If there is a loving God then why there is so much suffering?

Heathen Dawn

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Evil is the reason why I don’t believe in any omnipotent, omnibenevolent Gods. The laws of the cosmos cannot be broken.

by Epicurus:

Is he willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then is he impotent.
Is he able, but not willing? Then is he malevolent.
Is he both able and willing? Whence then is evil?
 
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Isis-Astoroth

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But Lifesaver, if you did not know of free will, then wouldn't you still see God as good?

As for this suffering thing, I believe its just a side-effect of living. Nobody will ever be completely free from suffering, its just part of life and we have to get used to it.
 
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revolutio

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My rule of thumb is that comfort is something everyone should spend time without lest you forget how good it feels.

Basically we describe "suffering" as the negative half of our emotions and "enjoyment" as the positive half. These are highly relative though. A homeless man in Bangladesh would feel in like he was living in the lap of Lady Luxury in conditions that would make the middle or even lower class American citizen cringe.

Even in a utopian society people would eventually lose appreciation for the painless/fearless conditions they live under.

Though I guess you could come back and say "Why did God make our brains that way then?" To that I have no answer. But I don't have to have one. :p
 
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AdJesumPerMariam

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When Adam & Eve sinned, that's when suffering came into the world-and there has been suffering every since! Satan tempted Eve, and she ate of the Tree of Good & Evil. Satan hates us, and he enjoys the fact that G-d's creation is suffering! G-d never intended us to suffer!

BUT, as a Christian, suffering draws me closer to G-d. I have breast cancer-stage 4 and very agressive(there is no stage 5) (read my post "cancer scare' in praise reports)

Love-n-Blessings
dee
 
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Lifesaver

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Isis-Astoroth said:
But Lifesaver, if you did not know of free will, then wouldn't you still see God as good?

I can't say, for I wouldn't be a man at all, and that's too far from my experience for me to relate to.

However, I imagine that I could either see Him as good or bad, and could never change.
 
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Boanerge

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it's part of creation. In the Bible we have Genesis beginning with the Spirit of God hovering over the face of the deep. That formless and void darkness has something to do with this world.

When Adam and Eve were in the garden, the knowledge of this "darkness" still existed. If our purpose is to be in the image of God then we had to learn about this other part of creation. No matter how perfect things might have been we were incomplete and we had the potential to venture off into understanding this "darkness". Which is exactly what we did by eating of the fruit. we then threw on the cloak of darkness like a coat, we now experience things from "darkness"'s perspective. Now that we merged with darkness, (eating of the fruit) We live in the mist of darkness. Suffering is its effect on a living soul. Our purpose is to shine through the darkness and hence overcome it.

We go around in circles asking "Why is there a storm?" Instead we should be asking "How can we rise above the storm?" Above the storm, the storm is powerless and "defeated"

The more you attach yourself to the world, the more you remain defeated beneath the storm. You can bathe in the rain for a while, eventually you will realise that everything is getting flooded, cold, and you will start wondering where the sun is at.

If you look to the Lord for understanding it shall make more sense.
 
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openeyes

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IronEagle said:
If there is a loving God then why there is so much suffering?
For example, kids from Chernobyl getting cancer while they didn't do anything and the ones responsible are not suffering. Why is that?

(What the atheists, pagans, jews, christians, and muslims have to say on this?)
Q: Why does a parent allow their children to make mistakes?
A: It allows them to learn fron expirience.

In God's picture, our life here and eventual release of this life is nothing compared to the eternal. The slight bit of suffering, no matter how monstrous it is percieved to us, is but a twinkling of enternity (no more than the pinprick recieved during vaccinations).
To us it should mean a way to become more compassionate, to learn to be more understanding of others suffering. To those affected it should be a way to become stronger in faith, learn to live the gift of life to it's fullest, and be an example to the rest of us, that beyond suffering there is much more to enjoy here.
Hope this is a clear answer to your question?
God bless
 
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radorth

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IronEagle said:
If there is a loving God then why there is so much suffering?
For example, kids from Chernobyl getting cancer while they didn't do anything and the ones responsible are not suffering. Why is that?

