if god exists, why do we suffer

Can He or is He weaker than we think? God loves us dearly and has already suffered himself in order to bring us out of this suffering world. The question is what theologians call theodicy the theological study of evil. Such a God would not permit unnecessary suffering. Scientists Dont Have a Clue How Life Began, A Book Review and Summary of John C. Sanford's Genetic Entropy and the Mystery of the Genome, God and the Laws of Science: Genetics vs. Evolution [Part 1], Another Pointless Attempt to Defeat Biogenesis, Anything Finely Tuned Demands a Fine Tuner, The Teleological Argument for the Existence of God [Part 1], The Moral Argument for the Existence of God, Jesus Christ--Unique Savior or Average Fraud? Biblically speaking, pain and suffering are the results of sin in the world. While the Bible asserts the fact that God is all powerful and He is all loving, it also declares that God is all wise. When you get an F on your report card, thats not a good thing. What does the Bible say about God and suffering? American philosopher John Rawls abandoned Christianity after witnessing the horrors of WWII and the Holocaust. God encourages us to care for the orphans, widows (James 1:27), prisoners (Heb. The metaphor that works best for me is imagining God as the air, surrounding each of us, inside and outside of us. One day there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain and God will wipe away every tear from our eyes. If God exists, he may or may not choose to provide sufficient proof for his existence. How do we know that the Bibles account of Jesus life is accurate? I have faith that there is more to reality than can be measured in a laboratory. Evil comes instead from Satan, and it entered this world when Satan deceived Adam and Eve and caused them to turn against God. Permissions According to theists, God is omni-present and God is seen as Positive belief. Then he is not omnipotent. Third, the Bible tells us that in the meantime, God can give us victory over evil. With mass shootings and natural disasters filling the headlines, it's normal to wonder why a sovereign God allows suffering. In his book Mere Christianity, former atheist C.S. Home The hypothesis of indifference that is, if there are supernatural beings, then they are indifferent to gratuitous evils is a better explanation for the first point than theism. Will Graham Devotion: 3 Reminders in Your Suffering, Will Graham Devotion: Suffering for Jesus. Part of Religious Studies Morals, ethics and philosophy The world is full of suffering, but why? But, without sin, suffering, and evil in the world, Jesus could not have been sent to the cross. What is his response to my suffering? In his words: Is God willing to prevent evil but unable? July 20, 2016 God had not changed; I had. Will Graham Devotion: 3 Reminders in Your Suffering, Will Graham Devotion: Suffering for Jesus. I can't imagine a loving God who would allow all of these things." Then Sheryl thought for a moment, but didn't respond because she didn't want to start an argument. First, if God is all-powerful then He can do it, and if He is all-loving, then He wants to do it. Is christainity the most loving and tolerant religion? Supposedly, such toleration by God either contradicts His omnipotence or His omnibenevolence. That is how prayer works for me as well: opening my heart to God is spiritually elevating even for someone who does not have any certainty that God hears my words. A young boy was sentenced to death by hanging, but was too light to die instantly and 'hovered between life and death' for 30 minutes in agony. There are different explanations for why God allows suffering, but none of them can satisfy everyone. IF god loves us so why do people around the world suffer? He suffered brutality at the hands of Roman soldiers. It's also old. He is called Almighty fifty-eight times. Since evil and suffering obviously do exist, we get: (13) God is either not omnipotent, not omniscient, or not perfectly good. The book of the Bible called First Peter tells us that For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God. (1 Peter 3:18). LIVE: Daily Mass - July 15, 2023 (7:30am) - Facebook Evil and suffering in the world can serve as a warning against breaking Gods law and then people can see the necessity of following Gods truth. Others have pointed out that even if the cosmological argument has merit, it doesnt tell us anything about any creator. He wants us to turn bak to him and be reconcilled. If so, then there is no need for a prime mover. I tell you, no! And whatever He can and wants to do, He will do (Psalm 135:6). In this workshop Satpal Singh covers:- Seeing reality for what is really is- How to stop blaming others for your unhappiness- Looking at life beyond the ego- A holistic approach to wellbeing00:00 Intro05:18 Blaming external circumstances for internal suffering14:58 Understanding the causes of suffering29:46 Everyone is running after happiness31:23 Is God the doer of all good or everything39:26 How to let go of sufferingThe following verses are explained: puchh na saaje puchh na ddaahe puchh na dhevai lei ||It seeks no advice when creating; it seeks no advice when destroying. An unimaginable force that underlies all things. The primary counterargument is that existence is not a part of