Question:
How can someone believe in a god when such awful things happen to good people all the time?
?
2016-09-28 22:29:42 UTC
I wish I could believe in a higher power that cares, but I just can't. This is truly a horrible world. The only good part is nature. Awful things happen to good people. What kind of god would allow that to happen? What could possibly be the plan or purpose of someone being murdered? Why should anyone have to suffer torture??

I do want to believe, and I've always wanted to believe, that a god cared. But I can't. How can anyone bring themselves to do it? The way I see it, if there is a god, it is a terrible being.
61 answers:
Hannah J Paul
2016-09-30 05:41:53 UTC
You are so right. This world is truly terrible. It reeks of wickedness and suffering. But the existence of awful things does not deprive God of his own existence. Do bad things happen to good people? Yes, obviously. Is there a reason bad things happen to good people? Yes. Will bad things always happen to good people? No. Will God do anything about the bad things that happen to good people? Yes. Is it a future event? Yes.



Is there something we can do now to make sure we are a part of this future where bad things do not happen? Yes. Where can these answers be found? In God's word the Bible. Is the answer to the question about awful things happening to awful people in the Bible too? Yes. How does one find it? Go to jw.org.



"But that's Jehovah's Witnesses! I do not like them! Besides, they're a cult!" Yes, that is what plenty people parrot. But you are here on Yahoo asking this question of total strangers. This seems to suggest that you are fairly open to responses. So perhaps you can divorce yourself from your dislike of Jehovah's Witnesses (if indeed you have such) long enough to see what they can show you in God's word the Bible. While you are at it, consult with religious leaders in other denominations. Ask a Protestant to show you in God's word the answer to why a real God allows such things to happen. Ask a Catholic to show you in God's word the answer to why a real God allows such things to happen. Compare your findings. Does anything there make sense? Did anyone provide you with a reasonable explanation? Because I do assure you, there is a reasonable explanation as to why God temporarily allows awful things to happen to good people. That word 'temporarily' - that was a hint. Read the first two chapters of Job - which is another hint. Get back with us and let us know what you conclude.



Hannah J Paul
?
2016-09-30 18:25:43 UTC
People of various religions have gone to their religious leaders and teachers to ask why there is so much suffering. Often, the response is that suffering is God’s will and that he long ago determined everything that would ever happen, including tragic events. Many are told that God’s ways are mysterious or that he brings death upon people—even children—so that he can have them in heaven with him. As you have learned, though, Jehovah God never causes what is bad. The Bible says: “It is unthinkable for the true God to act wickedly, for the Almighty to do wrong!”Do you know why people make the mistake of blaming God for all the suffering in the world? In many cases, they blame Almighty God because they think that he is the real ruler of this world. They do not know a simple but important truth that the Bible teaches. You learned that truth in Chapter 3 of this book. The real ruler of this world is Satan the Devil.he Bible clearly states: “The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.” (1 John 5:19) When you think about it, does that not make sense? This world reflects the personality of the invisible spirit creature who is “misleading the entire inhabited earth.” (Revelation 12:9) Satan is hateful, deceptive, and cruel. So the world, under his influence, is full of hatred, deceit, and cruelty. That is one reason why there is so much suffering.



8 A second reason why there is so much suffering is that, as discussed in Chapter 3, mankind has been imperfect and sinful ever since the rebellion in the garden of Eden. Sinful humans tend to struggle for dominance, and this results in wars, oppression, and suffering. (Ecclesiastes 4:1; 8:9) A third reason for suffering is “time and unexpected events.” (Read Ecclesiastes 9:11.) In a world without Jehovah as a protective Ruler, people may suffer because they happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.It is comforting for us to know that God does not cause suffering. He is not responsible for the wars, the crimes, the oppression, or even the natural disasters that cause people to suffer. Still, we need to know, Why does Jehovah allow all this suffering? If he is the Almighty, he has the power to stop it. Why, then, does he hold back? The loving God that we have come to know must have a good reason.
samantha
2016-09-30 21:40:07 UTC
What a classic answer that so many people use when they don't want

to consider the whole story. This world was messed up by sin when

the first humans refused to believe God and brought sin into the world.

This awful world was not the one God made...it's the one humanity

brought on themselves, and all of us. Even then God had a plan to save

anyone who would choose to confess his sin and accept Jesus Who came to take on the punishment for the sin He didn't do, so that we could be forgiven. We love Him because He loved us first. We make the

choice to believe God and love His Son, or to go our own way. It is our

free choice...no one forces us to believe. And the consequences are

spelled out very clear. Read John 3:16 & 17 and John 14:6.
laidawestbrook2
2016-09-30 07:56:32 UTC
Bad things are happening all over the world. God is looking at the bigger picture. He do not want anyone to suffering. Before he bring an end to wickedness and suffering, he is allowing us the opportunity to repent and live by his standard. He helping us to become a righteous society of people.

