If there is a God why do so many suffer?

Question

Do you know why? Because there is no God.

Answer 1

Yes there is a God. This same God gave us all a power. This power is called free will.

The free will given to us by God is the power we have to create our own reality via our thoughts, beliefs, words and actions, either consciously or more often, subconsciously.

We attract our own experiences unto ourselves with the power of our thoughts, beliefs, words and actions, as a result of the universal law of attraction. In other words, what you put in, you get back.

Answer 2

There are a couple of things to say about this question and the sub-text to it. First, underlying the question is an assumption that if there is a God, that God would not allow suffering. Why do we assume that? Because there is also another assumption underlying that - that God is a good God, and therefore as a good God, would not allow so much suffering. But does that assumption hold up? Let's look at a parent who has a teenager that rebels, gets into some really bad stuff, and is on a path of self-destruction. The parent does everything possible - within reason - to stop the teenager from behaving this way, but in the end often has to allow him/her to deal with the consequences of their behavior in order to learn the lesson for him/herself. So the parent allows the child to suffer - maybe leaves him/her in jail for a night after they get arrested for something. Maybe does an intervention and allows the child to suffer cold-turkey withdrawl from heroin. Lots of examples. In the end, there is suffering - but is that because the parent is not good or does not love the child? So the assumption might be faulty.

People suffer because we have turned away from God and live to satisfy our own self-destructive passions. If you don't believe that, keep looking at the answers to questions like this on this site, and compare how many non-believers there are versus believers. So when people turn away from God and follow their own egos, we end up with a world with 6 billion conflicting "gods" in it. Doesn't it make sense that this would cause some suffering?

The answer is not that there is no God. The answer is that there are too many "gods" - namely, each one of us who try to make ourselves into gods, satisfying our own selfish personal desires, passions and whims, and all bumping up against each other's self-made godhood. The true God allows us to go through this so that we can suffer a little and realize our mistake and turn back to Him. But this suffering is temporary and small (even if it does not seem like it), compared to the eternal and great suffering we would endure if we remained separated from Him forever. So He allows it for a time. But not forever. So we need to check ourselves out and wake up from our delusion before it's too late.

Answer 3

interesting... a Jehovah's witness dropping off a watchtower link. i remember something in Revelation saying do not add or take away from the word of God. did you not read that part? i also remember someting Jesus said about next time i come, i am taking you all home with me. so how is it he showed up and reveled to you Heaven wasn't taking applications anymore without triggering the rapture?

at any rate, here is why so many suffer:

1. for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God
2. in this world you will have trouble...
3. the rain falls on the just and the unjust alike

when man sinned, his soul was separated from God, thus his spirit began to die. to plug the holes, you must form a relationship with God by God's design. the only time your spirit will ever achieve perfection is on the day of judgement when the true believers are taken to heaven and the false witnesses are thrown into the pit of fire. those thrown into the fire will experience "the second death" which is the death of the spirit and eternal separation from God.

Answer 4

Suffering is a marketing term for "Buy a new God to make yourself SHINE!"
People suffer because the universe is randomly arranged. Suffering is lessened if people get together to help those who are truly in need, and lessened even more by educating people to take action BEFORE they get into a risky situation to reduce their risk. Religions sometimes teach "the Lord helps those who help themselves", but most often, they teach people to accept God's will rather than question how we could avoid the situations that appear to be directed by a supernatural force when looked at from the aftermath, and it is really just natural.

Answer 5

The answer is found in the book of Genesis chapter 3.

God gave Adam and Eve a choice to obey or disobey Him. Disobedience to God brought sin and death into the world as a consequence. Suffering is a result of that disobedience to God. God very much loves us, but sometimes in life we must suffer the consequences of our actions. Much like how a parent will discipline a child. The punishment is a reminder of a mistake or disobedient choice that was made.

Answer 6

No, there IS a God. Unfortunately because human beings have free will, we choose to hurt on another instead of love one another. Also when we live a life style that hurts our earth and the earth in an effort to heal itself creates hurricanes, and earthquakes and such who is to blame. For me, I try to bring peace and love and joy to whom ever I can. Doing that will remove suffering and show forth the heart of God.

Answer 7

Sorry for my earlier response. I was too harsh. There is a God He cares that people suffer. He understands the pain of suffering He did have to watch his son die on the cross.

Answer 8

God is the not the same as a Daddy who protects you from all harm. Regardless of the God to whom you devote yourself, the purpose of a God is to encourage your spiritual growth. That requires challenges. If life was all peaches and cream, it would be pretty hard to grow spiritually.

Answer 9

Which "God"? I see most of these types of questions seemed to be leveled more at Christianity's God, rather than any God.

Answer 10

Because god put us on this world, creating abd things and people and ideas thus making us solve them because the only person tyo blame is ourselves. Yes u may say theres no eveidence hes real. Evidence i dont need it , alot of the thinsg that are ral dont have any eveidence. Nothing is impossible.