To all the Bible belters out there, how do you.....?

Question

....justify War, Famine, Disease, and general human suffering?

Answer 1

They can't, good question. No almighty being, spiritual or otherwise can ever justify human misery. It's always puzzled me too, why if there is a God, why does 'he' allow such barbaric behaviour in 'his' World, after all he is the creator (allegedly)

I bet the "Bible Belters" as you excellently put it, blame mankind, it's all our own fault, that's the usual response 'they' give.

Answer 2

Because the real ruler of this world is Satan the Devil.

The Bible clearly states: “The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.” (1 John 5:19) When you think about it, does that not make sense? This world reflects the personality of the invisible spirit creature who is “misleading the entire inhabited earth.” (Revelation 12:9) Satan is hateful, deceptive, and cruel. So the world, under his influence, is full of hatred, deceit, and cruelty. That is one reason why there is so much suffering.
A second reason why there is so much suffering is that mankind has been imperfect and sinful ever since the rebellion in the garden of Eden. Sinful humans tend to struggle for dominance, and this results in wars, oppression, and suffering. (Ecclesiastes 4:1; 8:9)
A third reason for suffering is “time and unforeseen occurrence.” (Ecclesiastes 9:11) In a world without God as a protective Ruler, people may suffer because they happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

It is comforting for us to know that God does not cause suffering. He is not responsible for the wars, the crimes, the oppression, or even the natural disasters that cause people to suffer.
Still, we need to know, Why does God allow all this suffering? If he is the Almighty, he has the power to stop it. Why, then, does he hold back? The loving God that we have come to know must have a good reason.—1 John 4:8.

A VITAL ISSUE IS RAISED

To find out why God allows suffering, we need to think back to the time when suffering began. When Satan led Adam and Eve into disobeying God, an important question was raised. Satan did not call into question God’s power. Even Satan knows that there is no limit to Jehovah’s power. Rather, Satan questioned God’s right to rule. By calling God a liar who withholds good from his subjects, Satan charged that God is a bad ruler. (Genesis 3:2-5) Satan implied that mankind would be better off without God’s rulership. This was an attack on God’s sovereignty, his right to rule.

Adam and Eve rebelled against God. In effect, they said: “We do not need God as our Ruler. We can decide for ourselves what is right and what is wrong.”
How could God settle that issue? How could he teach all intelligent creatures that the rebels were wrong and that his way truly is best? - Someone might say that God should simply have destroyed the rebels and made a fresh start. But God had stated his purpose to fill the earth with the offspring of Adam and Eve, and he wanted them to live in an earthly paradise. (Genesis 1:28) God always fulfills his purposes. (Isaiah 55:10, 11) Besides that, getting rid of the rebels in Eden would not have answered the question that had been raised regarding God’s right to rule.
Let us consider an illustration.
Imagine that a teacher is telling his students how to solve a difficult problem. A clever but rebellious student claims that the teacher’s way of solving the problem is wrong. Implying that the teacher is not capable, this rebel insists that he knows a much better way to solve the problem. Some students think that he is right, and they also become rebellious.
What should the teacher do? -If he throws the rebels out of the class, what will be the effect on the other students? Will they not believe that their fellow student and those who joined him are right? All the other students in the class might lose respect for the teacher, thinking that he is afraid of being proved wrong. But suppose that the teacher allows the rebel to show the class how he would solve the problem.

God has done something similar to what the teacher does. Remember that the rebels in Eden were not the only ones involved. Millions of angels were watching. (Job 38:7; Daniel 7:10) How God handled the rebellion would greatly affect all those angels and eventually all intelligent creation. So, what has God done? He has allowed Satan to show how he would rule mankind. God has also allowed humans to govern themselves under Satan’s guidance.

That is why we are suffering right now. The answers are always in the scriptures if we look for them.
Satan is only ruling temporarily, he will be removed soon and paradise conditions restored to the earth. Only those who follow the true God will survive to enjoy those conditions along withthe resurrected dead (JOHN 5:28,29)

Any more info/questions - please email me

Answer 3

This is almost certainly not the answer you want. But it is the Truth.
The Bible says that all the suffering in the world is the punishment of God given to the world after Adam and Eve (your ancestors!) disobeyed Him. They were cast out into the world and given the free will to create cities, plant crops and have children (with all the pain involved).
So all the things that you mention are the product of humans- WE go to war, WE overfarm the land so the soil becomes useless, WE create much of our own suffering and that of others (such as the Africa crisis- the Western world takes all the food, then places restrictions on these countries so they become poor). These things do not come from our loving and merciful Lord God. But the main idea is that those who believe in the sacrifice of Jesus the Son of God shall be rewarded upon the Judgement.
Try finding a Bible and reading the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and also Revelation. You'll see!

