Diseases and Defects

[lucaspa]

I'm sure this has been addressed a million times before, so sorry if I'm rehashing a tired topic. I'm curious, however, as to your thoughts on why little babies are born with diseases and birth defects that are terminal and/or cause great suffering. This seems difficult to reconcile with a loving God.

The problem is that "loving God" in this context also means "puppetmaster God".

Love means letting people live their own lives and not manipulating their lives. God oves us enough to create a universe where our lives have meaning because our actions have real consequences. If the future is manipulated so some outcomes are prevented, then life doesn't have any meaning. Say I wrestled with my anger so I wouldn't hit the idiot woman who made an illegal left turn into oncoming traffic and hit my car. Now, if God was going to step in so that I could not hit that woman in any case, what meaning does it have that I controlled my anger and chose to be forgiving of her mistake instead hurting her? Answer: no meaning. I am a puppet and God pulls the strings to keep me from doing some things.

The earth has a history, and the events in that history have consequences for us today. Real consequences. Part of that history is evolution and evolution means that genes can be mutated. Some mutations have the consequence of causing birth defects. Other parts of history gave rise to bacteria and viruses that cause diseases in humans. Real consequences. So now part of the meaning of our lives is how we behave toward children with birth defects or what we do when a child is sick. Real actions. Real consequences. Part of real love.

 

[lucaspa]

Deleted because I realized it violated the forum rules not to respond to another Christian poster.

 

[lucaspa]

If all things are possible wih God, why is it ever necessary for someone to suffer in order to save anyone else? Why can't God save everyone from suffering?

See my post above about life and life having meaning. Do you really want to be manipulated and brainwashed so much that you never cause anyone to suffer? Think about what God would have to do to ensure that no one would ever suffer. As just one example, He would have to go into Hitler's mind and alter his thoughts so that Hitler never had any thoughts about world conquest, killing Jews, killing homosexuals, or others.

I've never understood why Jesus had to die on the cross. Why couldn't we all have been saved without that happening?

When you hurt someone you love, are you not required to make it better? If you forget Valentine's Day and fail to do something for your girlfriend, isn't she going to be hurt? Now, do you really expect her to forgive you without any further act on your part? Aren't you going to at least have to apologize? Probably you will have to do something else to make it up to her.

Think of Jesus' sacrifice the same way. It is the ultimate apology and atonement for screwing up. God is saying "Each of you doesn't have to suffer extreme pain and execution in order to apologize for your sins to Me. Instead, I will accept Jesus' action as an apology for you. And lucaspa. And drich. And ebia. And everyone."

 

[Philothei]

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[Theofane]

What is it that prevents God from immediately being able to keep babies from being born with terrible diseases?

I don't know.

If there is a satisfying answer to that question, I don't have it.

 

[seeingeyes]

I'm curious, however, as to your thoughts on why little babies are born with diseases and birth defects that are terminal and/or cause great suffering. This seems difficult to reconcile with a loving God.

It is difficult because a lot of us see God as some sort of (holy?) sadist who sits up in His ivory tower shooting lightening bolts at mankind and then torching them when they refuse to love Him. If this is what God looks like then claiming "God is love" is just silly, destructive propaganda.

So why is there suffering if God is love? You have already received some of the "rote" answers, but none of them are very satisfying. (And most are perplexing...but I won't go into that just now or this post will get too long.)

Instead of giving you another answer, I'll change up the question.

Why does God suffer?

All throughout the OT, we read of God's lament over His people. He is enraged with how people refuse to take care of each other. He compares Israel with a cheating wife. And of course, in the NT we see Jesus, God's own son, giving up his throne his grandeur, his very life.

God could have made this world anyway He wanted to. He could have made it happy sunshine and roses for everyone involved or at least just for Himself. But He didn't. He set Himself up for heartache, and we who are made in His image ache right along with Him.

Our God is not a soulless experimenter in the sky, who runs us like rats through the maze to see who will come out on top. He really loves us - just like you love your child. He is our Servant King and He suffers right along side us. We are able to love when we are hurting, because He first loved us - even when we were hurting Him.

I know it is hard to see your baby in so much pain. I have been there myself. My seven year old son died several years back. So I wouldn't dream of speaking in cliches to you.

Our God gave up His own son in order to prove His love to us - even while we were in our sin. Would any of us do the same? Not bloody likely. But that is the crazy love that God has shown us. And that is the crazy love that He wants us to have for Him and for each other. His love for us is stronger than our love for our children, it is stronger than death.

I'll be praying for you and yours.