2 Peter 3:9 Jehovah* is not slow concerning his promise, as some people consider slowness, but he is patient with you because he does not desire anyone to be destroyed but desires all to attain to repentance.



2 Peter 3:13 But there are new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to his promise, and in these righteousness is to dwell.

When this does is the results.

Isaiah 33:24

24 And no resident* will say: “I am sick.”

The people dwelling in the land will be pardoned for their error.

Isaiah 35:6-9

6 At that time the lame will leap like the deer,

And the tongue of the speechless will shout for joy.

For waters will burst forth in the wilderness,

And streams in the desert plain.

7 The heat-parched ground will become a reedy pool,

And the thirsty ground springs of water.

In the lairs where jackals rested,

There will be green grass and reeds and papyrus.

8 And a highway will be there,

Yes, a way called the Way of Holiness.

The unclean one will not travel on it.

It is reserved for the one walking on the way;

No one foolish will stray onto it.

9 No lion will be there,

And no vicious wild beasts will come on it.

They will not be found there;

Only the repurchased ones will walk there.

Isaiah 65:21-25

21 They will build houses and live in them,

And they will plant vineyards and eat their fruitage.

22 They will not build for someone else to inhabit,

Nor will they plant for others to eat.

For the days of my people will be like the days of a tree,

And the work of their hands my chosen ones will enjoy to the full.

23 They will not toil* for nothing,*

Nor will they bear children for distress,

Because they are the offspring* made up of those blessed by Jehovah,

And their descendants with them.

24 Even before they call out, I will answer;

While they are yet speaking, I will hear.

25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together,

The lion will eat straw just like the bull,

And the serpent’s food will be dust.

They will do no harm nor cause any ruin in all my holy mountain,” says Jehovah.

Revelation 21:3 With that I heard a loud voice from the throne say: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his people. And God himself will be with them. 4 And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes,+ and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.”

5 And the One seated on the throne+ said: “Look! I am making all things new.” Also he says: “Write, for these words are faithful* and true.”
2016-09-29 06:33:38 UTC
If you ate your favorite food everyday then you would get tired of it and while this may not explain why bad things happen. Here is a story that might help. Let's pretend you need a job and another guy needs it too. But he gets the job instead of you and you feel that god forgot you. Please do not think that way because maybe the other guy was a better fit and who knows in this story perhaps something else will work out and you feel better. We cannot get our own way all the time nor can always control others and should we really and that is rhetorical because I am sure you do not want to be controlled either.
?
2016-09-29 09:13:19 UTC
It is true awful things are happening in this world and it is so sad that bad things happen to good people. While God does allow these things to happen there is a difference in allowing things to happen and causing them to happen. Right now Satan is the ruler of this world ( 1 John 5:19). However soon God will abyss Satan and his demons and bring an end to all the bad things that are happening ( Revelation 20:3, Psalms 37:10). God will even bring back to life those good people who may have lost their life because of the bad things that happen. In the meantime God gives those who serve him the strength to endure those bad things (Psalms 46:1). Would you and your family like to live on. earth when it bcomes a paradise? When there will be no more crime, no violence no wars, no sickness and no death? Please visit jw.org where you may request a free home bible study at a day and time conveint for you.
?
2016-09-30 10:23:27 UTC
Bad things happening is part of "free will package". God is not "supernatural police" to help and save everyone. He's not a dictator who forces everyone to do good and not to do evil. Also religion believes this life is just a tryout befor eheaven or hell, so such things as death, horrors etc not so relevant, most relevant is how you behave in such situations cause they are real indicator are you worthy of heaven or not.
2016-09-28 22:36:20 UTC
What do you want in God? Sparing...WHO? Everyone? All the time?

So someone has the urge to steal, and God, what? Redirects it? Deflects it?



God is about getting us SAVED for ETERNITY, and secondly and this is

VERY important: the judgement.



People DO awful things, yes, and this is all recorded for the judgement.



When people turn to the Lord, EVERYTHING changes....FOR them!

Not for EVERYONE, for them.



This is why Christianity says it is a 'PERSONAL relationship'.



God is love, but you gotta know what love is, what it means...it's not

kissy, and letting you away with things.



I wasn't always Christian, not for a long time.



I was LED to it. And saw it was true, and necessary.



It's not about everyone else, it's about YOU.

You say you WISH....really? If you did wish, you'd study and do it.



So, I think you are making excuses why you don't do it.



Christianity is a HIGH calling because you gotta 'die to self'....and

self was all we had! It's hard to let go 'all we had'.



God gives us a NEW spirit which grows like a baby grows, but you

can only have ONE spirit inside us at any time.



