Is anybody else tired of . . .?

Question

. . . people asking "where was god when this happened" or "why did god allow this or that to happen"?

PEOPLE kill, rob, rape, torture people, not the Creator.

Free will is the ability to do good OR evil.

Besides, if you believe in the Creator, then you know that this life is only a temporary part of our existence - when an innocent person is killed, it is their physical body that is killed, not their soul!

I am not insinuating that because the physical life is only a temporary part of our existence, that suffering and death should therefore be treated lightly!! Far from it. ALL life should be valued, and just as the Creator sees the innocent that are killed, the Great Spirit sees the ones that are doing the killing!

Answer 1

I believe the Deist view is "God created the universe & everything therein". Then he left it up to us, what we would do with it.

WE (the human race) kill, rob, rape & torture. The place where these things DON'T happen - I believe it's called HEAVEN.

I say this as a lapsed Christian, now with an independent faith. One of the greatest thing anyone can do - if you don't like what's happening in the world, do something to improve it. Don't just "do your bit" & then complain that other people aren't doing their fair share.

Answer 2

I understand and share some of your frustration. It seems pretty clear that people have the ability to make their own choices, some of them choose to do evil, yet God is blamed for those decisions.

Some people complain about this because they're just looking for an excuse to reject God. Yet sometimes the complaint is still authentic -- if God has all this power, why doesn't he do something? (We all know we'd be tempted to do something, if WE had suchpower.)

It comes down to faith, in general: Do we believe that God is doing something even when we can't see it? Do we believe that his policy of giving us free will is the best policy? Do we still believe he has good intentions when bad things happen?

For some people, this is still a FAR stretch, if not just downright ludicruous to believe. We need to be more patient with others and accept how much faith is involved with our own decision to trust.

I also had issues with the last paragraph. Someone commented it was "dangerous," and I think he was right.

Yes, life is temporary. Yes, knowing God might be the most important thing.

But why on earth would that mean that our pain and suffering does not matter at all?

How callous would God have to be to simply say, "Yeah, life sucks, bud -- but hey, it doesn't mean anything anyway. Your wife was eaten away by cancer? Your baby was killed during a carjacking? Your family was lined up and shot by terrorists while you were forced to watch? Hey, it's only physical death -- their soul's still around -- and that's what counts. None of this other stuff means anything. Why on earth are you crying?"

Who in their right mind would morally could allow themselves to believe in a God who dismisses human suffering because it "doesn't matter in the long run anyway?"

I believe in a Creator, and because he loves, anytime WE suffer, he suffers too. He doesn't deal with our suffering by watering it down; instead, he steps into the middle of it with us and suffers the same agony, and promises one day things will change... just not yet.

That's a BIG difference from what you're insinuating here.

Answer 3

Yes I, too, am tired of it.
And whereas your point is correct - people do these things, not god, most people are very disappointed that an all-knowing, all-powerful being who is, supposedly, an icon of Love - allows these things unhindered.

Even if there is a "next life" I will want to know why a Creator folded his arms while any baby ever starved. I find it curious that I have more compassion than him.

Lastly - your theories about the physical body and the soul are only that - theories. And even if they're correct, a "soul" would enter the next life bearing the emotional scars of this one. Its silly to think that being killed is of no consequence.

Answer 4

Actually no. This type of questioning is healthy. It reminds us, or at least those who believe, of free will.

God, or whoever you believe in, has a plan. Things happen for a reason.

I recieved a story by email a couple of months ago. It was about this very devoted young man who was in praying in front of the cross. Knowing how much Jesus suffered for our sins, he asked Jesus to trade places. He wanted to experience infinite love for others.

Jesus accepted the trade with one condition. The young man could not interfere with anything, free will above all. Jesus said that no matter what he saw or heard, he could not interfere. The young man accepted.

Do not worry, I am almost finish....

A couple of days passed and a wealthy businessman prayed for some business to go well. Leaving, he dropped his wallet by the cross. The young man at the cross did not say anything.

A couple of hours later, a homeless person came to pray for some food and found the wallet. He took it, thanked God, and left. The young man at the cross did not say anything.

Later, came a tired traveler. He was dirty, hungry and thirsty. He was in the middle of long journey to clear his mind. When he was almost finish, the businessman returned demanding his wallet and accused the traveler of taking it. The traveler said that he did not have it. The businessman did not believe him and started to beat him up.

The young man at the cross could not stand the abuse and stepped out of the cross to stop the beating. Which he did. When the incident was over, he tried to climb to the cross again and Jesus stopped him.

Jesus thanked him for his unselfishness, yet informed him he was not prepared to take his cross.

You see, explained Jesus, the businessman did not need the money lost. The homeless person needed it more. And the traveler, the beating would have stopped him for traveling a couple of days. The place of destination is bound to be destroyed by an earthquake in which he will now certainly perish.

I know. That’s why I do not alter my Father's plans.

There is a reason and a purpose for everything. Be it good or evil it needs to happen. If you believe, just have faith. Jesus has a plan and a purpose for you.

Answer 5

peopLe do do those things, but God couLd stop them, He's done it before. He stopped the wickedness of peopLe with a fLood.
"Besides, if you believe in the Creator, then you know that this life is only a temporary part of our existence - when an innocent person is killed, it is their physical body that is killed, not their soul!"
Wrong, beLieving in a Creator does not automaticaLLy mean you beLieve in the afterLife, in fact originaLLy the Hebrews did not beLieve in the afterLife, if you Look at the first 5 books of the Old testament carefuLLy you wiLL find no mention of the afterLife, aLthough it does taLk about the rewards of a righteouss Life and the punishment of a sinfuL Life, Heaven and Hell are not mentioned.

Answer 6

I'm certainly tired of it. Things don't happen the way people think that they should, and so they come to the conclusion that God doesn't exist.

My daughter cut her finger on the way to school this morning. Since something bad happened to her, should she conclude that I don't exist? This happened because she had a certain amount of freedom - to ride her bike to school. I suppose I could have laminated her with bubble wrap, to prevent anything from bothering her, and feed her through an IV...

You are correct, that we need to look at the big picture. If somebody we love dies, and they are prepared for it, it's not the worst thing that could happen. It may be painful for us, not being with that person for a time, but do we really think that nobody around us should ever die? To turn this around, is it fair for them to mourn our deaths but not for us to mourn theirs?

God doesn't cause suffering, but He will cure it.

Answer 7

God usually shows up a few days later to clean up the mess. He shows up in the form of His people giving help and kindness.

God doesn't punish us in this world, we do. We aren't punished for the sin (in this world) the sin punishes us or those around us. People miss that point.

I heard a pastor once say: Everyone is asking where was God, where were you? Why weren't you there to help? This is our world. We're running the show, and this is the mess we've made.

Great question.

Answer 8

People sometimes need someone to blame and the easiest to blame for all the horrible things that happen in the world is God. The older generation especially feel that God makes everything on earth happen. When people get killed the survivors are not thinking in the biblical sense that it's only their physical body and not their soul...all they know is that someone close to them is gone.

Answer 9

I sorry to assert even though it nonetheless is. there is not any longer all out hatred for each others race yet stereotypes and racist jokes. Being black in a white majority city when I walk right into a save i'm often given 2d seems and suspicious glares. you will possibly no longer think of it between black and white anymore even though it stressful to get the undesirable stereotypes that has been in bedded in all races out.

Answer 10

AMEN! I agree with you totally.

Because there is sin in the world, tragedy will follow. It isnt God doing those things, its the natural consequenses of our sin.

We also have to remember that God promised something good would come out of every evil thing.

Only by God's grace and mercy are we forgiven.