the concept of something, a quality, or a predicate. Of course, this does not stand up to biblical truth. The answer is two-fold. And since nobody takes arguments of a space-faring teapot seriously, why then should we treat other such arguments as sacred? The question of stopping evil means that if God is to stop evil, then He must stop all. Then he is malevolent. because God exists. {notificationOpen=false}, 2000);" x-data="{notificationOpen: false, notificationTimeout: undefined, notificationText: ''}">, Copy a link to the article entitled http://5%20arguments%20for%20and%20against%20the%20existence%20of%20God, God is dead: What Nietzsche really meant, 10 tweets from God that are deeply philosophical, 42% of Dartmouth Seniors Say They Dont Believe in God, New Atheism Borrows Community and Ritual from Religion, An essential introduction to Buddhism in 8 profound quotes. But asking that question at the most inspiring and most devastating times invites me to respond as if I am interconnected with all things, in a unity that I call God. It means that He simply has chosen not to do so. The late Christopher Hitchens was interviewed in 2011 about his diagnosis of terminal Oesophageal cancer. If God Exists, Why Do We Suffer? If this is impossible, as he and many subsequent thinkers maintained, the argument cant prove anything. John Hick suggested that the existence of evil is necessary for the moral growth needed to develop a soul. If God is so loving and powerful, why doesn't He end suffering? Why didnt God make the first world and its people more perfect and skip this messed-up version in between? But more than suffer LIKE US, God has also suffered FOR US. Privacy Satpal Singh is a Sikh spiritual vlogger from the UK creating videos on meditation, mantra, mindfulness and spirituality based on non-duality.\r\rFind out more and donate online: http://www.nanaknaam.org/donate\r\rStay in touch for more Sikh Meditation techniques and guidance: \rFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/NanakNaamCharity\rSoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/nanaknaam\rTwitter: https://twitter.com/nanak_naam\rInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/nanak.naam\rPodcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1223999766\rWebsite: http://www.nanaknaam.org When we refuse to acknowledge God's truththat no one is good, no not one (Romans 3:10)we turn and blame God, the merciful One, who sent His Son to die in our place. He is the same yesterday, today and forever ( Hebrews 13:8 ). As he puts it: The inference we think is inevitable, that the watch must have had a maker that there must have existed, at some time and at some place or other, an artificer or artificers who formed it for the purpose which we find it actually to answer . It is probably better stated with a "how" or "what" question, something l. Why the Innocent Suffer | Ken Boa But if this is simply the way the world is, how do we make sense of our outrage at the things people do to each other? Even children are selfish; just ask any parent or educator. When people ask it, we have an opportunity to present the gospel to them. (Psalm 147.5 ESV) says. He is more interested in our character than in our comfort. His victory over sin and the grave ensured Satans eventual defeat. Until then, we look to Jesus and trust Him to give us strength to overcome. God allows evil to occur partly for reasons we do know and partly for those we do not. And invariably, Gods view as I imagine itof me and my challenges is more compassionate than my own view. Acts 16:31). Voltaire pointed out that the designer in the argument doesnt have to be a God. This is one of the fundamental objections to Christianity. Yet, I have joyfully learned that the poet was right when he said, God is good when He gives supremely good, nor less when He denies. But like every other argument on this list, there are strong objections to this one. (Psalm 147.5 ESV) says, "Great is our Lord, and abundant in power." (Jeremiah 32.17 NlT) says, " O Sovereign LORD! Solicitation Disclosure Statement 5 Biblical Reasons Why God Allows Suffering - Beliefnet He cannot be both loving and powerful. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. As Rene Descartes put it: This is based on a similar argument advanced by St. Anselm. Suffering creates an awareness that there is something wrong with the world. Our very natural response is to ask, 'Why?' When I talk to God (a Jewish practice ofhitbodedut), I dont believe that God literally hears me. We dont have all the details, but one day we will. ( Jeremiah 15:18 ). Proponents of this take, such as St. Augustine, argue that the need for free will is great enough to allow certain evils to exist. We can make out the edges, but we dont see things clearly. Answer (1 of 5): Let us assume that God exists. The decision to disbelieve the existence of God only adds more confusion, leading to the emergence of questions as to why we were created, where we are destined to go, etc. As David Hume noted, this world is far from perfect, and if a deity made it, then that deity must be an inferior one. Yes, we have. Yes, He is powerful to prevent pain and suffering but that will remove our freedom to choose. This discussion is divided into eight sections. Over the years, I have heard this question played out on college campuses, around the water cooler in the office and in private, candid conversations. At the same time, Jesus emphasized the fact that we live in a world full of sin and its effects; therefore, everyone must repent. While this logic sounds tight and painful, it is not faultless. Its modern defenders include Robert Koons and William Lane Craig. Every time we choose wrongly, there is some form of pain and suffering. Length: 4:58. God Will Make Everything Right Which one is it?. No, we may not understand everything that happens to usbut when we know Christ, we know we are on the winning side. (Psalm 147.5 NASB) says, His understanding is infinite.