God cannot interfere unless people pray for this. This has a whole lot to do

with satan who certainly doesn't want anyone to get help.



Satan is so tricky....sets people up to do bad stuff, then gets them in trouble

for it, and then to cap it off, finds ways to blame God for it all.



God is not some person. God is the Creator, moving FORCE, originator of

all things.



I thank GOD, that God is love, and merciful for I am definitely flawed. God forgives,

and then leads us to get away from the sins that destroy us.



Consider again why you don't believe.
lorrie
2016-09-30 16:20:34 UTC
Logic tells us this is not Gods world. He went to make us a new Jerusalem.. He threw satan down to earth. He left us the Holy Spirit as a way to talk to him. Jesus will be back but until than people miss the logical part of this world if God controlled this world he wouldn't need to come back. Blame satan not God. He's only coming back for the few that live the way he said to and the rest will have their hell on earth... Forever. My prayers to you so you will not be left here. We think life is hard now?! Can you imagine when he does come back and takes the spirit with him lonely days depressed days bad days bad things will multiply in a way no human can understand the feeling they will have😞
2016-09-28 22:42:02 UTC
The major failing of Christianity is they see everything as being planned, either by God, or the devil, when things are going bad. However, we are a result of an eternal, cycling universe that works through random variation and evolution. It is quite an amazing, wonderful thing, and we can't claim to know everything about it, however we can say with some certainty that it is eternal and it "created" or formed us, but not through intelligent thought, except your parents thought, and their parents, and so on. That's what God is, everything, including everyone, going back in time. It's metaphorical, but they don't get that anymore, by the time and place of the bible, and it's all corrupt and about money and power. That's what the whole argument was about. They killed him for saying I am God, when they were saying that themselves, in order to have that authority.
?
2016-10-01 09:41:34 UTC
God wants people to enjoy life on earth. He created the earth and everything on it because he loves mankind. Soon he will act to provide a better future for people in every land. He will relieve mankind of the causes of suffering.— Jeremiah 29:11.



No government has ever succeeded in eliminating violence, disease, or death. But there is good news. Shortly, God will replace all human governments with his own government. Its subjects will enjoy peace and good health.— Isaiah 25:8; 33:24; Daniel 2:44.



Suffering will end only when God clears the earth of bad people. (Zephaniah 2:3) When will that happen? God’s Word foretold the conditions that now threaten mankind. Current events indicate that God’s time to act is close.— 2 Timothy 3:1-5.



We should learn about God from his Word, the Bible. It is like a letter to us from a loving father. It tells us how to enjoy a better way of life now and how to enjoy everlasting life on earth in the future. The opportunity of a better future is too good to miss.— Proverbs 29:25; Revelation 14:6, 7.
Jeancommunicates
2016-10-01 09:49:55 UTC
Awful things happen to good people and they perish for lack of knowledge. Every disease has a sin root of some kind. As for babies, they go back to God who gave them. And this is a blessing and not a curse. God will not allow them to suffer in this sin filled world. All the parents can do is make sure they have accepted Jesus so they can see their child in heaven. Sin is not always our sin, but the sin of our forefathers bringing a curse upon us. This curse has not been broken. Familiar spirits carry these curses from one generation to another. You can see these sins in alcoholics; where the father drinks and it comes down to the son. Or father is addicted to pornography and so it happens to the son. Or the father hits his wife and so does the son hit his wife. Many diseases are considered hereditary. Sin causes disease but by the stripes of Jesus we are healed. God created a perfect world and Adam & Eve had eternal life in the beginning, but they listened to Satan instead of listening to God and lost eternal life when sin and death came into the world. Sin is not listening to God or not obeying God. This is why awful things happen to so-called good people. The Bible says none are good no not one. We are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God until we invite Jesus into our lives and He gives us the Holy Spirit to guide us. In the beginning God knew He must save His creation. Therefore in Genesis 3:15 God told Adam, Eve and Satan that the seed of the woman (Jesus) would crush the head of the serpent (Satan) but Satan would bruise Jesus' heel. Of course, my Lord's heel was bruised when they nailed His feet to the cross. Jesus was beaten with a cat-of-9-tails but the Scripture says, "by His stripes we are healed." All throughout the Old Testament we are told the Savior is coming, yet when Jesus showed up in the Temple they rejected Him. Only a few followed the Lord and even their deaths were at the hands of those who crucified Christ on the Cross. The Temple folks did not understand Scripture well enough to recognize their Christ. The same holds true for Christians today and because of their lack of Bible knowledge they will perish being deceived.
?
2016-09-30 08:09:56 UTC
You're right, wickedness is allowed and below you'll see five reasons why Gods Allows It. According to his word not human thinking.





EFFECTS OF BAD GOVERNMENT

“When anyone wicked bears rule, the people sigh,” says the Bible.—Proverbs 29:2.



