If God gave people free will then why do people always assume that God "allowed" bad things to happen?

Question

When something bad happens (the holocaust, 9/11, e.t.c.), people tend to ask "Why did God allow this to happen? But according to the book of Genisis, man achieved free will when Adam and Eve ate fruit from the tree of life. ln essence, man has been granted free will, and therefore God esentially has no control over people's actions. All God can do is put people on earth and hope that they will make the right decisions. If they choose to make bad decisions there is nothing God can do. People on earth must choose to make the right decisions in order to achieve eternal life in heaven. Only there can God sanctify all the suffering that they have had to endure while on earth. And in heaven they will also be free of the oppressors who tormented them on earth. So when something bad happens it is not because God "allowed" it to happen. It is because some of the people he has placed on earth have simply chosen to abuse their free will.

Somebody previously argued that according to Job, God does "allow" Satan to put suffering on righteous people. Apparently this person failed to realize that it was a result of the profession of free will that Satan even came to be in the first place.

and Zara, those things are not anyone's fault; they just happen naturally

Answer 1

BINGO!! It would be the same as blaming a child's parent when something bad happens to him/her. As loving parents we allow our children to go out into the world and make their own decisions. Man has created the evil in this world, not God.

Answer 2

How about the "free will" of victims? Did they choose to be raped, murdered, stolen from, beaten? If there were a god, why would two people eating a piece of fruit condemn all living things? If there were a god, it didn't have to "create" bad choices. There's no getting around the fact that if the god of the christian bible existed, it would be despicable.

Why Christians Must Steal From Secular Morality:
http://www.caseagainstfaith.com/submissions/steal_morality.htm
Christians must steal their moral rules from secular morality. They have no choice, as the Bible does not offer a moral system, it only offers a series of contradictory commands and a supposed threat of punishment in the "afterlife" for not following them - a punishment that is given equally to all violators - whatever the sin.

The Bible does nothing and can do nothing towards inculcating moral behavior on its own. Christians must steal from secular moral systems, and then merely graft their 'God threats' on top of this moral system. This is necessary. And the reason for this is simple: there is no morality in the Bible and there can be no morality in the Bible, because the Bible holds that 1) ALL 'sins' are equivalent (destroying any moral sense) AND 2) all moral behavior is immaterial, because works cannot save a person, AND finally all people are damned from birth.

In reality, Christians realize that some actions are more moral than others. They realize that moral actions exist in a hierarchy, and that rape is far worse than stealing a pencil. Yet the Bible holds that all 'sins' are equal, as all deserve the same punishment.

Christians also realize that humans can be moral agents... they expect moral behavior from others, and they view their own children as something to value. Yet the Bible holds that man is worthless, that he cannot be a moral agent, and that his sole salvation comes from grace. However, since Christians realize, implicitly, that all of these these points are obviously, prima facie false, they must steal from secular systems, that hold that 1) man obviously has a value 2) all 'sins' are obviously not equivalent and 3) a person cannot be held to be doing anything 'immoral' without intent.

Answer 3

Even if this where the case ( I don't grant that as god, in his infinite knowledge could have chosen, of the infinite people available with which to populate a world, to create only those who would always choose good) it does not excuse god from the bad things that happen that are not caused by human will. Illness, earthquacks, lightening strikes etc. Clearly all his fault if he existed.
no they happen as a direct consequence of the way god made the world. He made lightening, he made earthquakes, he made cancer. He made everything or he didn't, you can't have it both ways.
The intelligent response is that even these bad things have a good reason, for example to allow others to have a virtouse response to them. That a world in which people overcome adversity has more net value than a world with neither evil nor overcomeing. In anycase, god chose to allow these things and he is at fault.

Answer 4

If God allowed everything to happen that was willed by man to do, we would have been destroyed way before now. He only allowed a very small amount to happen, because we have to learn things. If you are trying to blame a God for things, there is no one that can persuade you against it. You will always find something wrong. Anything, everything, or nothing.

Otherwise, look to the positive things, and see the wonderful things He has done and made, (despite all the blaming everyone is putting on Him and on each other. Enough to make your head spin.) Try to make your world a better place, by sweeping in front of your own door, and blooming where you are planted. That's what He made you for. To show the world how it's done.

I got to love ya.

