If God is loving, good and omnipotent, why is there so much evil, pain and suffering?

[Tirapu]

If God is loving, good and omnipotent, why is there so much evil, pain and suffering?

We see cities such as Tuscaloosa and Joplin get devastated by tornadoes.
We see countries such as Haiti get devastated by an earthquake
Large populations of humans get wiped out by viruses, plagues or diseases
Man feels immense pain due to many things.
Man suffers both as a result of natural occurrences and as a result of the actions of other men.

Why doesn't God do anything to alleviate all this pain and suffering?

[awestruckchild]

If God is loving, good and omnipotent, why is there so much evil, pain and suffering?

We see cities such as Tuscaloosa and Joplin get devastated by tornadoes.
We see countries such as Haiti get devastated by an earthquake
Large populations of humans get wiped out by viruses, plagues or diseases
Man feels immense pain due to many things.
Man suffers both as a result of natural occurrences and as a result of the actions of other men.

Why doesn't God do anything to alleviate all this pain and suffering?

Tirapu,
You have already stated in the introductions forum that you have absolutely no interest in the bible as it is what christians believe. You said there that you were open to the existence of God, but yet you also said you are not open to His Word, the bible.
What is it that you expect anyone in here to try to help answer you WITH?
If you want a christian to have a conversation with you,trust me, they ARE going to answer you with scripture to try to help explain.

You can't come into a christian forum, seek conversation with those here, but demand they not use scripture to try to explain a question like this.

You have, in essence, said you want help with this question of pain and suffering. You seem to want to have a dialog with christians, while demanding that they use none of God's words.
You aren't going to find that here.
I'm not convinced that you don't just want to argue.
If I do become convinced of this, I will gladly speak with you.
I just don't understand what it is you are looking for?

[Tirapu]

Tirapu,
You have already stated in the introductions forum that you have absolutely no interest in the bible as it is what christians believe. You said there that you were open to the existence of God, but yet you also said you are not open to His Word, the bible.
What is it that you expect anyone in here to try to help answer you WITH?
If you want a christian to have a conversation with you,trust me, they ARE going to answer you with scripture to try to help explain.

You can't come into a christian forum, seek conversation with those here, but demand they not use scripture to try to explain a question like this.

You have, in essence, said you want help with this question of pain and suffering. You seem to want to have a dialog with christians, while demanding that they use none of God's words.
You aren't going to find that here.
I'm not convinced that you don't just want to argue.
If I do become convinced of this, I will gladly speak with you.
I just don't understand what it is you are looking for?

I kindly ask that Christians use secular lingo when responding to people of the secular world. The advantage of that is the people of the secular world will have an easier time understanding you.

Do you wish to be understood? Or do you wish to not be understood?

[ChristianCoffee]

I kindly ask that Christians use secular lingo when responding to people of the secular world. The advantage of that is the people of the secular world will have an easier time understanding you.

Do you wish to be understood? Or do you wish to not be understood?

I have to agree with Awestruck: there is no way that you can honestly come to a Christian forum, then expect answers that are not Biblically based. It is impossible for a Christian to do that. It would be like asking an Iron Chef to explain how to cook something, but use no cooking terms.

In Him,

CC

Romans 8:15-17

[Ace]

If God is loving, good and omnipotent, why is there so much evil, pain and suffering?

We see cities such as Tuscaloosa and Joplin get devastated by tornadoes.
We see countries such as Haiti get devastated by an earthquake
Large populations of humans get wiped out by viruses, plagues or diseases
Man feels immense pain due to many things.
Man suffers both as a result of natural occurrences and as a result of the actions of other men.

Why doesn't God do anything to alleviate all this pain and suffering?

Tirapu,

Like you have said you don't have any interest in the Bible. It is hard to explain to a non-believer without using the Bible. If you let us use the Bible to explain to you. You will find a massive amount of evidence for God, if you don't it will be hard to convince you.

[jayne]

Isn’t it funny how we can go for weeks, months, and years and experience the beauty of the weather and nature and life and never once give God credit for pleasant, good, and blessed days. But let one of us get cancer or lose a loved one or experience utter loss in a hurricane or watch war-torn horrors on the news and all of sudden God gets the blame for it. I find that attitude universal in all of us - both believers and non-believers alike - and I find that attitude to be evidence of our own ignorance.