(Romans 16.27 ESV) declares Him to bethe only wise God. I did this CARM is a nonprofit, non-denominational, multi-staffed Christian Apologetics Ministry that supports evangelism, radio outreach, and provides full-time support for several foreign missionaries. I Just Believe in One Less God than You Do, What Is the Meaning of Life? The following is an extensive table comparison of the Father and Jesus, the Son, as found in the Bible. This is a good question to ask, but it assumes several things . One of the more whimsical arguments against the existence of any gods was put forward by Bertrand Russell. If God Exists, Why Do We Suffer? - Apologetics Press What does the bible teach about self harm? Norman Geisler If we turn to Him, there is strength we never thought we had. by John Morris Morris's answer to the question posed in the title of his concise but fairly thorough little book is that God cannot make things better, from our present point of view, by eliminating or even reducing injustice and suffering, without actually making things worse, from what our eventual point of view will be; because if . Man was given the freedom to choose to obey God and enjoy His blessing or disobey God and suffer the consequences. Is it blind, deaf to realize what it's devotees been facing. KS3 Why do people suffer? However, it would have been one of robots and puppetscreatures who could not love Him or anyone else. While we all endure suffering, we can find comfort in God. Human-made objects were created with intention, by design, and for a purpose. He longs for us to come to him, talk to him, bring our suffering to him. So, in order for the world to be morally good, it must be morally free. When going through difficult times we prefer to be around people who have suffered similarly. They reject God because of their lack of understanding. LIVE: Daily Mass at the Manila Cathedral presided by Msgr. If there is a God, it is a perfect being. Therefore, suffering in the world easily serves as a demonstration of the need to follow Gods words thereby vindicating what God has said. If God is so Merciful, Why do the Innocent Suffer so Much? It asks us to consider the worlds beauty, the depths of the mysteries of nature, the intricacies of the environment, and what those mean for how we understand the world and how it came to be. The next one will have none of these. In todays blog, we are going to dissect whether God is all powerful, all loving, or both plus more. God is powerful. Another is that while no reasonable person is arguing that a star-trekking teapot exists, there are reasonable people who maintain there is a God. Jesus answered this in one wordrepent. Why would a loving and holy God allow a child to suffer through a Hear how others have explored Christianity. This doesnt mean bad things will never happen to usbut even when they do, we can know God is with us, and He will give us strength to stand against them. Watch on Questions Digging Deeper Question 01 Why might people believe their suffering is proof that God does not exist? How Could a Loving God Allow So Much Suffering? - BioLogos We all have our stories. You might say, Why didnt God create a world where we would choose whats right every time? He certainly could have, but then there would be no true love or fellowship. If God Is Good, Why Does God Allow Suffering? - Discipleship.org Jesus took evil into his very core on the cross, in order to defeat it once and for all, so that, whatever evils may come to us, we need never endure them alone. The idea of getting something from nothing potentially including the entire cosmos is unsatisfying. Jesus told His disciples, Three Powerful Habits of Healthy Disciple Making Cultures. In our suffering we share in the suffering of Christ (Col 1:24) so in heaven we may share in His glory (1 Peter 4:19). But despite this, God is all loving and ready to give us a hand to help us up every time we fall. Had it not been for all the Scripture I had committed to memory, such as Psalm 23; Isaiah 26:3, 40:31; John 14:1-6; Philippians 4:4-6; 2 Corinthians 4:17 and others, I dont know what I would have done when our daughter died. Our last argument is certainly the most abstract. [Part I], Jesus Christ--Unique Savior or Average Fraud? So God, because of his love, has done something about the suffering in this world. Can He or is He weaker than we think? God does not always offer us answers. How do I know God loves me when I see people suffer? His version leans toward the question ofprobability: On a more personal level, the French Catholic priest Jean Meslier denounced his theism because he saw the problem of evil as one of many proofs