INFLUENCE OF FALSE RELIGION

“By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love among yourselves,” said Jesus.—John 13:35.



HUMAN IMPERFECTION AND SELFISH DESIRES

“Each one is tried by being drawn out and enticed by his own desire. Then the desire, when it has become fertile, gives birth to sin.”—James 1:14, 15.



POWER OF WICKED SPIRITS

The Bible reveals that Satan is “the god of this system of things” and that he is joined by powerful wicked spirits called demons.—2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 12:9.



Surely a key reason for all the suffering we see today is that we are living in “the last days.”—2 Timothy 3:1-4.





Please contact any of Jehovah's Witnesses, as they all teach the same Bible truth.
Jan C
2016-10-01 21:32:20 UTC
We have far more blessings than awful things. I don't fully know why this happens but I do know God loves us more than anything as He does answer prayers and wants only the best for us. We may suffer here on Earth but in Heaven, we live in peace and have the best of everything. To me, I will keep following God and do the best I can to please Him each and every day. I do realize my blessings every morning when I awake. I pray and read the Bible each and every day. I also watch a couple of Bible studies. One that I learn so much on is Hope Channel on Channel 368 on Direct TV. It is a daily interactive class led by a wonderful man who is sent by God. There is plenty of Bible teachings for us but we have to be careful to not fall into the traps of The Money Gospel Preachers who Teach the money theory of the more you give the more you will have.
?
2016-09-29 13:02:12 UTC
I understand your frustration but looking at it from the truth aide of things God is not the cause of bad things as James 1:13 shows. Job himself after going through many tests and not knowing why stated that God was not responsible once he learned the truth behind the plight. Because God does allow things to happen it can give us the sense that he doesn't care but he does. He loves us and shows it. He also gives us a beautiful future hope.
myant
2016-09-30 19:49:55 UTC
GOOD PEOPLE??? what qualifications make a person in your opinion GOOD? Gods qualifications are they have His nature and that is only possible when a person accepts the work of Jesus for Jesus is both God and Man. He came to earth disguised as a sinful human being though He was sinless, His nature was of God and He perfectly obeyed the instruction of the Holy Spirit in order to purchase redemption from eternal death for all mankind... go to : daveroberson.org and listen to the tape series: THE BORN AGAIN TRAIL... you will never be the same when you hear these freedom producing teachings... Good is based on the nature of the human ...
?
2016-09-30 10:40:54 UTC
“When under trial,” state the Scriptures, “let no one say: ‘I am being tried by God.’” Why? Because “with evil things God cannot be tried, nor does he himself try anyone.” (James 1:13) God does not try, or test, anyone by inciting him to behave badly. God neither causes bad things to happen nor incites others to do what is bad.

Part of the blame for wickedness lies with humans. Notice how the Bible describes a process that can lead to harmful acts. “Each one is tried by being drawn out and enticed by his own desire. Then the desire, when it has become fertile, gives birth to sin; in turn sin, when it has been carried out, brings forth death.” (James 1:14, 15)

The primary cause of wickedness, though, is not man. Satan the Devil, originally a faithful angel of God, “did not stand fast in the truth” and brought sin into the world. (John 8:44) “The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one,” says 1 John 5:19.
?
2016-10-01 04:15:39 UTC
God isn't your good luck charm or your get out of jail card. He also won't stop you in the middle of your stupidity if you jump off a bridge though he might send someone to throw you a lifeline. Evil exists in the world because god gave mankind free will. Many choose to do evil things with that choice like subjugate others, kill others, steal from others. Others do good with the their choices. And who told you "awful things happen to good people all the time"? Statistics prove that good people, people of faith, married men and women are healthier in every way(physically, mentally) than people who do not follow a faith and are single. God isn't to blame for people's troubles. They often bring them upon themselves, are in the wrong place at the wrong time, do foolhardy things and are the target of evil people. You have the wrong idea of God if you expect him to save you from everything. And if you don't have a relationship with God at all, you can expect even less from him.
Annsan_In_Him
2016-09-28 22:56:17 UTC
Don't fall into the trap of thinking that awful things don't happen to 'bad' people! Everyone on this planet is subject to dreadful events. Now, your question.



"If I did not believe in the cross [of Christ], I could not believe in God. The cross means that, while there is no explanation of evil, God himself has come into the midst of it in order to take it upon himself, to triumph over it and deliver us from it." (T.F. Torrance, Preaching Christ Today, p 22, Handsel Press, Edinburgh 1994)



The story of Jesus Christ tells us of God’s action to come right into the world and redeem our humanity from the inside. Part of the glory of Christianity’s answer is that it centres in a voluntary act of sacrifice which involved suffering.



