Why does God allow genetic defects?

Question

All those genetic defects (sorry to refer to them in a scientific manner, not sure how to credit religion). Why did God do that to them?

To teach others about compassion? I would hate to be the chosen example for this lesson.

Don S :"Genetic defects were the result of something in physical nature that went awry."
Hmmm, could this be the stuff of that dreaded "evolution" stuff?

A common answer:"A complete answer is beyond human understanding, because a finite human mind cannot hope to ever completely comprehend the infinite mind of God."

I think you could inject some science and start to get a pretty good idea of that which God can't explain.

Answer 1

No one is perfect, even without genetic defects. People with particular genetic defects are often times more human that those without. God loves everyone, no matter how they "turned out".

Answer 2

That's similar to asking why God allows disease, or why God allows suffering, or why God allows bad things to happen to good people.

A complete answer is beyond human understanding, because a finite human mind cannot hope to ever completely comprehend the infinite mind of God. But the following article (based on two popular books by C. S. Lewis), might help:

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"The Problem of Pain", the first of a series of popular works on Christian doctrine, was written in 1940, twenty years before his beloved wife, Joy Davidman, died of cancer in the third year of their short-lived marriage. In the book Lewis considers the problem of suffering from a purely theoretical standpoint. Years later, struck with a daunting grief of a mourning husband he will write another classic on pain, a masterpiece of introspection: "A Grief Observed". It takes courage to live through suffering; and it takes honesty to observe it. C. S. Lewis had both.

The existence of suffering in a world created by a good and almighty God — "the problem of pain" — is a fundamental theological dilemma and perhaps the most serious objection to the Christian religion. The issue is serious enough already in Theism. Christianity aggravates the problem by insisting on Love as the essence of God; then, unexpectedly, it makes a half turn and points to the Mystery of suffering — to Jesus, "the tears of God." Lewis does not propose to penetrate the mystery. He is content enough with approaching pain as mere problem that demands a solution; he formulates it and goes about solving it. "If God were good, He would make His creatures perfectly happy, and if He were almighty He would be able to do what he wished. But the creatures are not happy. Therefore God lacks either goodness, or power, or both." With a characteristic conciseness and clarity Lewis sets the stage for the entire book in the first paragraph of Chapter 2. "The possibility of solving [the problem] depends on showing that the terms 'good' and 'almighty', and perhaps also the term 'happy', are equivocal: for it must be admitted from the outset that if the popular meanings attached to these words are the best, or the only possible, meaning, then the argument is unanswerable". In the remaining nine chapters, Lewis will develop this basic statement through an in-depth reflection on divine omnipotence, divine goodness, human condition, human and animal pain, and last, but not least, hell and heaven.

The main argument of "The Problem of Pain" is preceded by a presentation of an atheist objection to the existence of God based on the observable futility of the universe. The book starts on a personal note: "Not many years ago when I was an atheist … ". There follows a compelling picture of a universe filled with futility and chance, darkness and cold, misery and suffering; a spectacle of civilizations passing away, of human race scientifically condemned to a final doom and of a universe bound to die. Thus, "either there is no spirit behind the universe, or else a spirit indifferent to good and evil, or else an evil spirit". On the other hand, "if the universe is so bad, or even half so bad, how on earth did human beings ever come to attribute it to the activity of a wise and good Creator? […] The spectacle of the universe as revealed by experience can never have been ground for religion: it must always have been something in spite of which religion, acquired from a different source, was held". But, where should we look for the sources? ....

Answer 3

God had nothing to do with them. Genetic defects were the result of something in physical nature that went awry. Genetic defects can be stopped by not having off springs. That much God gave us a choice.

Answer 4

I think to blame God for what happened to them is a grave misconception. Why do we always blame God on all the miserable things around us? How come we only remember God during disasters and tribulations? Have we also thought of Him on all the good things that happened? Did God allow those defects? Yes. Why? That I cannot honestly answer as my brain is not sufficient enough to comprehend someone who encompasses the whole universe. But did God did those defects to them? No. Why? Let us not forget that God's main principle is universality. If he did those defects, then everyone would have been defective.

Answer 5

Man IS responsible for the genetic defects of today. Humanity has corrupted the environment, parents take drugs, mothers drink alcohol during pregnancy, the list is infinite. To blame God is irresponsible. To expect God to interfere with our defective thinking or behavior; is to interfere with mankind's Gift of Free Will, to do what is correct.

Answer 6

God has His reasons why He makes us the way He does. For one person with a genetic defect, the reason may be one thing. For another person, the reason may be another.

I was born blind in both eyes with glaucoma. I don't remember being blind 'cause I was 8 months when I started developing vision. Because of the glaucoma, I've had 18 eye surgeries, the last one was to remove it. Kids in school ripped on me big time because my eyes were never symmetrical, even when I had the real one. They were big, one bigger than the other, and the one that was removed had lots of pink scar tissue. The surface was bumpy.

My mother always told me, "God made you special for a reason. Accept it and never question Him. Thank Him for it." To this day I do, and I've never ever been upset with God for making me the way He did.

God has His reasons, we accept it and don't question it.

Answer 7

I have a genetic defect I was born with called galactosemia. Most people haven't heard of it before except if you are a doctor in a genetic research lab but to answer your question read James chapter one. It says: Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you must be mature and complete, not lacking anything..."(NIV version) To me, it means it is to our benefit to have trials because through out the trials it causes our faith to be stronger and we become a better person because of our struggles.

Answer 8

We brought genetic defects on ourselves because of sin. God had nothing to do with it. The problem with people today is that they want to blame everything that is going wrong on God when we are the ones to blame. It is our sin that is causing the decay of humanity, not God.....

Answer 9

Soon, under the rule of the Kingdom of God, Jesus Christ will remove all genetic defects and no more will incur.

Answer 10

We are put upon this earth to receive the gift of a physical body... and to be tested... to see if we will do all that God the Father commands...

some people gain greater rewards by having greater trials...

some people have already been tested... and so they get to have a body which is not tempted by evil...

this test is not to tell God the Father what we will do... it is to prove to us that his judgement is just.