that no God existed. The best and simplest example of this is the suffering of Christ at the hands of evil men. How do I know that there is a God? If God, Why Evil? - Catholic News Agency In this case, Jesus again discounted the notion that tragedy and suffering are the result of personal sin. Does the presence of pain and suffering in this world logically prove God does not exist or that he is unloving? The vast spiritual conflict between Satan and God that has raged from the beginning of time will be over, and God will be triumphant. At the heart of the Christian faith is a God who knows what it is to suffer. I dont. But its best-known formulation came from the Greek philosopher Epicurus sometime around 300 BC. So, it could be said that suffering in the world is necessary in order to bring about the cross which in turn demonstrates the great and awesome love of God. Indeed, both good logic and the Bible declare that He will yet do away with evil. And after having suffered and died for us, Jesus was raised back to life, and when he returns, the world as we have it now will end. For one thing, God could have made a world with no evil in it. It is by Christs suffering and death on the cross that we are able to be redeemed. Of the arguments for the existence of a God, this one has perhaps the greatest connection to the parts of our lives outside of philosophy. Why cant all established traditional Christian religions join together? Humans cannot give sight to the blind or raise the dead. If God exists, then Four attempted proofs against God's existence Jesus absorbed the worlds evil, took it to the grave, left it there and rose to life again. 2023 BGEA If God Is Good, Why Do Pain and Suffering Exist? by Matt Slick | Dec 12, 2008 | Evidence and Answers, Apologetics. The relevance of this analogy to existing religions has been debated. Why do people suffer? - KS3 Religious Studies - BBC Therefore, evidence prefers that no God, as commonly understood by theists, exists. How do natural laws factor into the presence of pain and suffering in the physical realm? God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world. The painful truth is that God is more interested in our holiness than in our happiness. How can a good, loving and just God tolerate evil? Since we can say that evil is anything contrary to Gods perfect and holy will, then anyone who chooses anything contrary to Gods perfection is committing evil. Therefore, at least one of the premises about God must be false. This is an Anglican Media Sydney production.Web development by Kreativ. The universe is much more complex than human-made objects. Box 1353 |Nampa, ID 83653 USA1-800-803-8093, If you have any issues, please call the office at 385-246-1048 or email us at. We usually associate the love of God with the benefits we receive from Him and the blessings that come from His kind and merciful hand. Which of these is true? An internal critique examines the merits of an idea based on the internal consistency of that idea. Of course, there are counterarguments to the problem of evil. This is one of the most asked question of every spiritual seeker today. The first thing to note is that the world isnt as God wants it to be. Evil and suffering are the results of making bad free choices. That being said, I will try my best to outline a brief answer in the space available on what the Bible says about suffering. Watch on Why do the innocent suffer? Of course, this does not seem to be a very good option because if God was intending to stop further suffering, why would He use suffering to stop it? Wiesel heard a voice within him reply, 'Where is he? What is God's response to my suffering? The Christian faith says you fix a broken story by embedding it in a much bigger story in which good wins, and evil loses. 13:3), and poor (Luke 4:18). You could say that Jackie Land has been on the ground floor of change within the Reconstructionist movement of Judaism. Genesis 1:31). Apologetics Press 11.8K subscribers Subscribe Like Share 6.2K views 2 years ago One of the most frequent questions that unbelievers ask about the God of the. Hence, the argument goes, there cannot be an all-good and all-powerful God. Variations of the cosmological argument date as far back as Ancient Greece. God is just and righteous. (5) Suffering is a Process. The Purpose of Evil From a biblical perspective, we must also reject the idea that if God loves us, he cannot intend for us to . The vast spiritual conflict between Satan and God that has raged from the beginning of time will be over, and God will be triumphant. One-stop shop for progressive Jewish books and ritual objects, Placement resources for rabbis and congregations, Professional group for people leading schools in Reconstructionist congregations, Professional association of Reconstructionist rabbis, http://firstdaypress.org/if-god-is-good-why-does-pain-and-suffering-exist, Before Google, before Wikipedia, this DIY almanac shaped a Jewish generation, Baltimore Jewish Times Spotlights Jackie Land, Philadelphia Jewish Exponent Features Or Hadash: A Reconstructionist Congregation, Overnight summer camp and teen Israel experience, Reconstructionist Educators of North America. A perfect being possesses all possible perfections. Why does God allow the innocent to suffer? | GotQuestions.org