Why Does God Allow Suffering?

[Jimmy]

Just repeating yourself isn't going to magically make it make sense....

The fact that God created anything at all is beyond any idea of perfection and imperfection.

 

[Koldo]

A god who makes all of existence is beyond petty ideas of perfect and imperfect imo.

How did you reach this conclusion?

 

[Koldo]

The fact that God created anything at all is beyond any idea of perfection and imperfection.

How did you reach this conclusion?

 

[Jimmy]

It is interesting that you equal the absence of suffering to complete perfection.

Did I?

 

[Koldo]

Did I?

Yes, you do.

 

[Jimmy]

How did you reach this conclusion?

I’m not denying life is imperfect and sad. Blaming god is ridiculous imo.

 

[Koldo]

I’m not denying life is imperfect and sad.

So what?

 

[Koldo]

I’m not denying life is imperfect and sad. Blaming god is ridiculous imo.

But you blame God.

 

[ratiocinator]

I’m not denying life is imperfect and sad. Blaming god is ridiculous imo.

Why? If a God created everything it created all the imperfections and sadness. How would it not be to blame?

 

[Tomef]

They say there’s no stupid questions , but this has to be the dumbest question imo. Obviously, we live in an imperfect world. Does one really think a perfect world could exist? I wish suffering didn’t exist, just like the next guy.

God doesn't exist / suffering happens. Sometimes you can find an explanation - a reason - a lot of the time there is none. 'Violence is the arbiter of reality' as Nicolás Gómez Dávila put it. Science has done a fair bit to reduce human suffering, though, it could be argued.

 

[RestlessSoul]

I sometimes get the impression that you are a troll and not earnest. But that's not for me to say.

The problem of evil is not a stupid question. That is all I have to say on the topic.

It's a reasonable question imo, but not all questions have answers. If a question is unanswerable, it becomes stupid to go on asking it; it makes more sense to ask a different question. Such as, Since suffering exists, what can I do to relieve the suffering of others?

 

[Kathryn]

Here's what I believe: I believe we live in a fallen world. I also believe that God is 100 percent holy and 100 percent just. I know I am not.

 

[CG Didymus]

Made by an imperfect God, or no God at all, then.

Because that is how humans designed their gods.

Yeah, a religion has to explain why there's suffering. For Christians, they are told the Bible story of how Adam and Eve fell into temptation and ate of the forbidden fruit. Because of that one act, the God of the Bible was forced to curse them and the whole Earth.

But for the those Christians, the real source of all the problems is because of God's adversary Satan. They blame him for everything. In their mythology, one day Jesus will come and destroy Satan. And then all will be perfect... Just like God originally planned.

Out of all the miracles in the Bible and the NT, the greatest miracle is how some Christians believe all this stuff literally. But I don't see how it let's their God off the hook? He's the one that created his own adversary. An adversary he knew would deceive Adam and Eve and cause nothing but trouble.

For me too, the best explanation is that there was pain and suffering, so people invented ways to explain it. Multiple Gods, with some being evil or one God that created a spirit-being that turned into an evil and rebellious enemy of that God.

 

[Koldo]

It's a reasonable question imo, but not all questions have answers. If a question is unanswerable, it becomes stupid to go on asking it;

Sure, but this question in particular is not unanswereable.

 

[YoursTrue]

A god who makes all of existence is beyond petty ideas of perfect and imperfect imo.

Here's what I'm going to say -- some people (not me) believe this world is a wonderful place filled with marvelous things. So the question is also: why is there evil, and what is evil? Obviously we all don't all classify the category of evil the same way. Some people, as I've said, do not even think or question these things, they just go on and say how wonderful life is and has been for them.

 

[ratiocinator]

Here's what I believe: I believe we live in a fallen world. I also believe that God is 100 percent holy and 100 percent just.

That's just contradictory. If you believe in some sort of 'fall' or 'original sin', so, as the bible says, everybody is a 'sinner', then God would simply be being unjust to judge us. It's a classic case of being "created sick and commanded to be well". If literally everybody fails a test, then that isn't a choice, it's a design flaw.

 

[Kathryn]

That's just contradictory. If you believe in some sort of 'fall' or 'original sin', so, as the bible says, everybody is a 'sinner', then God would simply be being unjust to judge us. It's a classic case of being "created sick and commanded to be well". If literally everybody fails a test, then that isn't a choice, it's a design flaw.

Sorry, I disagree.

 

[Koldo]

Here's what I'm going to say -- some people (not me) believe this world is a wonderful place filled with marvelous things. So the question is also: why is there evil, and what is evil? Obviously we all don't all classify the category of evil the same way. Some people, as I've said, do not even think or question these things, they just go on and say how wonderful life is and has been for them.

There are people that are ignorant, others lie to themselves, others.... You get the point.

 

[Jimmy]

Why? If a God created everything it created all the imperfections and sadness. How would it not be to blame?

I prefer to be grateful for what i do have. God had no choice. He’s bound by the laws of nature, otherwise there would be nothing to create. The fact that he created anything at all has nothing to do with perfection or non-perfection so blame is irrelevant.

 

[ratiocinator]

Sorry, I disagree.

So you think it fair and just for a God to make sure nobody is capable of reaching some standard and then hold them responsible for not meeting it? If so, you have a seriously strange and idea of what's fair and just, that I just don't recognise. If not, then what? How is it possible to have a fair judgement if nobody is capable of passing the test, by design?