Christians, Muslims, Jews, what do you think of this God paradox?

Question

Monotheists tend to believe in an all-powerful, omnicient, omnipresent and loving God. However, injustices happen everyday that take the lives of millions of people (katrina, tsunamis, earthquakes, 9/11, war). So..

If God is all-powerful and he chooses not to stop these things, why? Does that mean he is not loving?

Or...

Can he not stop these things from happening? Wouldn't he then not be all-powerful?

How do the faithful resolve this paradox?

Answer 1

First of all,..I would like to remind u that we live ON EARTH(NOT PERFECT),..NOT IN HEAVEN(PERFECT).
means we live in UNPERFECT WORLD,because of OUR SIN(Adam&Eve send DOWN to earth).

Lets CATEGORIZED your questions:

1.Katrina,tsunami,eartquakes,....etc are NATURAL DISASTER,...IT IS A RISK THAT WE HAVE TO BEAR,..because we live ON EARTH.All of that are just the consequences of earth that moving in its axis.;wind,atsmophere,movement of earthcrust,..etc.
THUS ITS NOT GOD paradox.

2.9/11,WAR,..etc are MADE BY HUMAN,....NOT BY GOD,...as GOD created us with FREE will to do BAD or GOOD.IF GOD stop ur free will,...then u/we r not human anymore!
THUS ITS ALSO NOT GOD paradox.

3.HOW CAN U SAID GOD IS NOT POWERFUL?...:(scientifically)
........a.He created this UNIVERSE,....with a big bang,...how much energy u think to create NOTHING...to THE WHOLE MASS OF THIS UNIVERSE?
........b.Where the OXYGEN come?...for MILLION YEARS and still be here?...from trees?chlorophyl?...NOT ENOUGH.
........c.Why the OZONE hole...always closing...by itself(pls read GAIA,..the living earth).
........d.Why there is GRAVITY?....so we r not flying in space?
.........e.etc

4.GOD's POWER ARE HERE,..wether scientifically explainable or supranaturally such as:

........a.PRAYER for CANCER patient CURE
........b.SOME PEOPLE SAVE from NATURAL DISASTER
........c.BOEING 747 can fly WITH NO ENGINE AT ALL...from singapore to perth,...and suddenly working when time to land.(Discovery channel)
.......d.Other Million MIRACLES around the world.

GOD and HIS POWER,....ARE AS REAL AS YOU AND ME.

Answer 2

There is no paradox when you consider that from the beginning God gave us free-will and dominion over the earth.

The intent was that mankind would freely choose to make decisions that were in harmony with God's laws and thereby all of creation on earth would be magnified and continually transcended.

We all know, however, that at a certain point in human history (perhaps thousands, even millions of years ago), this stopped happening - that is people began making choices outside of God's will and, because the universe returns to us whatever we send out, we have had the problems that you mentioned ever since.

God truly has the power to make all things right on this planet but because we have free will, lacks the authority. Mankind, on the other hand, has the authority but lacks the power.

The solution is for each of us to understand that the kingdom of God, as Jesus said, is truly inside of us and to unite with this inner presence of God and then let God work through each of us to raise the planet from its current darkness into a golden age of peace, prosperity and englightment.

Therefore the solution lies within us - to Be or not to Be has always been the question. And only we can answer it.

Answer 3

This is an old apparent paradox that pops up on the R&S section all of the time. Next time try spending a few minutes with Goggle and you will have an answer.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
[1]....First of all, it is possible that God has reasons for allowing evil to exist that we simply cannot understand. In this the Christian can have confidence in God knowing that His ways are above our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). As the Bible says, the just shall live by faith (Hab. 2:4).

[2] Second, God may be letting evil run its course in order to prove that evil is evil and that suffering, which is the unfortunate product of evil, is further proof that anything contrary to God’s will is bad, harmful, painful, and leads to death. ...

