that cause people to suffer – then we would be in heaven. Since there is evil, there must be no God. God must have a reason for allowing evil and suffering but the reason is beyond human understanding. Isaiah’s prophecy shows us that, in His innocence and sinlessness, Jesus experienced the desolation of rejection and the agony of a cruel death. God never answers Job’s question about the reason for human suffering. Everyday there are several questions from your camp about why God allows suffering. God could be using suffering for His divine plan, in order to teach, for discipline, because people are free, etc. Many Christians wonder if it’s okay to take medicine for the disease, illness, or other type of suffering God ordained. But even medicine is a gift from God where man tested God’s creation and created … We do know that all suffering will cease. It means that He simply has chosen not to do so. Is cruelty normal? 2. 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. He prefers to encourage the kind of faith that does not demand answers. At the beginning of man’s history there was no death, no suffering, no tears and no sorrow (Genesis chs. We have sympathy for those who suffer greatly and want to do what we can to help. A. That is kind of an odd way to phrase the question, honestly. 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. The existence of suffering does not at all mean that God cannot stop all of it. Death and Suffering Questions and Answers Key Articles. Satan did not call into question Jehovah’s power. 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? Indeed, our beliefs about God and suffering expose the fault lines between our natural assumptions and the biblical narrative. 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. Probably one of the greatest challenges faced by Christianity and Christians is the reality of evil and suffering. ~ Augustine. How Can God Allow So Much Evil and Suffering? God allows suffering to show us that something is wrong. ... 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. Whether Christian or not, questions concerning suffering often show up during grief and tragedy. Question: "Why does God allow evil?" God wants people to follow the example of Jesus and help those who are suffering. Your promise revives me; it comfits me in all my troubles. But the existence of suffering in God's world is much more than an academic question or an intellectual conundrum. 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. 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 story of the bible is the story of God taking responsibility for fixing up the mess through Jesus. These attributes tell us the following about God: (1) God is capable of preventing evil, and (2) God … 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. The problem of suffering. The God worshiped by Christians is embodied in the Lamb of God—the Messiah. The answer is: He did! So pretend with me for a moment that there is a God who in your mind is "just." To find out why God allows suffering, we need to think back to the time when suffering began. How did bad things come about? God is more concerned with strengthening man’s faith. There are also questions that Atheists commonly raise about God, the Bible and the Christian faith. Q. Even amidst suffering, we must remember that there is a good, gracious, and just God in the heavens. Lord, how long will You be silent? Some ask this question from the safety of a late-night student discussion or TV chat show; for them it is an “armchair question”. One thought on “ Question: How do Atheists/agnostics understand suffering and evil? God, why do You allow Your people to go through such great suffering? 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. Today we are experiencing the effects of their bad choice. As a result, God … At least as important as the question of why there is suffering is the question of how we will face the pain. 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