An old story tells of multitudes of people gathering at the end of time before God’s throne. The voice of a young girl rose from the crowd. ‘How can God judge us? How can he know about suffering?’ She ripped open a sleeve to reveal a tattooed number from a Nazi concentration camp. Similar things were shouted out by a black lad with a rope burn on his neck, from a woman who had carried the stigma of illegitimacy all her life, and many others. They all agreed that God lived in an ivory tower and had no right to judge them. They declared that, before God could judge them, he must be sentenced to live on earth as a human being. Further, the legitimacy of his birth must be doubted; he must have a task so crazy, his family would think him mad; he must be betrayed by friends and suffer a horrible, lonely, excruciatingly painful death. The great throng murmured its approval at each additional point of the sentence. But then they saw Jesus in the middle of God’s throne, looking like a lamb slain across the neck… they hushed and froze with the realisation that God had already served that sentence.



Those are a few examples of answers to your question, as contained in the book below. I suggest you get a copy and read the in-depth explanations, based on what the Bible tells us about God's cosmic plan to remove evil, once and for all. Try the links also. AiH
?
2016-09-29 11:20:20 UTC
I am beginning to BELIEVE that there is no god. If there was why I have had to suffer through a lifetime of epilepsy, and in my adult life be diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis-which means that all of my joints will fuse together, throat cancer, prostate cancer, and radiation proctitis? Wouldn't a good all knowing god pulled my chestnuts out of the fire before they were completely oxidized? A friend of mine contends that this world is really a cosmic experiment. Suffering is just a joke to ease the pain of trying to be a Christian.
2016-09-29 11:07:34 UTC
But you don't ask yourself why people do such horrible things to one another and no one does anything to stop it. Have you read about women being raped and people standing around recording it on their cell phones? Children being abused and no one stopping it?

You want a god who will come swooping in and stop what is our job to stop. You want to just sit there and do nothing except whine that no god will stop us from being our worse selves.

Not big on the brother's keeper business are you? "I might get hurt or, worse, sued!"
?
2016-09-28 22:56:53 UTC
People believe because they have experienced the true and living God. I am one of those people, we also know the power of Him. You know, it is all a heart matter, it is in the intellect. For some are children of God and some are the Kennites, the children of satan from the seed of Cain



Alot of what your saying comes with blame casting, you use these excuses to allow yourself to deny the true and living God, the consuming fire because it helps you to feel better about the whisperings of satan into your ear and mind that tells you to believe his lie, but you feel this way because you doubt it, for scripture tells us, every living being knows God. He is the creator,



God does not sit around everyday zapping people that is a fool hardy and silly hearted way of thinking, If you examine every example you know of wickedness, evil and wrong doing amongst mankind to his fellow human, you will see that it is man causing the murders, destruction and strife. So don't blame God for the evils that man do,,



Satan also has his part in things, he tempts man, plants lies in his mind, heart and soul and causes him to act upon his fellow man.



people have choices to make, they can do right or do wrong, they can serve God or serve mammon. In this time, more are serving mammon and it is an apostasy. God warned us of it all in his word.



I would offer that you begin to study the word of God, this will give you knowledge and understanding of Him, this will also help you to see that the hearts of man is filled with unkindness and transgression.



It will bring you to know and understand the word of God when he said, "it is not my will that any should perish, but that all come to repentance.



If God made us, do you think he would want to destroy us when he made us for his pleasure? No. Man is the culprit, and man is wicked.



fill your spirit cup daily by studying the word for at least 20 minutes a day. It will change your view, change your perception and your way of life.



God bless you. try it, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
foreverchanging
2016-10-04 12:08:21 UTC
Suffering was not part of Jehovah God’s purpose for mankind. However, the first human couple rebelled against God’s rulership, choosing to set their own standards of good and bad. They turned away from God and suffered the consequences.



Today we are experiencing the effects of their bad choice. But in no way did God originate human suffering.



The Bible says: “When under trial, let no one say: ‘I am being tried by God.’ For with evil things God cannot be tried nor does he himself try anyone.” (James 1:13) Suffering can afflict anyone—even those who are favored by God.
?
2016-09-28 22:49:50 UTC
I think the more important question is how can anyone believe in a god whose monstrous actions are littered throughout the Bile and is almost proudly displayed?



A god who saves the life of a man who was about to send his daughters out to be gang raped by a whole city

A god who allowed a loyal worships children to die just to make sure he was really loyal.

A god who sent adult bears to maul dozens of boy, children, who made fun of a prophets baldness.

A god who played twisted and sickening mind games demanding that a man kill his own son just as a test of loyalty.

A god who killed God knows how many young boys because of the stubbornness of one man who God himself hardened his heart.



There is one of two conclusions:

1, there is no god.