(What the atheists, pagans, jews, christians, and muslims have to say on this?)
Iniquity comes with free will. But I can better answer your question if you will tell me what an extant God should have done or should be doing differently, as you see it.

Rad
 
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Lyle

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Because God is just, this is why. The Bible states that God is love in 1 John 4:8, but not before it states He is light (1 John 1:9).. God is only love towards His own Children (Christians), though He does love the world..
He has offered a gift of grace, people just won't accept it...

Though I will say, just because sin entered the world and people suffer from it (being under death), it's not God's fault....
 
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peaceful soul

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Man chose to sin and God offered us a way from under the bondage of it. If we refuse it, who's fault is that? If God was not loving, He would not have forgiven us in the first place. Thus, we would have no opportunity to repent.

God does not owe us anything. Somehow we think He does. And we are arrogant enough to carry that attitude throughout our lives until we turn to His ways.

God could disown us for what we do and the way we behave, but Jesus came to us despite our pitiful selves.

As far as sickness and mishaps, the just and unjust get that. There is no discrimination in that regards. One of the consequences of sin is disorder - away from order - the order that God had established for this world. His order was for peace, harmony, love, and obedience just to name a few. Man thinks that He can obtain these things on his own and from within himself, but it is just a futile effort.
 
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IronEagle

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Hope this is a clear answer to your question?
Well, i meant in terms if that means there is God? Why or Why not?

If there is than why people who cause this don't get punished? Why or Why not?
If you htink they are than you have reasonable examples?

When Adam & Eve sinned, that's when suffering came into the world-and there has been suffering every since!
It doesn't make sense, why we have to suffer for the sins made by Adam? It's not our fault he eat the forbidden food.

God does what is best for us
k God does what best for us? Than whats the benefit for the children suffering in the Chernobyl incident?

Because God is just, this is why. The Bible states that God is love in 1 John 4:8, but not before it states He is light (1 John 1:9).. God is only love towards His own Children (Christians), though He does love the world..
He has offered a gift of grace, people just won't accept it...
Most of them are christians.
 
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openeyes

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Well, i meant in terms if that means there is God? Why or Why not?
Like I said, God allows these things to happen so we may learn from whatever mistakes we make, in the wake of technoligical advances.
Also He allows these things to happen so that the rest of us can learn compassion and acceptence. No matter how retched the consequences of nuclear accidents are to those directly affected they can learn to love whatever life they have here. The time spent here, in this life, is so short in the big picture, of eternity, is but a molecule of water to the entire sum of the bodies of water on this planet and throughout the entire universe.
That's how I see why God lets bad things happen to good people.
Godd bless
 
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Spaise

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Like I said, God allows these things to happen so we may learn from whatever mistakes we make, in the wake of technoligical advances.
So are you against the technology at your fingertips. If the brilliant minds of humanities past, present, and future had been bogged down with the warped sense of righteousness exhibited by so many christians throughout time, humanity would have created its hell, here on Earth. A hell of mind, where intelligent thought is simply overlooked as a sin. God deals not in the affairs of man, how petty would it be to have the control of the universe but dabble in the lives of simple minded humans. God has no need to direct the course of humanity, it has been set and carries on as She fasioned it. We are what God had in mind, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Choice is the true myth, to believe God has no foresight is to steal Her glory. At one instance God sees all, but when it comes to defend the longest running human myth, God all of sudden loses the power to foresee the future. Christians contradict their beliefs, with their words, their actions, and their mentality. But, it is not their fault they only do what's been set before them, why? We will never know.
 
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final testament

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First of all, dont blame God for the things that evils do, God gave us free time and freewill to prove ourselves.
For example, while the goverment pays money to its workers, the goverment cannot be responsible for the things the workers do with this money.
one of them can buy a gun to kill people or can buy food to feed people
it is his responsibility and he will pay for it..

And, unless you believe the judgement day, you will always see the world as an unfair suffering.

Well, if people are suffering, it is not done yet...
the day of judgement is real, it is more real then this life.
you make sure that anyone doing any single thing good or bad
they shall have a reward or punnishment never to be cut off.
make sure that the ones responsible will suffer
this is a promise of God.

