Let's try again. Can any Christians explain this?

Question

We all know what the Nazis did to the Jews in the holocaust; gas chambers, tortuous experiments, burning, and lethal injections. Children were slaughtered.
There were even some children who were put into pits, had oil poured on them, and were set afire. If you ask me, this does not necessarily prove that there is no God, but it does prove that there is no God that intervenes in human affairs. Here are my responses to common Christian defenses to this argument: 1) Christian: “God gave man freewill. God did not do this, the Nazis did.” Me: The problem is that you say God does intervene sometimes, even when freewill is involved. Terrorists blow up a building and some people escape unharmed. Then, Christians and these lucky people praise God for his intervention. Why not help the Jews? 2) Christian: “This life is only temporary. Victims will be rewarded in heaven. Me: First, you have the problem that was discussed in No. 1. You said that God does intervene sometimes; sometimes even to help you on your math test. Secondly, it is one thing for people to die, it is another thing for children to burn alive. Couldn’t he have at least taken them before the pain set in? We know that he didn’t because of their screams. 3) Christian: “God has a purpose for everything and sometimes we cannot understand it.” Me: Jeffrey Dahmer had a purpose for what he did. He liked killing and eating people. No matter what purpose he might have had, it is unjustifiable.

Answer 1

This can't be explained because this doctrine of the fundamentalists is insane. Many believers of God and Jesus totally reject this nonsense. We know that Adam went into a spiritual sleep and man has been suffering since. It was mans choice, not God's. We chose to excommunicate God. God does not dwell in the mortal man world, but in the spiritual world. Mortal man is temporal and unreal. Spiritual man is eternal and real. This is not the reality God wanted us to experience. Eden was. Man chose this and God allowed us free choice. God is no more to blame than parents are to blame when their children fall asleep and experience a nightmare. Mortal man who rejected the true spiritual image God gave us has done all this.

Answer 2

First of all,who are you to judge God? The God that is allowing you to breathe his air everyday and keeping the intricate organs in your body in perfect synch. That is part of his goodness right there,not thinking you into non- existence. You better be glad his standards are merciful toward you and the things you are guilty of. When human lawmakers make up laws they are for the good of the population as a whole but that doesn't make the lawmakers bad.They also set the penalties for breaking those laws. That's why we have police departments, because there's always some who will defy those laws regardless of the consequences. As far as your interpretation of Ps 102:24-27 and Heb12:10-12 it just proves what 1Cor 2:14 says,"But the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God,for they are foolishness unto him,neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned." Most of the New Testament books are addressed to different churches or Christian individuals not to non-believers. Those other verses you referred to are stating the Lord has lain the foundation of the earth and are the works of his hands. Those things shall eventually perish but he shall remain forever.All things on this earth are temporal but Christ was then,is now and forever will be. Put your bible down somewhere before you learn how to be saved and realize how good God really is. Don't forget, that heart he's letting you use is only temporary also. By the way, you can't be cured of something you've never had.

Answer 3

It is true that Jewish people suffered horrendously at the hands of the Germans under Nazi rule. It says a lot about Your spiritual feelings that You want this to MAKE SENSE. You also seem determined that it was God's fault.

The same question can be asked of any and all major and minor disasters, and even of death in general, and there is no all-sweeping answer that i know about. The most important thing about these horrors committed by the Nazis is that they never be forgotten and never, never be repeated, never be defended, and never be trivialized with "It never happened." (Infuriates me!)

Keep asking. But when You read or hear answers like the ones You cited, TRY to remember that people are not all equally mature, and don't ask questions just so You can bash the answers and beliefs of anyone kind enough to attempt an answer. These are hard questions You ask. The answer that suits You may come along any time now.

Answer 4

That's a great question. However, we are not wise enough to counsel God on when He decides to intervene, nor does He ask for our approval. If we do not agree or understand why He does or does not do something, does this disprove God's existence. If you do not agree with a decision your mother makes, does this prove your mother does not exist?
Sometimes, we do not know why God allows certain to happen. We do know that He has intervened directly in human affairs by the hundreds of events that have fulfilled prophecy in history. Predictions that were made hundreds of years before the event had taken place. Does atheism offer a better analysis or solution to the problem of human suffering than the theist position. God, who is loving and holy, created man with dignity and honor and love. Man, who of his own accord, fell into sin and brought disgrace upon himself and freely chose to disobey incurring his own judgment on his wickedness. But God comes after man anyway, provides a way of salvation and redemption through the sacrifice of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. People reject God, His love, His plan, and blame Him for the problems in this world when He had done so much for man.

