This was brought out many times by Atheists and agnostics, I would like to discuss it with you in a rational and respectful manner. My disclaimer is I am a true 5 point Calvinist and If that is offensive to you,You are free to close the thread now. If I may suggest , we leave out all slander against My God in the process of this discussion, slander being pre-defined as name calling as If he were real and present.Questioning scriptures depiction of God however you interpret is allowed. Example: Is God evil? Fair enough?
Offering my level best within my understanding (absent that special "revelation") of Biblical texts, I would say that God certainly retains the obvious capacity of whatever we mortals might deem as humanly "evil", yes.
Here is my premise,
this is my belief based upon my scriptures.
God not only allows children to die, He has pre-ordained them to die. Hard for us to fathom, granted, but True nevertheless in Scripture. If we say he did not cause it and only allowed it to happen then God would be reacting to free will of man to accomplish their own destruction, thus putting too much power in men and essentially tying God's hands. God ordained for this latest tragedy for his own purposes, we cannot know them, we are not our creator, so The bible tells us we must accept that their is a divine plan and God is in control completely.
I read it more or less as you do...
So you have asked, where is the comfort in that? Why do religious peoples comfort families of these tragedies with this premise of a God in control? Well let me ask you Atheists would you attempt to comfort these mothers with your precept that there is no God? No heaven and no hell? That their children are reduced to dust as they came? That the man who murdered them who took his life is also Dust and there is no justice for them either? Both parties cease to exist, one guilty, one innocent, both have the same fate in the end.
Well, let's at least be fair in level argument. You cite an antagonistic "atheistic argument", yet preclude any atheistic counterpoints as legitimate or worthy of fair hearing? Hmmm. IN this event, just allow one "atheist" to offer honest and heartfelt condolences of a lost individual or loved one on anyone's behalf...because silly atheists are sure that dead people are gone forever. And that always hurts.
Or could it be more comforting that a God in control is with their babies now, that they know no suffering,feel no pain have no more tears and the man that took their life will be punished by a Just and perfect God. Where is the evil in my premise and the lack of evil in yours? I find evil in evildoing going unpunished.I find evil in a life given for no purpose but to die and cease to exist.
What say you?
This, is a result only your own beliefs can answer, and not one left to matters of simplistic reason alone.
Why do good people die, and crappy people live on indefinitely?
I don't know.
Perhaps, only a religious faith will lend any "answer" worth accepting as "truth".
Keep us updated as to how that works out...