This life is nothing compared to afterlife.
it will be like a dream of few seconds for the people living in heaven.
when those children have a reward of heaven after paying a limited life sufferring,
they will because they are innocent and sinless,
How can you claim that it is not justice and not good for them?
where is living in heaven in an endless life ?
and where is the pain of a limited time ?
you just see the local area and deny the whole picture.
 
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PSR9000

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final testament said:
And, unless you believe the judgement day, you will always see the world as an unfair suffering.

How can you claim that it is not justice and not good for them?

Suppose I believe in jugdement day, then I wont be seeing it as unfair, and I would accept these things simply happen because it must be good for them.

So it is good people in the 3rd world starve or die from Aids and not unfair, where is the compashion I'm supposed to learn then?
 
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final testament

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PSR9000 said:
Suppose I believe in jugdement day, then I wont be seeing it as unfair, and I would accept these things simply happen because it must be good for them.

So it is good people in the 3rd world starve or die from Aids and not unfair, where is the compashion I'm supposed to learn then?

Of course it is not goot for them to suffer. What is good they will soon or later get their rights back, more then they deserve.
what I wanted to say after 60 years of suffering at worst possible case, an infinite life in Heaven will be given, then who cares in Heaven if they suffered in the world or not?
God wants people to live in piece, too. That is why God always keep warning us. But you have to ask it to those society who became sick due to being fat, while others die in hunger.
Additionally those 1st world countries are not living in Heaven, the number of people suiciding in US or Europe is much more than people dying in AIDS in Africa. They just dont let us know. A lot of people are suicideing on mondays.

i cannot know the specific reasons why God let these happen, It is not my bussines to know what God knows.All i know God loves everyone, but sometimes justice requires some punishments or awards. But here is not the place to get punishment or awards, here is to see the action.

The main question may be this:
"Why does God let all these happen, instead of letting us all go to the Heaven, if He is a loving God, and why does God punish them not now but later afterlife?"

There are a lot of things to write. i ll try to summarise those I remember.
First we need to understand why we came to this world.
Although God know the truth, in order to show it to all of us, He wants to clerify who belives in God ,who doesnt, who is good , who is bad, who deserves Heaven, who deserves Hell (Only God can know the answer). It will be all shown in the judgement day. God will give people whatever they will deserve, because God is just.
So we are trying to prove ourselves that we really belive in God. It is really difficult job but easy with the help of God. And so it is the promise of God that we have time untill to death and free will to do whatever we are able to. Because God holds his promise.
Some people are not punnished or awarded here because here we have some limits but afterlife has no limit, it is infinite. Some punishment are sent to Hell because it is where exactly can be done. For the small kind of punishment , most of them are forgiven, thanks to God, if they are not, they are paid back here. But if it is really bad, and no hope to be forgiven, just wait for the Hell.
(Note: every sin is forgiven, as long as we seek forgiveness from God except if we have done something bad to another person we have to ask forgivenes from him/her.)

God loves everyone, even the unbelivers, that is why God let us all live , He doesnt vanish anyone, at least. And He gives alot of things as mercy.
When He give to some people less and let them suffer, it doesnt mean that God loves these less. On the contrary it, it may a sign that God cares them more. When pharaoh had a very good life , Moses(uhbp) suffered a lot. This doesnt mean that God loves Moses less, pharaoh more. In fact, it means that pharaoh is forgotten, never cared what he does and his job is left to the judgement day. While Moses improves his faith through this suffering and deserves more to be awarded. God knows all the best. But it is not like some fascists claim that "we are rich and powerfull because God loves us".
but " No, you are living your life because you are not taken into consideration anymore".
Eventhough we dont deserve anything, we cannot claim anything as our property. God gave us life and a lot more. While He gives some less because of some reasons we cannot know, it doesnt mean that God is not merciful or not loving them. There are sure some reasons we cant understand and good for them. They will all be clear in the day of judgement.

when some people suffers in hunger and sickness, and i suffer with them, but I will blame those imperialist people who are responsible, not God. God knows all the best and what He does is the best for all people. The problem is that we are not able to understand totally what is He doing. As long as we see God is mercifull to everything in the universe. But some bad behaviours of people cannot be atributed to God.
 
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