Answer 5

I remember being asked the following question, both here on Yahoo and in real life:

"Do you ever answer a question by saying 'I don't know.'?"

I replied, "Yes" to that question.

And this is one of those questions.

I don't know why.

I wish I did, but I'm just not that smart.

I do know that twice God said he would wipe away our tears.

Revelation 7:17

For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

Revelation 21:4

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

I am looking forward to that day.

Pastor Art

Answer 6

The problem with your argument is that the premise is:

"What happens is what defines a persons life".

From the Bible and from my personal experience I know that:

"The choices a person makes, irrespective of what happens, is what defines a persons life."

God can and does influence some of the choices that people make. God can and does influence physical events based on a series of parameters that we are unable to comprehend. If it makes it easier for you, you could think of life as a giant series of dominoes, God knows which domino to push, and when to push it so that things work out in a way that is "best", in God's opinion, for everyone.

You may or may not agree on what is "best", but, you don't have to. God does not consult people any more than you consult a herd of sheep about what you think is "best".

I will agree that you have a point when you refuse to take action before consulting the nearest herd of sheep on what they consider is best before you take any actions.

Answer 7

The world is God's He can do with it as He wills. He in His nature though, is just, holy and good (or so He has told us in the scriptures). Man is given a certain amount of agency and will. Man chose to rebel against God's law and ways, and define and create their own. Man murders, man tortures, man rapes, man sins. God allows man the due recompense for the course of action they chose.

But, instead of allowing all of us to kill, destroy and steal from ourselves, God restrains our evil, otherwise the Holocaust would look like a picnic. In His restraint, He chooses to save some from their ways, not because they deserve it or want it, but because God wants it. The rest are left to their perverse devices.

The amazing issue is not that God allows sin, but that God forgives it. He would more than righteous to blow up the whole shebang, but He chooses to rescue a great multitude who do not deserve it, give them life and life eternal.

Too often we want to blame or judge God because of how bad we have made the world, but I think it is amazing that God still gives a rip to help some of us at all.

Ath

Answer 8

The Jews were given God's grace throughout the Old Testament, that is, when they followed His ways, they were rewarded, and when not, then not so much. When their Messiah came, they refused Him due to the fact that He did not come to set up a physical kingdom establishing them as the chosen people. This was a material and physical want of theirs, and they were subsequently blinded to the arrival of the one who fulfilled every prophecy they were told to expect. In this rejection they were scattered and have suffered the consequences ever since. The things you reference quite clearly illustrate this evident fact.

This does not mean that Christians are not subject to persecution in the name of Christ. It just means that there is cause and effect for many of God's judgments. If you stick your hand in the fire, you will be burned = cause and effect. If someone else sticks you in the fire, and God saves you from its effects it is a supernatural event, which He uses for His own purposes.

God is not required to grant supernatural events to happen, and when He does it is to His own discretion to use.

If you look at the events of the world from a purely human viewpoint, you obviously are not going to understand the things that are allowed to happen in this lost and perverse world. God has granted satan the ability to manifest His evil nature through the actions of vessel of destruction (i.e. Hitler/Dahmer/Manson etc) for the purpose of making all of His characteristics known to the creation.

The Jews refusal of Christ has put them on the side of antichrist (against or instead of Christ) and subjected them to the anitchrist persecutions through the Jesuits who Hitler gleaned much from, setting up his little kingdom to mirror them. The things done are most definitely Jesuit inspired, and not done in Christ's name, but in satan's. You point your finger at the wrong cause of these things, and in so try to incriminate God.

Answer 9

God doesnt like evil. People follow their own delusions, their own selfish desires, for whatever reason, fear, hate, envy, jealousy, insecurity, greed etc. People either dont have a clue about what to do to change, or dont care because they dont want to change.

You need to read more of the bible. Take the time to read about 1 hour a day for an entire year.

Let me ask you this, What bad stuff have you ever done to anyone, i.e, hit somebody, called them a bad name, did some drugs, lied to your parents, or boss, etc, etc etcd. Did God stop you? No, because YOU didnt listen, you wanted YOUR way not God's way. And you ended up hurting someone else in the process.

It's the people who are not listening to God in the first place who have the free will to either listen or not listen to the small voice telling them it's not right what you're doing.

Answer 10

God only intervenes in the lives of those who ask Him to. Those, who have a personal relationship with Him. We recognize His intervention.

The reason for His interventions are for our good and His glorification.

We are all given free will to obey and love Him or not. Otherwise, He would stop abortions as abhorring as they are to Him..