Answer 5

An important aspect of Islam is that every human being has the free will to choose between right and wrong. God, The Giver, has honored humanity with this great gift. It comes with heavy responsibility, and on the Day of Judgment, we will be accountable for our use of this gift.

Human free will does not in any way contradict the fact that God, The Witness, knows everything that will ever occur in creation. Someone might ask, “If God knows that I am going to commit a sin tomorrow, then it is unavoidable that I do so because God’s knowledge is infallible, and what God knows will come to pass.” God’s knowledge of this person’s decision does not mean that he or she is being forced to make that decision.

Human free will does not in any way contradict God’s absolute sovereignty over everything in creation. Neither does it contradict the fact that nothing happens in creation except what God wills. Some might say, “Therefore, I have no free will. My free will is but an illusion.” On the contrary, God created within each of us the ability to formulate an intention. God wants us to be able to make our own choices. When a person makes a choice, God, by His divine will, creates the actions and circumstances that allow the person’s intention to be carried out. It is God’s will that human beings have free will. God is not always pleased with the decisions people make, but He wants them to be able to make these decisions by their own free choice. An example of this is a person’s will to do a good deed. The good deed may never be carried out, but God may reward the person for his or her intention to do a good deed. If the good deed comes to pass, God’s will allowed it to take place, and God will reward both the intention and the action. In other words, God, The Judge, may reward you for good deeds willed but not carried out; however, He does not punish people for bad intentions not acted upon.

THERE IS NO COMPULSION IN RELIGION
From this emphasis on free will, it follows that Islam can only be accepted by free choice. The purpose of human life is to worship God of one’s own free will. Therefore, matters of faith have value only if they are accepted on the basis of freedom of choice. If a person is coerced into accepting any religion, that acceptance is false and has no value. God, The Gentle, says, “There is no compulsion in religion. Truth stands out clear from error: whoever rejects evil and believes in God has grasped the most trustworthy handhold that never breaks. And God hears and knows all things.” [Qur’an 2:256]

Answer 6

There can be no such thing as free will.

As soon as the initial force, whatever you believe it to be, caused the universe to exist, the interactions of molecules and all matter were destined to occur.

Think of it this way. When you break the rack in a game of pool, the balls were going to end up the way they end up the instant you struck the cue ball.

We are the result of energy transfering outward in the universe.

Particles collide with particles... etc...

Everything we do and think, was caused by the initial force, and we were always going to do and think this way since the universe began.

Answer 7

I'd say its one of those....your take on the definition of the words being used.

He gave us free will, but he can still do whatever he wants to do. Its not that he was helpless to stop something tragic from happening. He "allowed" the things to happen by free will. But thats my definition of how "allowed" is being used. Might mean something else to someone else and then its a bad word to use.

Also, bad things might not always be so bad. I mean they are, but might serve another purpose. Best thing i can think of is i used to take martial arts....took a few bloody noses and a couple kicks to the balls to get the protect yourself concept in my head.

Answer 8

When I had a little faith I also was offended at God. I prayed: " The Lord, why you allow injustice in my life ? Now I'm trying hard to do what You want from me. You promised to help me.....". Now I understand that it is not clever occupation to blame God. It is a great sorrow that bad things happen, but God warned us. Now as always God warn people, but they continue and continue to do wrong things. He who sow wickedness reaps troubles. Christians are left nothing else, but endure all ordeals. I we continue to stand in truth we will get our reward. God is faithful. There is time yet for all to repent and to mend our ways to be saved. The choice rests on everyone.

Answer 9

So it is free will that causes some miscarriages of mothers to be who do everything they are supposed to be doing to ensure a healthy pregnancy? I'm sorry, I fail to see your logic. But according to your logic, people use their free will to have bad things happen, so why do people say that it's god's will when bad things happen? Or good things at that?

Answer 10

Remember, free will? God didn't create robots. Remember Satan? Remember the tree of the knowledge of good & evil? God does not force like a tyrant. Even the Devil does not. Since people are ignorant of Gods permissive will, they mistakenly say 'its Gods will' what a shame.. One thing God is going to do is call us to account! bet He is gon' do something when Judgement arrives

Answer 11

If God gave people free will then why do people always assume that God "allowed" [good] things to happen?

There I fixed it.

You get mad when people blame bad things on gawd but when something good happens it's all skydaddies doing.