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What's your take on suffering and pain?

excreationist

excreationist

Married mouth-breather
Betho_br said:
6) Genesis 5:27 New International Version: Altogether, Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died. There is genetic programming that delays pain and suffering.
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The 900+ year lifespans ended with the Flood:
GenealogicalAges.png
 
We Never Know

We Never Know

No Slack
just_some_guy7090 said:
Given that severe suffering and pain impact so many people in the world and throughout history, what's your take on how a deity should/would respond?

I'm drawn to the story of Father Damien (it's the 150th anniversary of his ministry):

At his own request, Father Damien, a Roman Catholic priest, was assigned to a leper colony on Molokai Island, Hawaii, in 1873. The colony had no medical doctor or priest to care for them. Father Damien’s motivation for going was simple: he couldn’t imagine people living out their last days in isolation with no one to care for them. With profound empathy, he did everything for the members of the colony—he bathed them, dressed festering ulcers, built coffins, dug graves, and held worship services. He served the colony for twelve years. One Sunday, everything changed. Father Damien stood in front of the congregation of lepers and opened his robes to show the first signs of leprosy. He began his sermon with the words, “We lepers.” (from "The God Conversation" by JP Moreland)

Would you agree with a deconstructed (former?) Christian I know who said the best advice for suffering is "to sit with it" and avoid "tidy sayings" of religion?
Father Damien's story brought tears to my eyes. Does it impact you? Why do you think that is?

Despite the many evils perpetrated by people claiming to be Christian, does Jesus represent a compassionate response to suffering?

Jesus was betrayed, falsely accused, arrested on trumped-up charges, beaten, mocked, and brutally killed. His dearest friends deserted and disowned him. Father Damien did what he did to be like Jesus, because "God does not merely empathize with our suffering; he has experienced it firsthand." (Moreland)

How does that perspective on suffering land with you? Would love to hear your thoughts...
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Pain is an emotion. Suffering is over thinking of that emotion.
 
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