Answer 4

Well, obviously I can't justify it. And there is nothing that I can say that you are going to take seriously. I can try to explain it to you though, from what I have learned through bible study. When God created Adam, He put Adam in paradise, gave him a wife and only had one rule. Eve was decieved by the snake and instead of Adam telling her no, he was not going to partake in her sin, he went right along with her. This is called the fall of humanity. And since the fall of humanity we have had human suffering.

Answer 5

Let's see...I don't justify any of those things...some our man-made evils and others are natural evils. However, the nature of your question seems to be implying that because we are Christians, we should try to justify why God would allow these things to happen, and thus you are playing the devil's advocate. I will venture to say that you should not blame God or Christians for that matter for the evil that occurs, but should look to its real source...SATAN.

1. Everything God created (something made out of nothing) is perfect and good
2. Satan distorts what God has made with evil (that is when something is missing or taken away from something)
3. The fall of man results in the rest of this world from then to now living under the law of decay

Anymore questions?

Answer 6

We create all these conditions ourselves,
War
Famine
Disease ( to a degree )
and most of all the general suffering as you call it

We ( mankind, not only Chistians) create these conditions because of greed, self service, NOT caring about our fellow man, etc,etc,
Yopu seem to be wanting to blame Bible belters, but if we followed the teachings of "Bible belters" and paid more attention to OTHERS than to ourselves, many of these conditions would not exist.

Answer 7

Good question. I must point out that firsly I'm not a Bible belter, but I am a christian.
The answer to that question is simple, sin, selfishness, greed, pride, hatred, lust, etc, etc... The problems of the world are man's fault. We are the cause of the devastation all around us.
Lets look at the problem from the beginning.
The Bible say's that God created the the world and everything around us right? (Now I know you might not believe in the Bible but hear me out.) The world is perfect. God creates man and woman in his own image. He gives them one single rule. Not too eat the fruit from the tree that gives knowledge of good and evil. Man and woman disobey God. God becomes angry.
First let me ask you a question, 'In this story who is to blame? God or mankind?'
After they disobey God, God curses the man and the woman. Also he cursed the whole of creation, this is what it say's in the Bible: 'Cursed is the ground because of you.' Genesis chapter 3 verse 17.
Second question, 'Who is to blame for the ground being cursed?'
God or Mankind?
Not long after this event the population expands and people start to fight, hate, lie, cheat, kill, and deny the existence of Almighty God.
Third question, 'Who chose to do evil? God or man?'

Over the centuries the world has become evil, people have become more and more selfish. They hate more and more, they lie more and more. They become more greedy, pride is at the fore-front of most people's life, and to top it off they argue whose religion is right. Some even deny God altogether.
Fifth question, Who is to bleame for the problems of the world?' God or man?

People chose what they do to please themelves, they have sex with anyone, or anything, at any age. They take drugs, booze, glue, or something else to give them answers.
Question six, Who is to blame? God or man?

Through all this mankind has done many evil things to please himselve, yet what has He done for God? Nothing, that's what.

God has the right to blow this stinking planet of the face of existence, he has the power to do so. Yet why doesn't he?
Because He loves this stinking planet, with a love we mere humans cannot understand. He loves this crap hole so much that He sent His Son Jesus to die for the crap we are in.
We did stuff all to assist the Lord since the fall of mankind. Yet He in His great mercy sent Jesus to save us.
You want to know what God has done for this planet, 'LOOK TO THE CROSS!' I'm sure you'll find the answers you are looking for.

Answer 8

I'm not religious, but someone asked one of the students I work with a question like that the other day, and i liked his answer, God does good things and tries to protect us, and the devil does bad things, like famine ect..!
Didn't think I'd push it and ask why he believes in somet when there i absolutely no proof they exist

Answer 9

You can't justify those things. It amazes me how everytime someone wants to "pick" on Christians they start with blaming God on the human condition. If you are born and live any length of time you will see others suffer. There is no gaurantee in life that you will be happy, safe and protected. So, don't blame God for the bad things in the world, just accept that it is a fact of life.

Answer 10

Here's a quotation from Milton's "Samson Agonistes"

"Just are the ways of God
And justifiable to men
Unless there be who think not God at all.
If such there be, they walk obscure,
For of such doctrine never was there school
But the heart of a fool
And no man therein doctor but himself."

God does not have to justify what He allows to happen in the world as the result of man's mismanagement of His creation. Neither do Christians. We are called upon to do what we can to alleviate such things and prevent their happening in the first place, but we hold no brief to explain them away.