[3]...A third possible reason that God is letting evil occur is so that on the day of judgment, the condemned will have no right to say that their sentence is unjust. God is not stopping people from exercising their free will. Think about this: If someone said that God should stop evil and suffering, then should God then stop all evil and suffering? If God only stopped some of it, then we would still be asking the same question of why it exists. So, if we want God to stop evil and suffering, then He must stop all of it. We have no problem with this when it means stopping a catastrophe, or a murder, or a rape. But what about when someone thinks of something evil? Evil is evil whether it is acted out or not. Hatred and bigotry in someone’s heart is wrong. If it is wrong, and if God is to stop all evil, then He must stop that person from thinking his own thoughts. To do that, God must remove his freedom of thought. Furthermore, which person on the earth has not thought something evil? God would be required, then, to stop all people from exercising their free will. This is something God has chosen not to do. Therefore, we could say that one of the reasons that God permits evil and suffering is because of man’s free will.

[4] Fourth, it is quite possible that God uses the suffering to do good.

Answer 4

The pradox my, friend, is actually in your question. You are trying to group two statments, which have no connection. God is all Powerful, yet, he chooses not stop all this. Not because He doesnt Love us. God says in the Quran that He loves human beings more then 70 times a mother loves her child. However, God also says that for us, there is an apointed time on earth for our trial. He will not interfere here because He gave us free will. We can choose to do what ever we want. Rape, murder steal and kill ect. However, we can also choose to be good, stop the bad people and try to make this world a better place. For God says in the Quran that humans are the best of creations among creatures. This is our trial, some will be treated unjustly, but not by God, by other humans!. For that God says in the Quran that for those who spread mischief in the land, a term is apointed, but when the time comes, and surely it will, when all will be summoned to God, justice will be met out. How, only God knows. But all the people killed unjustly will have justice in the Hearafter. Just because we havent seen the day come yet, we think that God is sleeping. He see's all. And who knows what God will give to those who are killed unjustly in the hearafter. May God Bless you.

Answer 5

These days everybody who does not believe or questions the existence of God asks this question. Why this is happening and that is happening and yet God does not help? The reasons can vary, first of all God created everything with its own laws, planets have their own laws and therefore run according to their own orbits, nature has also its own laws therefore one place is more prone to hurricane, earthquake and other natural disasters than other places. People perfectly know that the place that they live in is prone to hurricane and yet they insist to live in that place. You should remember God protects those who protect themselves!

Another reason for all the bad things happening on earth is that God allows some pain and suffering on the good people so that these sufferings will wash their sins away, so that on the Judgement day these people will be sinless or with lesser sins. As for the oppressors God allows them to continue their oppression so that they will get more severe punishment later (in Hell).

This topic cannot be discussed just by few paragraphs, it needs a thorough discussion so that you understand it correctly. I just made few points and I might be not correct. It's my opinion.

And Allah knows best.

Answer 6

In creating our world, God has put in place systems and laws within which we exist, bound by those limitations He has placed on us and yet free to exercise the free will He gave us.

Now there are differing views concerning these matters within the Church of Christ and I am not at all sure that I have the right answer to this question but I will share what little I think I know on the subject. Firstly, I do believe that God (the tri-union God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) is an all powerful and loving God so what I say is based upon that fundamental premise.

Some would say that our will and the will of Satan operate within, rather than alongside Gods will and in so doing, all things are therefore either directly or indirectly, God's will. That is that all things are according to the sovereign will of God. Now there is a scriptural basis for this view and it is a view that is firmly held by many Christians. This is one end of the spectrum and the "safest" position to hold.

At the other end of the spectrum there is a view that God has sovereignly chosen to limit Himself in certain respects through these systems and laws that He has put in place. This view point is far less definitive than the first and generates rather more questions than answers concerning God's will and how it operates in our lives. The is a very much more dangerous position to take as it introduces uncertainties which can most definitely lead to false teaching about God. But it too has a scriptural foundation. God has clearly given us free will and we are free to exercise it within certain limitations imposed by God and by man. Most significantly our will is exercised in our choice to follow Jesus or not, the fact that God has pre-knowledge of how we will choose, does not diminish the significance of our choice. An example might be found in the law of gravity, created by God for the good of all. But it is also a law that if not respected could bring our destruction, if we jump out of the 10th floor of a building there is a good chance that we would die as a result. The fact that God has the power to save us from that fate and chooses not to, does not make Him an unloving God and few people would disagree with this statement. But there are of course many other examples less clear cut.