2, there is a god but he is not worthy of anyone's attention much less devotion.
A
2016-09-30 17:12:45 UTC
It's very true that the world we live in today is quite bad. The scriptures say that the world's society is being controlled by the Devil/'wicked one'. (1 John 5:19) However, Jehovah(God's name as mentioned in the Bible...) is going to undue all of the evil that man's sins and Satan's doing have brought upon the world. This includes bringing back all the innocent people that have died(John 5:28 & 29, Acts 24:15), take away pain, suffering and even death(Revelation 21:4), as well as have a world devoid of evil people and Satan's influence for good people to live on forever. (Psalms 37:10, 11, & 29, Proverbs 2:21 & 22) The key for us as humanity to survive is to exercise faith in His son's ransom for us(John 3:16), and following his example. (1 Peter 2:21)



The reason why the world is in the state it's in is due to the sin that Adam and Eve committed in the beginning of mankind's history. (Romans 5:12) By disobeying Jehovah, they sided against Him and chose to rule themselves, which resulted in the spread of imperfection and death. In order for mankind and even the angels to see that Jehovah's leadership is necessary for successful living, He allowed man to try to do it on their own, which has led to mankind's ruin. As was pointed out above however, Jehovah will very soon step in and repair all of the damage done.
What_a_what
2016-10-01 16:04:59 UTC
Simplest answer is this: God created everything. He created man and gave him free will. He provided man with a set of laws on how to be good. The deal is this, be good and be rewarded; be bad and be punished.



The free will of man allows him to do whatever he wants, he could be a super criminal or a saint, but once man dies he no longer has free will and will be judged for his days on earth. When you look around and see bad things happen, it's because man chose to be bad. God allows everything to happen good or bad. All the responsibility lies on man and how he chooses to act.
?
2016-09-30 00:29:32 UTC
Our Life is just like an examination and whatever happens to us is just a test of us and our character, god is just testing us and it's upto us how we take that exam and possibly in future the person will get the reward of his patience. And Also God will only test good peoples to test and increase their potential. These tests and awful things help to make a person stronger and confident and realize its hidden potential.
?
2016-09-30 03:24:51 UTC
You have been kicked by the Achilles heels of the monotheism Abrahamic religions.



I can give you answers, I doubt you can take it.



Your "God", yes he exist, yes he has a heaven, yes he has a bunch of angels, yes he has powers, yes yes...



But he is NEVER omnipotent, or omnipresence, or what omni omni that you have been told, been preach, or been brainwash into believing that he is, EVEN this "God" himself tells you so face to face. He has NO control over everything like you thought him to be. He is just another god out there who heads a pantheon like Odin, Zeus, Ra and so on, it's ok to believe he is superior, more benevelent, nicer than them, no problem, through his "son" Jesus the Christ, yes, you can considered those points proven.



Since the foundation of Abrahamic faith requires worshippers to believe that this Yahweh God is omni-omni, at the same time lots of holes they cannot cover. If you wish to believe him, and at the same doubt him, and refuse to be a retard, can you find the balance you need to move forward in this issue?



Care to throw down the omini-omni one true god mentality, open wide and free, go study lots of lots of things, and choose again later.



I am extremely glad that I don't give a damn to omni-omni nonsense. You know something call karma?
?
2016-09-30 06:38:56 UTC
Obviously @Meow, you don't give much credence to free will to choose?

You would rather live in a world where you would be totally controlled by a god that would not allow any pain or suffering and you would do exactly as he ordered all the time or else, almost like a state of sharia law. So, free will to choose or oppression? God has given you the free will to choose.
Tiffany
2016-09-29 08:19:06 UTC
Ecclesiastes 9:11 says that time and unexpected events overtake them all. Something is going to happen and most of the time our bad choices will have consequences. When we pray the way Jesus told us (Matt. 6:9) we are asking God by means of his kingdom to bring peaceful conditions to the earth. No more pain, suffering, and dying because these will be no more(Rev 21:3,4)
Otto
2016-10-01 06:44:32 UTC
Because much disease is a result of man's own poor living habits and his spoiling of the enviroment for himself and others. Are not the wars fought by humans a major cause of human suffering ?

All these things give evidence , not that there is no God, but that humans are sadly misusing their God-given abilities and the earth itself.
imacatholic2
2016-09-30 20:47:24 UTC
Why does God allow suffering?



+ Suffering caused by human beings +



Human evil is caused the misuse of our free will. Our choice to be selfish instead of being loving. If you cannot choose to not to love then God is a tyrant and you are nothing but a robot. Your love has to be your own or it does not mean a thing.



Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn stated the following in relation to human evil and suffering: “ Over a half century ago, while I was still a child, I recall hearing a number of old people offer the following explanation for the great disasters that had befallen Russia: "Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened." Since then I have spend well-nigh 50 years working on the history of our revolution; in the process I have read hundreds of books, collected hundreds of personal testimonies, and have already contributed eight volumes of my own toward the effort of clearing away the rubble left by that upheaval. But if I were asked today to formulate as concisely as possible the main cause of the ruinous revolution that swallowed up some 60 million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to repeat: "Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened.