COULD God just wave a magic wand and force nature to always be perfect and force all of mankind to be good and sweet and loving and force disease at bay? I guess if He wanted to, He could. We could all live in rainbow and candy land.

But God is much more just and righteous and majestic than that and life isn’t all roses and rainbows.

Why not?

I have my own answers. And it’s not easy for me to always answer this question for someone else. Why? Well, because I don’t always know where they are coming from. Do they just want an intellectual discussion? Are they merely curious? Or are they grieving or hurting terribly and in need of answers to alleviate pain? Are they a believer or a non-believer? Are they just looking for a theological exposition?

Nothing I say can will bring a full answer to a question so deep.

But here is what I believe – as someone who has been a believer for 40 years.

God is a not a puppet master. We are not puppets. His creation is not a static still-life portrait. Creation is wildly dynamic – and includes continental plates, winds, rain, hurricanes, solar systems, comets, molecules, and everything He made across the universe – and it is moving and shifting and doing what it was created to do. I believe that God created nature and created the laws of nature. He ordained how nature was to behave. The water cycle, sunsets, comet cycles, gravity, DNA replications, nuclear fusion inside the stars, and the urge to bear and nurture offspring.

God is cognizant of all that happens and He is sovereign over all that happens. He knows the exact speed of that red spot on Jupiter and He knows about the baby black widows spiders being born in the pasture behind my house.

He knew about the hail that came last night and damaged some people’s roofs in my area and He knows about the cancer that is about to be detected in some people this week who don’t even know that they are sick.

In His sovereignty, God knows it all and is in charge of it all. Does that mean that He sometimes purposefully sends the illness and the tornados and the spider bites? Or does it mean that He allows these things to happen? Or do these things happen as a result of man's neglect or even as natural consequences of behavior of mankind and the universe? Yes and yes and yes.

This world is governed by the laws of nature and marred by the sin of mankind. All things happen – good things, bad things, joyful things, tragic things, and unexpected things. God is sovereign over it all.

My only response to that is one of great joy that the One who designed the intricacies of the human brain and the constellations of the night sky and the One who holds the power of volcanoes and black holes in His hand should have ever even given me a second thought at all.

I’ve seen things great and small, tragic and wonderful, sick and perverted, beautiful and joyous.

It’s just how the universe works. The laws of God’s nature and the rebelliousness of mankind.

It is what it is.

And I praise His Name for His justice over it all. God sees the broken-hearted and is near them.

We deserve nothing from Him. Yet even in the midst of all circumstances - beyond our control and under our control, great and horrible - God showers us abundantly with His love, grace, and mercy. This is what He truly deserves the credit for.

[awestruckchild]

I kindly ask that Christians use secular lingo when responding to people of the secular world. The advantage of that is the people of the secular world will have an easier time understanding you.

Do you wish to be understood? Or do you wish to not be understood?

We aren't of the secular world and we don't speak as the world speaks. We speak the words our Savior gives us.

You are asking us to explain why God this or that, without the Words of God, which explain Himself.
If we weren't to use His Words, you would just be getting opinions.
This is like signing up for a course in Physics and trying to demand that the teacher use none of the laws of physics, the textbook, or any known scholarship.

Once again, I can't figure out what it is you are looking for.
If you want secular men to speak to you in secular words, maybe a forum for atheists is what you seek.

If you honestly, and without guile or malice, want to find out what Jesus has taught us because you really are open to the existence of God, you will get more than a few very kind people who will welcome you and greatly enjoy speaking with you.

[Mark2012]

I wonder the same thing, both on a large-scale societal level as well as on a much narrower personal level.

The best answer I have come up with thus far is the Deist belief that God just doesn't intervene in the world or human affairs. Sadly, it makes prayer seem pretty worthless, but answers to prayer seem few and far between.

While I don't necessarily BLAME God for all the evil in the world, personally or societally, his lack of willingness to respond doesn't seem to spur much faith, either.

