Why so much wickedness and suffering ?

[s2a]

Why, then, is there so much wickedness and suffering? One reason is that mankind in general has rejected God as Ruler, not wanting to submit to his righteous laws and principles. Humans have unwittingly submitted to God’s Adversary, Satan, for “the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.” (1 John 5:19) Knowledge of this fact makes it easier to understand why bad situations exist. Satan is evil, hateful, deceptive, and cruel. So we should expect the world to reflect the personality of its ruler. No wonder there is so much wickedness!

Or, as alternative, "stuff" just happens, and we don't matter in the entire universe.

Just a thought...

 

[ejalfa]

Great.

Well the next obvious question is why? Why do you believe thatthe bible is the word of god?

Surely if it were the word of god it would not contain so many contradictions, factual errors and flat out evilness on the part of god.


So why do you believe it to be the word of god? Because you were raised that way? Because you choose to believe it?

INSPIRATION

The quality or state of being moved by or produced under the direction of a spirit from a superhuman source. When that source is Jehovah, the result is a pronouncement or writings that are truly the word of God. The apostle Paul stated at 2 Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is inspired of God.” The phrase “inspired of God” translates the compound Greek word the·o′pneu·stos, meaning, literally, “God-breathed” or “breathed by God.”
This is the only occurrence of this Greek term in the Scriptures. Its use here clearly identifies God as the Source and Producer of the Sacred Scriptures, the Bible. Their being “God-breathed” finds some parallel in the expression found in the Hebrew Scriptures at Psalm 33:6: “By the word of Jehovah the heavens themselves were made, and by the spirit [or breath] of his mouth all their army.”

 

[ejalfa]

Or, as alternative, "stuff" just happens, and we don't matter in the entire universe.

Just a thought...

“For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.
God really does care.
We do matter God cares.
John 3:16

 

[Bunyip]

INSPIRATION

The quality or state of being moved by or produced under the direction of a spirit from a superhuman source. When that source is Jehovah, the result is a pronouncement or writings that are truly the word of God. The apostle Paul stated at 2 Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is inspired of God.” The phrase “inspired of God” translates the compound Greek word the·o′pneu·stos, meaning, literally, “God-breathed” or “breathed by God.”
This is the only occurrence of this Greek term in the Scriptures. Its use here clearly identifies God as the Source and Producer of the Sacred Scriptures, the Bible. Their being “God-breathed” finds some parallel in the expression found in the Hebrew Scriptures at Psalm 33:6: “By the word of Jehovah the heavens themselves were made, and by the spirit [or breath] of his mouth all their army.”

Could you answer my question please?

 

[Pegg]

Could you answer my question please?

prophecy is a major evidence of inspiration...the bible has scores of prophecies which have seen fufillment (not only in our own time but throughout the ages)

People cannot accurately foretell future events in detail, yet the bible does.

So if people can't do that, then someone else must have been revealing such matters to the people who wrote them down.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Yes...there was no wickedness before Adam and Eve sinned.

Cant really argue with a bible literalist. Not enough common ground.

 

[McBell]

He will soon put an end to all evil in the very near future !
We are now living in the last days. 2Timoty 3 1-5.
Why does He allow evil ?
Because Adam and Eve partook of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Only God new what evil was up to that point.
The devil said if they partook of it's fruit they would be like God knowing both good and evil.
And so it came to be.....

You did not answer the question.

Why does god allow wickedness and evil?

 

[McBell]

The Bible tells me so.....

Ah, so you are just making stuff up to fit your beliefs..?

 

[McBell]

No....the serpent was not a good guy it was merely a serpent that the devil used to deceive Eve. The devil he is the one that caused all the problems.

So your claim is that the devil was not wicked or evil before Adam and Eve sinned?

 

[McBell]

prophecy is a major evidence of inspiration...the bible has scores of prophecies which have seen fufillment (not only in our own time but throughout the ages)

People cannot accurately foretell future events in detail, yet the bible does.

So if people can't do that, then someone else must have been revealing such matters to the people who wrote them down.