+ Suffering caused by nature +



God did not condemn us to a perfect world. He (or She) gave us a world where we can face our fears, show courage, compassion and sympathy.



In a perfect world we would not need anyone and no one would need us. There would be no community, no interdependence. There would be no legacy of your life to leave, nothing for you to offer, nothing to make the world a better place. And, ultimately, nothing you can do for the kingdom of God.



====



The Bible does not tackle this question with easy answers.



+ Jesus +



Jesus (God the Son) did not rush to his friend Lazarus when he was dying. Jesus waited until Lazarus had died and only then went to Lazarus' sisters, Mary and Martha who asked him the question: "Where were you when our brother was dying? Why didn't you come and cure him?"



Instead of answering their question, Jesus asks: "Where have you put him?" When Jesus sees the tomb and their grief, he sits down and begins to cry. God shares their grief. Only afterwards does he raise up the body of his dead friend.



+ Natural Disasters +



Where was God during the earthquake hit Haiti? Or Japan? Or Nepal?



In the midst of humanity in its saddest hour, God was (and is) sharing in their grief. He was crying beside the collapsed buildings and mass graves.



Fr Ronald Rolheiser wrote an wonderful article on God, tragedy, and Haiti in which he finishes with "In God's time, eventually, not a single life or single dream that died in Haiti will remain unredeemed." http://www.the-tidings.com/2010/012910/rolheiser.htm



And if we truly trust God and truly want His will to be done, then we can believe as Julian of Norwich claimed was said to her by God Himself, "In the end, all will be well and all will be well and every manner of being will be well." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julian_of_Norwich



Pope John Paul II also wrote a beautiful letter called Salvifici Doloris, On the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_11021984_salvifici-doloris_en.html



With love in Christ.
?
2016-09-29 04:22:17 UTC
I had the same reasoning, once upon a time. Then I realized I DID believe there was a Satan who caused evil. I also believed there were guardian angels who saved me more than once from catastrophe (I used to be an over-exuberant motorcycle rider). It took a visit from God for me to really believe. I thank him for making the effort.
2016-09-30 11:28:50 UTC
Lots of god concepts are congruent with the current state-of-affairs. It's mostly Abrahamic god concepts that posit deities with mutually exclusive characteristics that have issues with suffering. You've probably noticed that it's mostly Abrahamic religion adherents that offer those convoluted apologetics.
TONI101
2016-09-30 12:10:33 UTC
Compare what Jehovah’s Witnesses have written with what others have said. Look up the Scriptures they have sited or quoted. Acts 15:17 says that Jehovah is taking out of the nations a people for his name. He wants you to be one of them. (John 4:23)
Gaylee
2016-09-30 13:29:47 UTC
I sorry that you feel that way but the Bible help us to understand that God is not the blame for human suffering. Job34:10 tells us that it is unthinkable for the true God to act wickedly, for the almighty to do wrong. Also the bible says Jehovah is not slow concerning his promise, as some people consider found in 2 Peter 3:9. Please feel free to visit JW.ORG for more answer to your bible question.
2016-09-28 22:31:27 UTC
"awful things" and "good people" don't work in Atheism



according to Evolution/Atheism

we are a meaningless collection of molecules

the only reason we exist is to promote our selfish genes

existence was spontaneous, causeless, sourceless, purposeless, and without meaning.

when we die, that's it, and nothing in our lives ever mattered after all.



“In a universe of electrons and selfish genes, blind physical forces and genetic replication, some people are going to get hurt, other people are going to get lucky, and you won't find any rhyme or reason in it, nor any justice. The universe that we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but pitiless indifference.”



-Richard Dawkins (atheist)
2016-09-29 01:16:09 UTC
such is the divine law of karma as from God.
SSRF Spirituality
2016-10-01 03:39:21 UTC
It is as per the law of Karma. God does not interfere in the law of karma. If we do good deeds then we get merits and if we do bad deeds then we get demerits. We have to bear the consequences of our deeds. If it is not settled in this lfe then it is carried on to the next life. To the average individual he is not aware of past life sins so he feels that why bad things happen to me when I have not done anything wrong.

If one undertakes spiritual practice then one gains the required spiritual strength to bear destiny and it does not seem as big because God shields us. You can refer to ssrf article on destiny. It is explained very nicely.
Suzy
2016-09-30 09:11:22 UTC
I know what you're saying, been there. When you find out the truth you eyes are wide open to the reason for life. Go here and do some reading, jw.org
thegreatone
2016-10-01 14:31:03 UTC
Maybe the reason God allows those bad things to happen is because people, like you, don't believe in God.
Believer
2016-09-30 08:25:20 UTC
Yes, the world can be a wicked place BUT God shed his blood for your sins on the cross at Calvary. He has done what he needed to do to turn mankind around, NOW IT IS YOUR CHOICE to live in sin and reject God or turn to him in repentance and faith.