You have cited Katrina and the Great Tsunami as examples. Some would say these were the Sovereign Acts of God mete out as punishment on wicked people. Many others would say that this was simply part of a natural system put in place by God that would by it's nature cause these catastrophes from time to time.

There are others still that might suggest that mankind may have brought about these things about because we have abused our atmosphere by global warming, setting up strange convection currents or our testing of nuclear bombs.

My personal view is that God is very much in control of things but that He also has put certain things into out hands over which we are to exercise our will. God made us in His likeness and so therefore gave us dominion over our earth and free will choose to do things His way or not.

One final thing that we should all give some serious thought to, if God is as I believe, all powerful and loving and that there really is such a thing as an eternity in His presence or an eternity in hell, then we really do have to get real with the choices upon which He will one day judge us, rather than trying to judge Him. He is beyond the reach of our judgement and so it is useless to try.

If there really is an eternity then this life of ours is a slice of time too thin to measure and yet we and God place so much store in it, but it seems for different reasons. We can be certain that death awaits each and every on of us and for some this will come all too prematurely so we had better get to know why God has placed us here.

In the overall scheme of things death is not the worst thing that can happen to a person, is it. There is a spiritual war going on in our midst and our souls are the prize.

Answer 7

From Nathaniel (Nate),
Please, anyone, take the time to look at this and think about it seriously. I am a "Christian", but more importantly I am a follower of Jesus Christ. The Bible says that He is love, but he is also Holy and Just. In some cases He punishes or allows Satan to hurt people, so that He may save others or instruct. Such cases came in Exodus, where God had to judge the children of Israel for their idolatry, but that also was out of love for He could have destroyed them all, yet He did no. He was Just and Holy at the same time as being loving. His perfect plan is to have all people experience His love and Himself. He can be any ones Redeemer, if we will just ask Him for His free gift os salvation. If you want more answers to this I will be glad to receive your E-mails or comments. God allows natural disasters to come only after He has exhausted all other means of getting through to people. So He still is in power and is still loving. The natural disasters are also a sign of the end times which are prophecied to occur in the Bible. Anyone can E-mail me about this or anything else that I talked about at [e-mail]. By the way, my name is Nathaniel, but many people call me Nate. Before I leave this message, I just want to say I appreciate questions like this. They are important. And I just want to say a person should not have blind faith, for the Bible or Jesus never condemn those questions, but seek to give an answer to them.

Answer 8

If you read in Genesis youll note that MANKIND helped usher sin into this world and make it what it is, not God.

So why does God allowing suffering? The same reason God has allowed mankind to have freewill and self-determination. He has allowed us to make this world into our own image; evil and cursed. But the great news is he is only allowing it for a limited time and then he is going to end this world and make 2 new ones and you know very well what those places are.

The presence of evil and suffering in the world is actually a strong testimony for God because of there is true evil suffering, then there is true goodness and healing through God! Could you imagine existence if there were no ultimate justice?

Answer 9

You are not the first one in history to ask this. This problem is as old as Matuselah. And there have been answers too. but to know this answers you must study, research the thinkers on all three faiths that have adress this question. you would be surprissed of how structured, logical and dificult to refute these answers are.
Among the ones have done this are:
St Augustine. St Thoma Aquinas. Moises Maimonides. Benedict Spinoza, Ibn Sina and Averroes. William of Occam, Gosh..even Soren Kierkegard did.

read them

but basically the crux of te oproblem is human free will versus determinism. If God interbened in all our acts then we would not be free intelligent beings with power of decisions but mere automatons. God, in the theistic frame endowed man with freedom of will and freedom of choice with capacity to learn and to seek the ultimate truths. Interfering goes against God's purpose.

Answer 10

great question, it is very thought provoking. Could it be that in this era where people are consumed by themselves, it is a trial for humanity. God is loving and caring, and i guess he would want to see that among his children through sacrifice. Think about it, wasn’t there an immense unity after such tragedies. The humanitarian effort to help those that needed it, that in fact we aren’t that selfish and we are here for each other to help our brothers and sisters. I may be wrong, but it’s just a thought.

Answer 11

God is an evolving creation of the fertile human imagination, that was invented and developed over the eons of human existence.
Although human imagination is very powerful, it is yet unable to actually create super beings and provide them with all the characteristics that are attributed to God.