Why do bad things happen to good people?

[Awoon]

The basic theme of Job is, that God is an Eastern potentate. He has his advisers,(Satan is chief), and children and is running the world.

His children come in to see him in the throne room and he pays no attention to them.

Out of boredom, he points out Job to the prosecutor (Satan) then sets up an idea about his "servant" Job.

God and Satan working hand in hand begin to play a game with Job who doesn't know he is a pawn in a heavenly court room.

In the end (really the beginning) God says "the Devil made me do it" and apologizes to Job by restoring the earthly material things to him.

Satan is then sent off to torment the next unsuspecting human made in Gods' image.

It is brilliant Babylonian poetry, if one can understand Semitic thinking and writing.

So when you die and stand in front of God and his throne and God questions you on your life as a human you can say "the Devil made me do it," just as God did. And God will say enter thou good and faithful servant. After all the Bible is the word of God.


AHHHH HA HA HA LOL LOL

 

[espo35]

With appropriate sarcasm........

<< Job 26:3 >>

New International Version (©1984)

What advice you have offered to one without wisdom! And what great insight you have displayed!

 

[St Giordano Bruno]

There are studies that indicate good people (and by "good" I shall refer to altruism) live longer and healthier lives that those that are not such as this one . So it could be true that although bad things happen to good people they are more likely to happen to bad people. Occasionally being altruistic can put you in harm&#8217;s way such as the fire fighters on 9-11 but being altruistic could release endorphins which have long term health benefits. Not every fire fighter will suffer the same fate as those ones on 9-11 and in fact many will live full and healthy lives with only a miniscule percentage dying in the course of duty. Being an altuistic person and living a healthier life to the "bad guy" counterpart would have nothing to do with religion but something that for our survival has in hard wired into us and a fundamental feature of the evolution of our species.

 

[BruceDLimber]

I would say there are three reasons why bad things happen:

• Some are indeed God-sent tests, as various scriptures make clear:

"God will verily sift them and test them."

and

"Do men think when they say, 'We believe,' they will be let alone and not put to proof?"

• Some are simply random events, like earthquakes and tornados.

• But MANY are in fact OUR OWN DOING through our own bad choices and inappropriate actions!

Simple as that.

Peace,

Bruce

 

[9Westy9]

I would say there are three reasons why bad things happen:

• Some are indeed God-sent tests, as various scriptures make clear:

"God will verily sift them and test them."

and

"Do men think when they say, 'We believe,' they will be let alone and not put to proof?"

takes away from his omniscience

• Some are simply random events, like earthquakes and tornados.

We can still ask why

• But MANY are in fact OUR OWN DOING through our own bad choices and inappropriate actions!

Simple as that.

Peace,

Bruce

why do we have these choices?

 

[Gaura Priya]

I'm just going to repeat myself again... karma.

 

[BruceDLimber]

[W]hy do we have these choices?

Ever hear of free will?

Which, BTW, is also why His omniscience is irrelevant to the question: for us, it all still amounts to our own free will as few (if any) of us are in a position to play oracle and state God's intention.

Peace,

Bruce

 

[9Westy9]

Ever hear of free will?

Which, BTW, is also why His omniscience is irrelevant to the question: for us, it all still amounts to our own free will as few (if any) of us are in no position to play oracle and state God's intention.

Peace,

Bruce

I have heard of free will. Although I'm still not sure why he doesn't restrict it so we don't need to make moral choices. Why allow or create evil?

 

[jmvizanko]

Why would this happen and why to her?

And you have in your hands the argument that most successfully makes me think there isn't a god, at least in the all-powerful and caring definition you probably consider god to be.

Take it to the extreme. Many young children die from excruciatingly painful diseases every day. What is a more likely explanation for why this happens? An omniscient and omnibenevolent god is using these deaths for some purpose (one that no theist has ever been able to come up with), or there is no god and good and bad things happen completely randomly to people? There is always option C, that there is an all-powerful god that is either evil or doesn't care, although in the case of not eliminating such evils given the power to do so, we might as well equate not caring with evil.

