Why did GOD let this happen ?????

Question

Heard on a radio show today, a Father, who is a correspondent from the Vatican, not defend God, when the question was asked, Why did God let this happen.
For believers like me, Satan is just a real as God. God says Satan exists. Why don't people believe that Satan is real? It just boggels the mind when people believe that God controls all. He/She doesn't control all. Satan doesn't control all. That is why life is such a great struggle. The VT shooter did the work of Satan. God didn't allow him to do it.
Also, on another board, a person was given heck because the person said we should say a prayer for the shooter, he is a lost soul, and he sure can use all the prayers he can get, and his family also. The poster didn't say forgive, but just a prayer for his soul. How do you feel about this?

Answer 1

We have the free will to do good or evil and God cannot or will not influence our free will,and God is not our slave either to do our every bidding,as for that guy who did the killing I too would pray for his soul as he has to answer to God for his actions and and how terrible will that judgement be.

Answer 2

God allowed this to happen because He has what is called a "permissive will" yet, at the same time He exercises sovreignty over all things. God allows people to make choices and will not always interfere with our decisions. However, if we make the wrong choices it allows the devil to take action against us. Yes, this shooter was inspired by the devil. But at the same time, were the victims given an option to be somewhere else when the shooter showed up is a better question. As for the shooter, not only do we have to pray for him, but as hard as it may sound, we have to forgive him also. I didn't say it would be easy, but we have to do it as Christians. If the apostle Paul could find forgiveness despite all the things he did to the church, then anyone can.

Answer 3

Not too many people would be willing to pray for someone if they were unable to forgive them - so both go hand in hand for most people. Maybe the poster just neglected to say the word forgive. I feel just as bad for the shooter as the victims. For someone to kill that methodically - he must have been possessed or so mentally troubled he had lost touch with reality. Well people don't do that, and people who are just hurting may consider killing themselves, but they don't massacre others. The reporters said he never had visitors even from family. Anyone that isolated is at danger of becoming irrational. People were not made to be alone. I also think the anti-depressents he was taking made whatever was going on worse. If they weren't decreasing his depression, they were increasing his anger. No one talks about that.

Answer 4

God created satan. As the book of Job shows, satan only acts in conjunction with god. To try and pass off the VT shooter will not work. Like the Atlanta bomber, like the Oklahoma City bomber, the shooter was a christian as were many of his victims. God could have turned his bullets so that the people he shot did not die or god could have intervened directly to cause the people he shot to live.

God stood by and did nothing.

I don't think god exists but if he did, who'd want to worship such a putz?

Answer 5

I feel like everyone right now at this point needs prayer. Not only do we need to forgive the shooter, but we need to pray for his family as well. They are catching hell right now along with the rest of the world. The shooter did not just do this to Virginia, he did it to the whole United States. We all need prayer. This world is going to hell in a hand basket if we dont be careful.

Answer 6

I couldn't agree with you more!! All the evil and bad is from the devil!!! Why and how could anyone blame anything bad on God? All GOOD is GOD and all bad is the devil. The earth is like the middle of the road, you know what I mean. And yes, like it or not, like it says in Matthew 6 : 14 & 15 For if ye forgive men their tresspasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if we forgive not men of their tresspasses, neither will your Father forgive your tresspasses. I know thats hard, but thats where we have to forgive and forget and let God deal with it. Blessed be Always -

Answer 7

I completely agree. Satan is very real, and yes, he is raging up and down like a roaring lion, looking for gullible souls to devour. God didn't "allow" this to happen. We did.
I believe Christains ought to start doing as we know we ought..simply ignore man's laws, and bring God back to school. The worst thing that can happen is that we'll get sued. My kids prayed in school, and my grandchildren do it too...not that it's a big deal where we live now, but if more kids would simply do what is in their hearts, they could make a difference. The same goes for us adults. We need to display our Christian faith proudly...even aggressively. We need to bow our heads in prayer, even if we are eating at McDonald's. If we know of a store that refuses to acknowledge Christmas, we need to stand near and shout Merry Christmas to all who come near. We need to sing hymns everywhere we go, even in the grocery store. We may get arrested, so what? Are we then, better than the apostles?? We might get sued. What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world, but lose his soul? It is time to quit ourselves like men. Put on the whole armor of God. This is a real shooting war, and we are behind enemy lines. It is time for God's people to wake up!! We need to take back what we have let Satan snatch from us while we slept.
As for a prayer for the shooter, absolutely. Nobody can imagine what sort of pain that kid must have been in, to do something like this. And what about his family? Aren't they, also, entitled to grieve??
Honestly, Christians, where is our faith? Where is our obedience?
Is this why Jesus asked "when I return, will I find faith in the earth?"

EDIT:
Just so everybody knows, I am including myself in this rant, and this is my public vow to try my very best to try to live up to the standards He has set. May I not back down....
Let's do as the first Christians did, and pray for one another, that our faith, and our courage, not fail!!
Who is with me??

Answer 8

I feel that prayers are a waste of time.

I also think that if God doesnt control everything, could not have prevented this occurrance, then he cannot be called a GOD. Period, end of argument. You people allege that this God is omnipresent and omnibenevolent - so he WAS there, and yet his benevolence failed to prevent the tragedy.

And you fault us for not accepting Satan's responsibility??

Answer 9

The VT shooter had psychological/medical problems and sorry but there are scientific explanations for that, I do not see how something that can be proved and explained is the work of a fictional 'devil' or an unproved deity.

Answer 10

So you're saying you believe in God, Satan and Jesus? Like a trinity?

My head hurts.
.