Where does the misconception come from?

Question

People get angry at God when their lives don't turn out the way they would like or when something horrible happens in their lives. Where does the misconception that God ever promised us a fair, good, happy life come from? In all three Abrahamic religions (the big three) Christianity, Judaism, and Islam we're given the story of Adam and Eve right up front. One of the main themes/lessons of this story is that we had the choice to live in harmony with God, under His protection and with fairness. We chose not to do this. We chose to be in charge of our own life, and we're living the result out every day. God never promised that we'd have a fair, happy, long or incident free life. He never promised that bad things wouldn't happen to us. He actually stated quite the opposite about living contrary to what He had in mind. So, why is He the first to blame? Why do so many get angry at Him.

The Amish school incident got me thinking about this. The murderer stated that he was angry with God for the way his life had turned out.

If you don't believe in God, you need not answer or tell me as such. That's not what I'm looking for. That bit of knowledge won't add anything to my plea or brighten my day in any way.

I believe that you can get love from God, but you have to be willing to give it. God wants a relationship with us all, but that's not really what my question is concerned with. Ask and you shall recieve. I've experienced that. It doesn't mean that this world won't drop a truck on you.

Why does it seem like the athiest or agnostics that answered didn't read the question or my disclaimer about not needing to answer?

Answer 1

As a Muslim I whole heartedly agree with your comments. Unfortunately when many of us feel helpless in painful times we find it all too easy to blame the One that is able to change anything just by willing it. But we must understand that we weren't put on this earth to have everything done for us & that we will time & again be tested in good times & in bad.

Answer 2

I am an atheist, but I'd like to answer anyway. Mark Foley, the representative who recently resigned in shame, claims that he was molested as a teen by a member of the clergy. This could help explain why a person might blame God. The killer of the Amish also alluded to an incident that had happened 20 years ago. I would like to point out that this does not excuse the behavior of either, but might help to explain.

Answer 3

In Islam, anything good/bad life is in God divine decree.
We are not allowed to blame Him.

God is the most merciful there is than anything in the universe,If bad happen, continue to pray for the best.It is just God way to see how patience u are and the reward will be abundance in the hereafter.

Answer 4

This misconception comes to us courtesy of our enemy, Satan. He has been a liar from the beginning and is only interested in lying to us so we will become discouraged in our walk of faith. It all began when he lied to Eve (and Adam, indirectly) and caused them to question the sincerity of God's promises.

We have God's promise at Romans 8:28 that " ... we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." Satan uses the same tactic he used with Eve and says to us, "you really can't trust God, because He promised to work EVERYTHING for your good, yet your daughter was killed by a murderer." Satan diverts our attention from the fact that HE urged this disturbed man to kill the Amish girls, not God!

Just my two cents. Peace and blessings.

Answer 5

Hi Luzwinz:

Religion actually sets people up to attribute everything that happens to them to forces beyond their control. They are taught to externalize good as God and evil as the Devil, and to believe invisible forces are shaping their destiny which they can neither see nor affect. Religion compounds the problem by assuring them they have a loving deity looking after them if they only believe in the religion and are faithful and righteous and tithe etc., and that in their time of need they can pray to the deity for help and the prayer will be answered and help will be sent.

Then it doesn't happen. No help comes. They lose their house, a sick child, their job, their marriage, and when they ask their religious leaders why God let them down, they are often blamed and told their faith was too weak, they didn't pray correctly, there was some unconfessed sin in their life, or that their prayer conflicts somehow with God's unknowable will, which for some reason includes their child dying in agony with cancer, their losing their job, their husband, their leg, their whatever. So it's not just that God was indifferent to your prayer, but that God actually planned for you to suffer disaster.

You are repeating the error in everything you have just written. No matter what happens, no matter who suffers, no matter what comes, God is not responsible and it's the suffering person's fault. Only in your "original sin" theology, we are suffering thousands of generations later for the error of one man, and you speak as though all the generations from Adam got together and voted for him to sin so we could be in charge of our own lives. So you are blaming all humanity for one newborn human error of inexperience.

I'm a father. I love my daughter. Nothing she could do could cause me to stop loving her. Certainly not simply disobeying me. I don't ask her to worship me, love me or respect me, but she does love and respect me because I earn it every day. I am there for her. I am never not there for her. My ego doesn't require her to burn in hell forever if she breaks my rules or offends me. She's a straight A student. Never been in trouble. She's chosen chastity until marriage, and not because I ever encouraged her to do so. She's not perfect, but she's never been intentionally hurtful to anyone in her life. She makes mistakes of inexperience frequently. I didn't kick her out of my house with her first mistake as you believe your God did with Adam and Eve. Because I am good father and love my child I do these things and the results have been outstanding.

I have prepared my daughter to confront evil. Warned of those things which might harm her and how people might seek to take advantage of her. I haven't simply told her not to do things, but I have explained why and what might and might not happen, unlike your God, who never told Adam and Eve to watch out for talking snakes and fallen angels. Adam and Eve had no knowledge of good and evil and so did not even know that fallen angels, devils and lies existed, did they?

Your God is an egocentric and hard-hearted prick, a complete disgrace as a father, and the sort of distant, judgmental, self-important, tantrum-throwing, abusive parent that we take children away from for their protection. And you wonder why believers blame your god? I wonder why anyone is stupid enough to want to worship such a being. I marvel at how little the practice of your religion improves the lives of anyone that is a part of it, but you keep coming back for more. Well, I have a simple rule. Your God has to be a better father than I am before I'll call him my father, and his parenting skills totally blow.

Answer 6

I blame the Church, as youngsters we are indoctrinated by Jesus as being soft and gentle. The gentle Jesus, holding you in his arms, cuddling you bits...... a child's prayer comes immediately to mind - "Gentle Jesus, meek and mild...". Certainly, this God of ours is FULL of love, forgiveness, grace and mercy, absolutely no doubt; but most Christians conveniently forget that He is also a jealous God, a just God and full of wrath if we disobey Him; He is THE ALMIGHTY - who will have mercy on whomsoever He chooses; and He will return soon to judge this world unto complete and utter destruction.

Most Christians struggle with the "concept" of Jesus at some point in their lives because of this. Sadly some of them chose to rather stop believing then, as the feel God is a "hypocrite"

Answer 7

There are many churches that preach and teach this misconception. They teach that God rewards us in the here and now with blessings of wealth and prosperity. There was a man that came into my shop and misquoted the Lords Prayer to support this assertion. He used, "on earth as it is in heaven" to support his view that "there are mansions in heaven so God will give us mansions on earth..."
My reply was, "Get thee behind me Satan."
This came from a man who runs a "Bible college".
No one should be a blind follower. The truth is present to those who open their eyes.

Answer 8

The way that God is portrayed (all loving and all that) indicates he should show that love to his "children". Wouldn't you think?

I think it's more a misconception that God is loving that screws people up, when clearly it is actually as you state above.

Answer 9

that is true.but ppl wn they r mad they need some one t blame beside them selves so that's wat happens: they blame God for wat ever they don't like in their lives.
we are not on earth to be happy we are here to work and work means suffering to get a result so how CAN life be an ever ending happiness tell we die?

Answer 10

Jesus said "ask and you shall receive". I think it bothers people when they figure out this was a lie.