 

[crocusj]

There are studies that indicate good people (and by "good" I shall refer to altruism) live longer and healthier lives that those that are not such as this one . So it could be true that although bad things happen to good people they are more likely to happen to bad people. Occasionally being altruistic can put you in harm’s way such as the fire fighters on 9-11 but being altruistic could release endorphins which have long term health benefits. Not every fire fighter will suffer the same fate as those ones on 9-11 and in fact many will live full and healthy lives with only a miniscule percentage dying in the course of duty. Being an altuistic person and living a healthier life to the "bad guy" counterpart would have nothing to do with religion but something that for our survival has in hard wired into us and a fundamental feature of the evolution of our species.

I think that the idea of altruism would specifically preclude firefighters. They are paid for what they do and therefore their offspring are protected. Altruism would be putting yourself in harms way without any benefit to yourself while prohibiting any possibility of offspring at all. As for endorphins, well, just eat more chillies.

 

[BruceDLimber]

Why allow or create evil?

I'm not sure there's any point to free will if it were restricted in the manner you describe.

And only humans create evil: God created only good.

(Further, evil is merely the relative absence of good, not a "thing" in itself <which of course doesn't prevent it from having effects>. Quote upon request.)

Peace,

Bruce

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I'm not sure there's any point to free will if it were restricted in the manner you describe.

But we're already restricted. We can't blow up the Sun; we can't kill people with our thoughts; there are any number of evil acts that we're physically prevented from doing. Would we have any less free will if trying to stab someone with a knife had the same effect as poking them with foam rubber? I don't think we would, but we would have less suffering as a result of evil.

And only humans create evil: God created only good.

We're all responsible for our actions to the extent that we can forsee them and are able to prevent them. For the creator of the universe, everything in existence would be the result of its actions. If it was all-knowing, it could foresee every consequence. If it was all-powerful, there would be no consquence it could not prevent. By any reasonable definition of responsibility, such a god would be responsible for everything in the universe, including all evil.

 

[sojourner]

Why do bad things happen to good people?

Why do good things happen to bad people?

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Why do good things happen to bad people?

Same answer to both questions: because the world's not always fair.

There's no logical problem with this until we try to reconcile it with the idea that the world is being run by a perfectly fair god.

 

[Madhuri]

Karma from past lives.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Karma from past lives.

So if a person suffers now, it's because he did something to deserve it before he was born?

I suppose that addresses the problem of fairness, but I worry that this could create a system that lacks compassion: if a person's suffering is part of some divine process to restore harmony to the universe, then why would we ever try to stand in the way of this by working to relieve that suffering?

 

[InChrist]

The scriptures indicate that God gave the first humans dominion over the earth. Had they continued to look to their loving Creator for wisdom I believe this world would be free of evil and suffering. Instead they chose to disobey God and listen to the serpent’s (satan) lie and fulfill their own lust for a perceived higher knowledge and power, forfeiting their dominion under God’s guidance to that of self and satan. The scriptures also state that satan is the god of this world. Although he is not the Creator or true God, he is a powerful evil angelic being who malevolently influences the inhabitants of earth.

Like a child that disobeys a loving parent and then blames their mom or dad for a bad consequence which the parent was trying to protect the child from in the first place, so it is when a person blames God for the evil and suffering in this world. Anyone who objects to this freedom to choose or the freedom to obey or disobey which God gave humanity can personally do something about it right now as far as their own life is concerned and everyone around them will benefit. Tell God you don’t want the right to choose wrong, have bad thoughts, act selfishly, or do anything that would hurt or offend Him or others. Ask God to take away your right to choose and ask Him to control you like a master controls a slave so that you would only do good and not listen to your own evil desires or the voice of satan.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Ask God to take away your right to choose and ask Him to control you like a master controls a slave so that you would only do good and not listen to your own evil desires or the voice of satan.

Kinky!

No wonder so many Christians end up getting caught in perverse sex scandals.

 

[9Westy9]

I'm not sure there's any point to free will if it were restricted in the manner you describe.

Of course there's reason for free will outside of morality. Freedom to choose what cereal to eat is a trivial example

And only humans create evil: God created only good.

(Further, evil is merely the relative absence of good, not a "thing" in itself <which of course doesn't prevent it from having effects>. Quote upon request.)

Peace,

Bruce

Perfection creates perfection that creates imperfection?

 

[chinu]

Why do bad things happen to good people?

One corelated question for everyone here.

Suppose you are a bad person who is very selfish, who doesn't care for anybody -- so how many people knows this truth about you ?

_/\_
Chinu