[awestruckchild]

If we feel that God has not and does not intervene, it is usually because WE have turned from HIM in anger. He is very willing to respond to us. He DIED to have us, but we have to turn to face Him. Those in the desert bitten by the snakes were told to look at the bronze serpent on the pole and be saved. They couldn't LOOK on it without turning to FACE it. Many of us seem to be waiting for something, and the reasons of what we are waiting for vary. But usually, we are throwing some kind of fit at Him and refusing to turn.
But the good news is, He waits.

[Ceegen]

I wonder the same thing, both on a large-scale societal level as well as on a much narrower personal level.

The best answer I have come up with thus far is the Deist belief that God just doesn't intervene in the world or human affairs. Sadly, it makes prayer seem pretty worthless, but answers to prayer seem few and far between.

While I don't necessarily BLAME God for all the evil in the world, personally or societally, his lack of willingness to respond doesn't seem to spur much faith, either.

Like others have stated, having a discussion on why suffering happens and how it relates to us and God, without using the bible... Is a tough mold to try and fill. But think about this: If the bible could be used in discussion, we could gladly point out to you an explanation of how Satan is a larger part of this suffering condition we have. Because if the bible is true, and God does exist, then so too does Satan. Jesus cast out demons, as well as other miracles, so it goes to reason demons and Satan are still doing evil things in this day and age.

So if you want a discussion about spiritual things, we have to include the biblical references. But this requires a little leap of faith, to open your eyes and ears. Just try it and sincerely pray to Jesus for guidance! I've prayed for money, and I've prayed for guidance... I always seem to get guidance, never any money.

[Tirapu]

I have to agree with Awestruck: there is no way that you can honestly come to a Christian forum, then expect answers that are not Biblically based. It is impossible for a Christian to do that. It would be like asking an Iron Chef to explain how to cook something, but use no cooking terms.

Using Biblically based answers and using Christian lingo that I don't understand are two different things. Please feel free to answer my questions and if anything isn't clear, I'll ask for clarification.

[Tirapu]

Tirapu,

Like you have said you don't have any interest in the Bible. It is hard to explain to a non-believer without using the Bible. If you let us use the Bible to explain to you. You will find a massive amount of evidence for God, if you don't it will be hard to convince you.

Please explain how a book written by man can provide evidence of the supernatural.

[Tirapu]

We aren't of the secular world and we don't speak as the world speaks. We speak the words our Savior gives us.

If I speak English and Spanish and you only speak Spanish, I'm going to answer your questions using Spanish - that is unless I really don't want you to understand.

You are asking us to explain why God this or that, without the Words of God, which explain Himself.
If we weren't to use His Words, you would just be getting opinions.

Then provide your opinions or educated guesses - which I assume would be derived from the Bible.

This is like signing up for a course in Physics and trying to demand that the teacher use none of the laws of physics, the textbook, or any known scholarship.

Once again, I can't figure out what it is you are looking for.

With respect to this thread, read my opening post. I think I am fairly clear.

If you want secular men to speak to you in secular words, maybe a forum for atheists is what you seek.

How do you function in the secular areas of society - such as your job, dealing with government agencies, etc.?

If you honestly, and without guile or malice, want to find out what Jesus has taught us because you really are open to the existence of God, you will get more than a few very kind people who will welcome you and greatly enjoy speaking with you.

I'll take that up in another thread.

Now why is there so much evil, pain and suffering?

[ChristianCoffee]

Please explain how a book written by man can provide evidence of the supernatural.

Then you please explain how any book, theory or hypothesis made by man can provide evidence that it is true. After all, all our ideas are man made, according to what you believe.

[awestruckchild]

How do you function in the secular areas of society - such as your job, dealing with government agencies, etc.?


Now why is there so much evil, pain and suffering?

We aren't IN a secular area such as a job, and we aren't at a government agency. You are in a christian bible forum. It's anything BUT secular.

And the answer to your question is, because God never lies.
He told them what the consequences would be if they ate the fruit.
They ate the fruit.
The consequences happened.
But, He didn't leave it that way.
He gave a way back to Him if we want it.