He NEVER promised that we would not go thru trials in fact he told us we will.
?
2016-09-29 02:48:14 UTC
A half a billion die every year from cancer, heart disease and strokes alone!



3 million die every year from starvation, drought and the diseases caused by it.



200,000 from natural disasters!



This god who Christians credit with creating and causing everything seems to love killing more people every second than the number of people that have ever been claimed to have been saved by his miracles!
mackhuntjr
2016-09-30 13:36:54 UTC
To do your own research on this excellent question go to JW Library and type in Why do bad things happen to good people.
?
2016-09-28 23:00:40 UTC
18 Consequently I reckon that the sufferings of the present season do not amount to anything in comparison with the glory that is going to be revealed in us. 19 For the eager expectation of the creation is waiting for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will but through him that subjected it, on the basis of hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from enslavement to corruption and have the glorious freedom of the children of God. 22 For we know that all creation keeps on groaning together and being in pain together until now.





all creation



all creation



all creation









being in pain together





http://biblehub.com/multi/romans/8-22.htm
?
2016-09-30 08:50:18 UTC
because the world is ruled right now by the Devil who is causing all these bad things to happen because he wants to ruin the lives of the believers and make them reject God.
meansweryou
2016-09-30 17:03:32 UTC
god gave us the earth and life. but he also gave us free will and that means being responsible for our own actions.

dont blame god for the deeds of men. the truth is that he rarely intervene, at least not in a visible way.
Gabriel
2016-10-03 01:08:19 UTC
Just pray to God about it and it will be all better.



For example,

My dad had been unemployed for more than a year, but somehow our fridge always had food and he is a good person, than shortly after we prayed and prayed for my dad to receive a job he got a job.
2016-09-30 07:12:05 UTC
Jehovah's witnesses alone can provide yo with the best answers
2016-09-30 11:04:25 UTC
Gawd is a manmade contraption to confuse your collection plate with someone else's collection plate.
?
2016-10-05 17:27:49 UTC
You have to realize struggles are NOT part of God's plan, and to pray and have faith. Pretend to believe and eventually you will.
Campbell Hayden
2016-09-28 22:42:09 UTC
The `christian` god is as merciless as you say

and to prove how weak this entity was, humans could crucify & kill it = It was no 'god'.



Given that this christian entity remains so empty and powerless,

it stands to reason that death, punishment, and disease are the sum total of its worth
2017-03-07 05:14:09 UTC
we have far more blessings than awful things... i don't fully know why this happens but i do know god loves us more than anything as he does answer prayers and wants only the proper for us... we may suffer here on earth but in heaven, we live in peace and have the proper of everything... to me, i shall keep following god and do the proper i can to pleease him each and every day... i do realize my blessings every morning when i awake... i pray and read the bible each and every day... i also watch a couple of bible studies... one that i learn so much on is hope channel on channel 368 on direct tv... it is a daily interactive class led by a wonderful man who is sent by god... there's plenty of bible teachings for us but we have to be careful to not fall into the traps of the money gospel preachers who teach the money theory of the more you give the more you shall have...
javeon
2016-09-30 21:00:36 UTC
The people you say are good people do so much wrong dont talk for what you see or feel
Mutations Killed Darwin Fish
2016-09-28 22:46:22 UTC
How can you say all these things are awful IF THERE IS NO GOD?
tesorotx
2016-09-30 20:47:34 UTC
Nature has beauty and ugliness but we don't reject nature . Natural disaster abounf and destroy property and people. Don't give up on nature and don't give up on God.
?
2016-09-30 09:51:14 UTC
God Save e God is great
Trilobiteme
2016-09-30 11:52:37 UTC
Jesus Christ said there will be trouble but take care he has overcome the world
?
2016-09-30 20:05:28 UTC
Who do you suppose does those terrible things?
2016-09-30 08:40:58 UTC
THIS QUES HAS BEEN DONE MANY TIMES...WE LOVE HIM...THAT IS WHY...BUT YES THE DEVIL IS STILL HERE ROAMING CAUSING TROUBLE ALL THE TIME..
?
2016-10-01 08:54:04 UTC
ITS THE DEVIL HIMSELF, SATAN, WHO INFLUENCED MANKIND INTO THINKING THAT GOD IS EVIL.



EVERYTHING THATS GOOD CAME FROM GOD

EVERYTHING THATS BAD CAME FROM SATAN


This content was originally posted on Y! Answers, a Q&A website that shut down in 2021.
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