Why would a just and merciful God cause of much suffering?

Answer 1

If God is willing, but not able (to prevent evil), he is not omnipotent.
If God is able, but not willing, he is malevolent.
If God is both willing and able, then whence cometh evil ?
If God is neither willing, nor able, then why call him god ?

Epicure?

Answer 2

Suffering is the result of cause and effect. You can't have good without suffering.

Isn't there a famous "law of thermodynamics" that says all things must suffer? It's the nature of reality.

A better question would be: What kind of god would ruin the laws of reality?

Who would want to live in a world where some trickster god plays with the laws of reality and does things that don't make any sense?

We need to suffer. Suffering is life,.

EDIT: A better question might be: Why would an evil God convey such love in the world? Why would an evil God create this wonderful universe and give us such happiness.

I think you're hung up on the idea of "God" as a metaphor and missing the idea that life is beautiful.

Answer 3

God does not actually cause the suffering. Suffering is usually man-made.

Answer 4

At James 1:13 the Bible tells us "When under trial, let no one say: “I am being tried by God.” For with evil things God cannot be tried nor does he himself try anyone."

God allows the suffering, but he doesn't cause it. Please let me explain.
In order to understand God's permission of suffering, we have to go back to the beginning. God's original purpose was for humans to live in peace on a beautiful paradise earth. (Genesis 1:28) He only gave them one law. (Genesis 2:16,17) “From every tree of the garden you may eat to satisfaction. But as for the tree of the knowledge of good and bad you must not eat from it, for in the day you eat from it you will positively die.” As their creator, he had the right to give them this law.

Satan lied to Eve and told her that if she ate from the tree of knowledge, she would not die and that she would be like God knowing good and bad. So she ate the fruit and gave some to Adam and he ate the fruit. When they did this, they joined in a rebellion against God. They in effect told God they didn't want to follow his law and they wanted to rule themselves.

This challange, whether God had the right to rule or humans could do it themselves, would take time to prove. So God stepped back and has let humans try every form of government. What has been the result? They have all failed, the earth is being ruined and humans have even brought more suffering to other humans. (Ecclesiastes 8:9)

To add to the trouble is Satan. The Bible tells us at 1 John 5:19, "We know we originate with God, but the whole world is lying in the [power of the] wicked one" Satan is in control of this world right now, and because of the challange made in Eden, God has allowed it. However, God will not permit this to go on forever.

His original purpose never changed. He still wants humans to live in a paradise earth.
For a more detailed explaination, you can go to the following article:
http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/2001/5/15/article_02.htm

Answer 5

How many times must this question come up? Its MAN that causes suffering in the world NOT GOD!

Answer 6

Most religions have some form of balance in them as do most things in life its just the way of the world.

" I have my beliefs don't you? "
" No there's too much bad sh*t in the world."
" Without suffering there would be no compassion."
" Tell that to those that suffer."
Its part of a film that I can't forget these few of lines they say so much ;)

Answer 7

He is just and merciful because he gave you and every living soul the choice in life.
Its up to each individual how best you choose to conduct yourself in accordance with his given commandments aiming at man to follow in his own footsteps.
Man chooses much of his own suffering by his own poor judgement creating needless situations consequently that causes many innocent people unnecessary suffering
.

Answer 8

God does not cause suffering. If man got together and asked God to forgive them (collectively) and asked Him to stop the suffering then He would.
Man causes suffering, God hates it , but He gave this planet to us and we are messing it up !

Answer 9

What makes you think that it is God who cause all of the suffering in the world???? Suffering,death etc are a direct result of mankind's sinful rebellion against God.Death and sickness are a direct result of the fall of Adam and Eve. Satan is the emissary of death and disease and suffering,not God. One only needs to read the Bible to see that.
Welshy: Hell was created for Satan and his angels,as the Bible clearly states. But those who reject God willingly follow Satan to their eternal destination.

Answer 10

The same question keeps being asked time and time again and you'll get the same answers time and time again. It's the same as asking what came first - the chicken or the egg. Nobody knows. You'll get your devout believers telling what they have been taught. Not what they know and seen with their own eyes but what they have been taught. You'll also get people who don't believe telling you what they think or what they guess it is.

Not one person walking on this earth can give you the correct answer as nobody knows that answer. You'll have to make your own mind up.

Answer 11

I don't believe God causes suffering any more than he "takes" people, through death. But I do believe that there are certain immutable universal "laws", like free will. If God created us with free will, which I believe He did, then He will not break that immutable law. Evil is in this world because there are evil forces afoot and there are people who succumb to their influences and therefore do evil things. God doesn't make people sick, or kill them, or do any harm to them. But if a person uses his or her free will to do evil to another, God also doesn't interfere because He would be breaking His own law. I think it probably breaks God's heart to see so many of us mortals doing evil things to each other.

People get sick for many reasons, including an inferior, toxic, non-nutritious food supply perpetuated on us by greedy individuals who don't care if people get sick. Foods that contain chemicals and growth hormones can't be good for us. The tobacco industry and the liquor industry contribute to people's illnesses, too. The polluted air we breathe and the polluted water we drink must also be included. It's more accurate to blame G.W. Bush for making us sick by rolling back all the environmental protections put in place by previous administrations than to blame God. God didn't give us dirty air or tainted food and water. People caused that through their own free will.

People suffer because there are greedy, selfish people in this world who have been seduced by evil, period. I firmly believe that.

I also believe God when He says that "vengeance is mine, I will repay". Sometimes it seems that such bad things happen to good people, while good things seem to happen to bad people. I like to think that eventually God will repay them, too, but I think there's another universal, immutable law at work here, and that's the law about negative attracting negative and positive attracting positive. Bad people can have positive thoughts and good people can have negative thoughts. Like attracts like.

An evil person can think positively about attracting money and/or opportunity and become rich. A good person can do the same. Likewise a good person can become so mired down in everyday struggles such as poverty and illness that they can't manage a positive thought, so they worry, and they become afraid of what the future will bring. Unfortunately, like Job, what they greatly fear is usually what comes upon them. This mindset can happen to bad people, too, and maybe that's why so many of them end up in jail or in the morgue, I don't know.

Sometimes there just doesn't seem like there's much justice in this world, and I think it's easier to blame God than yourself or another person. Sometimes, though, I think things just happen and there really isn't anyone to blame. I think that's when people blame God the most. But I don't think God deserves to be blamed, because these immutable laws of His are meant to work FOR us, not against us. Perhaps we just need to remember how they work?

That's my theory, anyway.