How does religion/God explain the reason behind developing an unrelenting illness that ruins an amazing life?

Question

An observatory question. NOT a personal one.

Answer 1

As a committed Christian with a chronic invisible illness, I believe I'm qualified to answer this question. I've been living with Chronic Fatigue & Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) for a total of 15 years--five of them not so terrible, 10 more so; seven of them undiagnosed; 2.5 of them living in Japan on a mission with LCMS World Mission; nine of them unmarried, six of them married. Being disabled by this illness, I've had a lot of time to think about questions like these.

First, it depends on whether your asking the cause behind (looking back) something like chronic illness, or the purpose for it (looking forward), because "reason" can mean either.

The short answer to the former, or the cause is simply, we live in a sinful world of which we all are a part. God did not create the world the way we experience it now. He created a far better one that was ruined by sin. To be entirely clear, this doesn't mean that in some way people are being punished by God for some specific sin committed.

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is in John 9. Verses three & four read: "His disciples asked Him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents that He was born blind?' 'Neither this man nor his parents sinned,' said Jesus, 'but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.'"

In this, Christ Jesus also answers the question of purpose. So it was in that man's life, so it is in mine. I suffer with a chronic illness that reminds me every day that I am not the source of life & health, but that an infinite & all-power God outside of me is; that I am a sinner in need of forgiveness. Through the innocent, bitter sufferings of Christ Jesus, I am spiritually healed now & if not in this life I will be completely physically healed at my earthly death. This is the number one way that the work of God is displayed in my life, but I hope also in countless others.

A Christian with a chronic illness has the best gift of all, Jesus Christ through whom we gain perspective on the temporal suffering of this world versus the eternal life & bliss of the next.

Answer 2

K, I hope some of these answers haven't upset you. I hate it when people give assinine answers for why a good person became sick and died. They did that when my father had a massive stroke. Some bloody God-talkers visited him without our permission in the hospital and told him, "God works in mysterious ways and we have no place questioning his actions. He must have had a good reason for making you a paraplegic."

What a stupid, stupid, stupid thing to say to a person who is suffering. I wanted to kill them. My Dad HATED God after that and never wanted to hear about him ever again.

I believe that we come to Earth to learn about things that require the use of a human body with touch, sight, hearing, taste and smell and with the level of intelligence that the body we live in possesses. From here we learn through experiences. When you get to a certain age, you realize you've learned so much in your lifetime. THAT'S what we're here for.

We are NOT here because God plopped us on Earth and told us we were sinners from day 1. We are NOT here to spend every waking minute praying and genuflecting and bowing and touching our heads to the ground. We are NOT here to follow a plethora of strict, unbending rules or risk eternal hell.

I believe sometimes we live an amazing life and sometimes our body's contract a debilitating illness. But I'm more than certain that when we die, we take those emotional, powerful experiences and file them carefully away. Then we either come back and experience new things or we stay in a blissful place and join the mass loving consciousness.

Just my POV.

Answer 3

because they are full of original sin. Dirty sinning. Evil evil evil. Thats pretty much it. I dont see how you get to explain a 2 year old with a brain tumor that will never see 3 years of age. But hey sin is sin is sin and that 2 yo likely stole a lick from someone elses lollypop.
I think the sin explaination for mans condition is lacking. It was one of the principle early findings that began to convince me there is not a God. You cant prove a negative but you can demonstrate that if a religion claims x and doesnt deliver then that religion isnt on the level.
If you have ever really seen a pediatric cancer ward and the incredible amounts of suffering that occur you cannot walk away without wondering is there really a kind loving interventionalist God.

Answer 4

Didn't notice I was in R&S, but now that I'm here--it doesn't explain anything. Our little minds, following doctrines & dogma, assume we know what's in God's "mind." It's the same old, when the mother prays, & the child dies, "It's the will of God," or the child lives, "It's my prayers & the will of God." Why? A Christian friend of mine once asked, most sincerely, after a horrid earthquake: "What did those people do to deserve this?" & I said, "They were THERE." I cannot comprehend getting any joy out of life by people who believe--"After Adam & Eve..the world became infested with sin...death & disease." What a horrible way to think about life! God is certainly a dichotomy of love & wrath.

Answer 5

The teachings of the East address this quite clearly. Our past actions that didn't bear fruit, carry over into the next incarnation. Unfullfilled wants and desires, as well as actions that bear negative fruit, play out in future lifes. Also, in this teaching, God is punishing noone. These are ways to balance the soul. What appears as a devastating illness could be a "final payment" of an over-due account. Things aren"t always what they appear. Peace Be With You.

Answer 6

It's actually a little sad now. Drug trafficking is shifting instead to human trafficking right now. It's less risk, lower jail times, and most of the girls will be arrested before you ever do. Plus, you have the potential to make around $1,000 a day per girl. Gangs are starting to get involved in it more and more.

Answer 7

After Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden, the world became infected with sin, which includes death and disease.

Answer 8

This life is short and for some people shorter, compared to eternity. God looks at eternity. Think about it, from His perspective, what seems like a long time to a little child isn't really that big a deal to an adult, His perspective is infinitely bigger than ours.

Answer 9

It doesn't.
For some people, it may help ease their suffering in life if they believe that their suffering will end and they will live forever in peace and happiness with all their loved ones.
It's a very nice concept.
There's absolutely no reason to believe it's true, but you can see why some people would cling to it.

Answer 10

I know that in biblical times, God promised health through obedience to the Law (Ex. 15:26). Health was promised upon condition of obedience to the law of God. Israel was taught that sickness could be expected when God's law was disobeyed. The 28th chapter of the Book of Deuteronomy listed may curses that would come upon the people of Israel because of disobedience.

There were many prayers to God for healing of sickness under the dispensation of the Law (Num. 21:7, Psalm 6, II Chron. 6:28-30).

Many were healed in Jesus' day and many believed in supernatural healing through prayer. With modern medicine and prayer and faith, many are cured.

God's World never changes, He can still heal our land of all its diseases (physical and spiritual) if we'd only repent and obey His commandment.