The problem I have is this?

Question

: The traditional conception of God is as omniscient (all-knowing), omnipotent (all-powerful), and benevolent. This implies that if God exists then he knows how to, wants to, and is able to prevent all suffering. If such a God existed, though, then he actually would prevent all suffering. Suffering, though, is a familiar part of the world around us; it has not been prevented. There is, therefore, no omniscient, omnipotent, and benevolent God.

Answer 1

This is a very old argument, but it's very valid and none of the theists who have answered so far have even attempted to tackle it so far. To put it differently, God is either limited in potency or cruel. There is no other way to see it. Either way, he's not a god worth worshipping.

Answer 2

This is why Christians and Jews invented Satan and demons, the Christian's view being very different from the Jewish teachings. In Judaism Satan is an angel who does the job assigned to him to do, which is challenge man and make him stronger.

Religion's insistence that there are evil entities is their way of excusing their 'God' for the suffering and injustice in the world. But the simple fact which even devout Christians understand is that their beliefs certainly allow their 'God' to defeat "evil" forces, do away with hell and shower everyone with blessings to the point that everybody would love and adore their 'God'.

Religion doesn't get the simple fact that their philosophy began with the problems of living first, then backtracked to try to explain how a benevolent 'God' could let those things happen. To simultaneously pardon while indirectly blaming 'God' for heinous injustices (which Christians do constantly) makes their religion and their 'God' schizophrenic and hypocritical, even slightly mad.

In my view there is an omniscient and benevolent God by my definition -- but I am talking about the true God, which is the Cosmos: the intelligent, non-judgmental, non-intervening source of all things and creatures which simply "is" -- requiring no faith, no adoration, who is understood through the study of science and truth. Everything that is, ever was or will be is a part of God. When mankind understands this truth, and when we stop petitioning/blaming make-believe deities or demons to help us and/or harm our enemies, well, that's the beginning of the enlightened age.

Answer 3

The problem that you have is that you are making an attempt to understand the concept of God when God is not a concept.

Conception denotes a beginning - which God does not have. Omniscient and Omnipotent attributes are, in their very nature, out of the scope of accurate human understanding.

I would advise you to stop conceptualizing ABOUT God and get to KNOW God (Father, Son, and Spirit). Perhaps you'll gain more than 'conceptual' misunderstanding.

You will find that the biggest opponents of God are the ones with the least amount of knowledge about Him. You see, God has revealed Himself to all of humanity. How intelligent are you if you don't read His words but instead you take 'popular philosophy' and challenge that which you don't understand (at all)?

Answer 4

Here is the one that truly confuses me. If God is omniscient (all-knowing), like The Christian God is thought to be, Why are we here? God would know past present and future. So in God's eyes God already has judged us, and either Condemned us or accepted us. So there would really be no point in living life.


The traditional Christian answer to your question is. God let Satan exist in order to test our faith in God. Without Satan (evil), God wouldn't be able to distinguish between the followers and the sinners. Christians assume their God created human to love him. God really created humans to worship him..
The Biggest Problem i find in the bible is the concept of Divine Intervention.. It can't exist because that would mean Free-will doesn't exist either.

I am agnostic..I believe there is most likely a God. But i don't think of God as a person..Or even a conscious being...I really don't think God has any control over what happens on earth..

Answer 5

We agreed to the pain and suffering before we were born, we went through a Vail of forgetfulness before being born. We have came here of our own free will to receive a body, learn about pain and suffering, so that we will know the difference between all that is good and all that is bad. To us it seems a long time but in reality we are here on earth just a very short time and the Lord knows that we will not suffer very long. If we do suffer for an eternity that it will be by our own choice. To suffer for an eternity you will have to reject God even after you have pure knowledge of his plan and existence.

Answer 6

You are apparently not a parent. Any parent worth their salt will tell you that suffering is necessary in raising a child. Yes, the child must suffer to learn.

Sure, I can take away my childs frustration when she doesn't get how to climb a step, and just gently help her up every step. But she will never learn to do it herself will she? I can spoon feed her, or I can teach her to use a spoon. In teaching her, there will be many times she will spill, and be upset that she couldn't do it. But it's necessary.

By your theory, then I as a parent do not exist for my child. After all, I know how to prevent her from suffering, I want to keep her from suffering and I'm able to prevent all suffering in her life. Therefore, if I existed, then I actually would prevent her suffering. But that's not a very good theory, is it? After all, I DO exist, I DO love my child, and yes, she WILL suffer.

Answer 7

Does prayer work? Hundreds of millions prayed for God to stop Hitler, but God did nothing and 30 million+ died. Either God is heartless, powerless, both, or does not exist at all. It seems that this god is so vain and vindictive that if you do not stroke it's ego by worshiping it in a highly proscribed manner, it sends you to an eternity of suffering in the fires of Hell. This sounds like a highly disturbed creature that is hardly worthy of respect, let alone worship.

Answer 8

suffering exists, therefore God does not? what kind of horsesh*t logic is that? there are a lot of great answers on this board already, so i will address your logic and not the religious aspect of your statement.

where is it written that God owes us a Utopian life? why can't we just be grateful for life in general? in a suffrage-free world, where would the 672 billion or so people live? i mean, with no hunger, war, disease, dibilitating old age, birth defects, miscarriages, murder, fatal accidents, etc.... when would one die? in a perfect world where Man does not need to think for himself, think to survive, what happens when the world becomes too small, where should we go? will God snap His proverbial fingers and make the world bigger? will He make some of us disappear to make room for others? will He prevent couples from enjoying the joy of birth and parenthood to prevent overcrowding? are those solutions fair? how will Man ever evolve into solving problems if he never has to? and if he never has to think for himself, what is the point of existence? we would all be living the same life.

God created Man. He gave us the tools to hurt, heal, love, hate, build, destroy, think, do nothing.... and the free will to choose. i hate to see people suffer. sure, when i think of a perfect world for my family, it includes one without sexual predators, sharks, cancer, car accidents, war, mosquitos, whatever. at the same time, i'm grateful for the life we have. a world without these things seems like paradise on paper, but it doesn't mean we would be happy. a world with no suffering implies no war, but that doesn't mean we would be living the lifestyle we enjoy now. it only means that if another country wanted to roll in here and force us to live, eat, drink, and speak as they do, we would just rollover and oblige. unless of course, you believe we should live in an Asimov-like world where invisible forces control our every move like puppets. tough choice.

Answer 9

Basically What is suffering?
You have thoughts, thoughts result into action & action have result. This is universal process. Every action has a result some or other. Sometimes result is as per our wish & sometimes or many times its not. There is this gap between expectation & Reality, which makes mind imbalnce & Imbalnce mind as per cosmic law undergoes suffering.
One more reason to suffering is claim. Human being claim this process of thought, Action & Result as "mine" which is universal untill it is claimed. Claim personalises universal action and this claim as it is false produces suffering; niether action nor its result. If you enquire within with the help of this knowledge you will come to know that if there is no claim and you remain instrument of divine through actions happen & result comes, then you will naturally overcome the self created illusion of suffering.

Answer 10

You are assuming that all suffering is bad. That is not so.

Secondly, if I tell you not to put your hand in the microwave oven when it is on (normally, you cannot do this because it will not come on when the door is open) but you still find a way to do this, why blame me for your suffering?

Oh, I don't have all the answers, but the above have been useful to me.