God often gets credit for good, but why not the bad?

[texan1]

When I was younger I would often pray to God and thank him for all of the blessings in my life. I remember asking my father once though - how can God be capable of such beauty and on the other hand let such awful things happen - like children who suffer in war-torn countries, etc. He would say that "This was not God. Evil like that is created by man." This made some sense, but of course doesn't apply to things like terminal illness taking lives of young people, or natural disasters, etc.

So why is it that God seems to get credit for all of the good stuff, but rarely gets credit for the bad?

 

[stacey bo bacey]

YouTube - Give God Some More Credit!

The video gets kinda boring but it addresses the point.

 

[Cordoba]

Human Free Will is the answer

God gave humans free will, and as such we have the option of doing good or evil

It's our choice, and the mess we cause in this world is our mistake

If for example a person chooses to steal a bank, can you blame God for the damage done?

Or do you blame the thief?

 

[Riverwolf]

Human Free Will is the answer

God gave humans free will, and as such we have the option of doing good or evil

It's our choice, and the mess we cause in this world is our mistake

If for example a person chooses to steal a bank, can you blame God for the damage done?

Or do you blame the thief?

Not quite the point being addressed. These ailments are certainly man's doing, but what about natural disasters? Illnesses? These are no fault of humanity, yet they are still prevalent.

 

[whereismynotecard]

Human Free Will is the answer

God gave humans free will, and as such we have the option of doing good or evil

It's our choice, and the mess we cause in this world is our mistake

If for example a person chooses to steal a bank, can you blame God for the damage done?

Or do you blame the thief?

What about a baby born with severe physical deformities? No human being made the baby deformed. It just happened. And if we are going to give God credit for creating everything, he must have made that baby deformed too...

 

[Cordoba]

Sometimes, they may be a collective punishment for a certain community which has gone astray

Other times they are a trial. And sometimes God allows some people to suffer to test others, how they react to them

For more details and answers:

Why Does Allah Allow Suffering and Evil in the World?

 

[whereismynotecard]

Sometimes, they may be a collective punishment for a certain community which has gone astray

Other times they are a trial. And sometimes God allows some people to suffer to test others, how they react to them

For more details and answers:

Why Does Allah Allow Suffering and Evil in the World?

That isn't very nice... to punish a baby for something a community has done. Wowza... That sucks. I'm glad I wasn't deformed in order to punish my community.

 

[Cordoba]

That answer was to Riverwof's post ...

 

[whereismynotecard]

That answer was to Riverwof's post ...

oh. Well, why does Allah allow babies to be deformed then?

 

[Cordoba]

First of all, a very small percentage of babies are born deformed

Second, this world is a transition. A deformed person in this life will not be deformed in the Hereafter

Third, the laws of genetics appy. In some cases, babies are born deformed as their parents suffered from a war or other factors which are carried through the genes from one generation to the next ...

 

[Kodanshi]

I think the book of Lamentations 3:38 says it well when it points out:

“Out of the mouth of the most High proceedeth not evil and good?”

As in both good and evil come from god. Indeed, Matthew Henry’s commentary on the Bible has this to say about it: “We must see and acknowledge the hand of God in all the calamities that befal us at any time, whether personal or public, v. 37, 38. This is here laid down as a great truth, which will help to quiet our spirits under our afflictions and to sanctify them to us.”

 

[rusra02]

God is not responsible for suffering and death, but he has permitted it for a relatively brief time to fulfill his purposes.
Romans 5:12 reveals why even babies die. Like a deadly disease, our first parents introduced sin and death into the world. Satan the devil, who was a spirit son of God but who turned wicked, is also responsible for introducing sin and death into the world.
Since then, men in general have ignored God's laws and increased the evil and suffering we experience.
Meanwhile, God has been taking steps to undo all the harm that Satan and evil men have caused and continue to cause. He sent his Son to provide a ransom for sins (Matthew 20:28). Now a mighty spirit, Jesus has been appointed to be king over the earth. Soon, God's kingdom will remove all vestiges of human rulership and Christ will rule over the earth. (Daniel 2:44, Revelation 19:11-21.)
Among the blessings the Kingdom will bring is to remove sin and death. Those who have died, including babies, will be raised back from the dead. (John 5:28,29 Revelation 21:3,4) Thus, God will end man's suffering for all eternity to come.

 

[3.14]

because then the concept of god would be tainted and there would be no point in having a god

 

[ChristineES]

I don't understand. Every time something goes wrong, God is the first to get blamed. I know that most people say things like "why me, God?" or "why did you do this to me God?" or something like that. For a lot of people, even Christians, think that whenever anything bad happens it is because God is punishing them.
So where did you ever get the idea that God doesn't get credit for the bad?

 

[eugenius]

Simple answer:

There is no god, even if there was, there are many many horrible things that happen which have nothing to do with free will or evil men. There is ALWAYS an excuse to defend god or his position or religion to some degree.

 

[elfy2go]

Evil isn't a problem unless one posits for themselves and omnipotent and benevolent God.

If they do posit that type of God, however, then they run into an inconsistent triad of statements.

1. If God is all good and willing to prevent evil then he is not omnipotent because evil exists.
2. If God is omnipotent then he is not all good because evil exists.
3. If God is all benevolent and omnipotent, then why is there evil?

Now, a common response (which has already been given by some to a degree) is called a theodicy. A theodicy accepts 3 (that God is benevolent and omnipotent) and tries to give an explanation as to why there is evil. A common response is that God gave us the greater good of free will but in doing so it was logically impossible for him to prevent evil fully.

 

[texan1]

I don't understand. Every time something goes wrong, God is the first to get blamed. I know that most people say things like "why me, God?" or "why did you do this to me God?" or something like that. For a lot of people, even Christians, think that whenever anything bad happens it is because God is punishing them.
So where did you ever get the idea that God doesn't get credit for the bad?

You are right - I know some people do that - that's why I used the word "rarely" in my post, instead of "never". But in my own personal experience and observation it seems that God gets credit for the good most of the time, but not often for the bad. In fact, there are a lot of people who only turn to God during the bad times, to help them through it.....so I was just curious as to how people reconcile that.

 

[texan1]

Sometimes, they may be a collective punishment for a certain community which has gone astray

Other times they are a trial. And sometimes God allows some people to suffer to test others, how they react to them

For more details and answers:

Why Does Allah Allow Suffering and Evil in the World?

That seems to be a dangerous way of thinking though. In my opinion, people who are suffering from a natural disaster or from an illness are merely victims of random acts of nature and they deserve our love and support. It seems unfair to assume they are being punished by God for something wrong that they have done.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

So why is it that God seems to get credit for all of the good stuff, but rarely gets credit for the bad?

It isn't compatible with most people's model of a god, for that god to knowingly do/allow bad things. This is generally a direct projection of an individual's personal psychology as well. For instance, people who do claim that god 'punishes' people through natural disasters are, themselves, the type of hateful, vindictive personality that invents a god which shares this worldview.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Sometimes, they may be a collective punishment for a certain community which has gone astray

Collective punishment is unjust punishment.

God is not responsible for suffering and death, but he has permitted it for a relatively brief time to fulfill his purposes.

So... God could end suffering and death, but chooses not to? Isn't that almost as bad?

Romans 5:12 reveals why even babies die.

2 Samuel 12:11-19 reveals another reason why babies die.

Funny how that passage came up twice in one day.