The Forer Effect at its best...

 

[Sunstone]

People cannot accurately foretell future events in detail, yet the bible does.

As an example of the "detailed prophecies" of the Bible, would you offer, "There will be wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, plagues, and famines"?

 

[Bunyip]

prophecy is a major evidence of inspiration...the bible has scores of prophecies which have seen fufillment (not only in our own time but throughout the ages)

People cannot accurately foretell future events in detail, yet the bible does.

So if people can't do that, then someone else must have been revealing such matters to the people who wrote them down.

There is not one single specific prophecy in the bible of any merit whatsoever. Not a single one with any specific details that has ever come to pass. I would see biblical prophecy as evidence against the divine inspiriation of the bible, not for it.

 

[Riverwolf]

No....the serpent was not a good guy it was merely a serpent that the devil used to deceive Eve. The devil he is the one that caused all the problems.

So there WAS wickedness before Adam and Eve sinned, in the form of the devil, then?

 

[oldbadger]

The devil he is the one that caused all the problems.

..... so ...... am I right in saying that God lost control of the devil?
...... The devil is as powerful as God and is ruining everything in the world?
...... God cannot stop the devil? is that right?

 

[Pegg]

There is not one single specific prophecy in the bible of any merit whatsoever. Not a single one with any specific details that has ever come to pass. I would see biblical prophecy as evidence against the divine inspiriation of the bible, not for it.

to me that says that you've never seriously studied the subject.

I have. And i know you are wrong.

 

[Draupadi]

Ejalfa you posted the OP to express your belief right? You said that you believe in a particular thing because the Bible said so. With all due respect, all of us here don't believe that the Bible is the ultimate truth. So you have got to answer them why believe in the Biblical statement you had made in the OP and why you consider the source a reliable one, in order to establish your point.

 

[ejalfa]

Ejalfa you posted the OP to express your belief right? You said that you believe in a particular thing because the Bible said so. With all due respect, all of us here don't believe that the Bible is the ultimate truth. So you have got to answer them why believe in the Biblical statement you had made in the OP and why you consider the source a reliable one, in order to establish your point.

FOR earth’s inhabitants to know what teachings are true and pleasing to God, he must reveal his thoughts to humans. He must also make that revelation available to all. How else could mankind know what God approves of in the way of doctrine, worship, and conduct? Has God supplied such information? If so, in what form?
Can any human with a life span of a few decades personally reach all mankind and serve as a channel of communication from God? No. But a permanent written record can. Therefore, would it not be appropriate that the revelation from God be made available in the form of a book? One of the ancient books claiming inspiration by God is the Bible. “All Scripture is inspired of God and beneficial for teaching, for reproving, for setting things straight, for disciplining in righteousness,” states one of its writers. (2 Timothy 3:16) The Bible speaks for itself...

 

[Draupadi]

You know that the Vedas is older than the Bible and is considered divine too?

 

[ejalfa]

There is not one single specific prophecy in the bible of any merit whatsoever. Not a single one with any specific details that has ever come to pass. I would see biblical prophecy as evidence against the divine inspiriation of the bible, not for it.

The historical accuracy of the Bible agrees with the fact that it is inspired of God. Events covered in the Bible are not mere myths. They are related to specific dates, people, and places. For example, Luke 3:1 factually refers to “the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was district ruler of Galilee.”

 

[ejalfa]

You know that the Vedas is older than the Bible and is considered divine too?

I don't think so......

How Old?
Among the major books of religion, the Bible is one of the very oldest. Its first parts were written some 3,500 years ago. This book was completed in 98 C.E.* Though some 40 men were its writers over a period of 1,600 years, the Bible is a harmonious body of writings. That is so because its real Author is God.
The Bible is the most widely circulated and translated book in all history. Each year, some 60 million copies of the entire Bible or portions of it are distributed. The complete Bible or parts of it have been translated into more than 2,300 languages and dialects. Over 90 percent of the human family have access to the Bible, or at least part of it, in their native language. This book has transcended national boundaries, racial divisions, and ethnic barriers.