How do Christians explain the cancer death of a 5 yo, and yet plenty of scumbags live long lives?

Question

Payton Wright died of a cancerous spine tumor before she was 6 yo. Dick Vitale is raising money for a foundation in her name.

A little girl who knew nothing but the innocent world of 5 yos gets struck down with cancer-CANCER!-and yet every day dregs and scumbags live relatively unfettered lives.

Don't get me wrong, I've done plenty of scumbag things in my life, so I'm not judging the scumbags. I'm one of them in a sense.

But is this the work of a just God? Are you kidding me?

And don't tell me "God works in mysterious ways." That's a copout.

So God has to sacrifice an innocent child as his way of getting someone to care about something like pediatric cancer?

Couldn't he just supply divine inspiration to an extremely gifted young medical student and make the student decide to make fighting pediatric cancer his life's work?

If I can figure out a better way to solve the problem than God can, then I'm forced to conclude that thing you believe in ain't a God.

But, but, according to Christian donkeyology the child was inherently born a sinner!

You're telling me a 5 yo was so in step with God that she worked out her salvation in 5 years? BWAHAAAHAAA!

Really Brian? I'm sorry for your daughter's handicap, but do you REALLY accept that it is just for God to sentence your daughter to a wheelchair because other people turned away from him?

Where is the fairness, the proportionality there?

Can a 5 yo really consciously and meaningfully turn away from God?

Answer 1

Don't expect many logical answers on this one my friend.


Most christians will harp on about sin,mankind's absence of god or satan doing it.

Good=god did it,Bad=man,lack of god or satan did it.

That kind of explains everything for them.


Edit: classic example down there with aud. - boils down to god working in mysterious ways - no thought to the unjustness of a young life being extinguished for the purpose of changing others' ways!!!

Answer 2

We live in a fallen world -- one ravaged by sin, greed, disease, and despair. None of these things were in God's original plan for us, but we brought them on ourselves. There are times when the innocent are going to fall victim to the diseases and genetic problems that go along with living in a damaged world. It's not fair, but that's how things happen. Rather than blaming God for what our own sinfulness has wrought, we need to own up to our share in overconsuming and causing disease or genetic malfunctions through pollution, radiation, etc.

God has promised that He will work all things to the good for those who love Him and are called together according to His purpose. What He *didn't* say is that it will all be done on this side of eternity. If all you see is the short term (i.e., this life), then no, things don't make sense. But from the perspective of eternity, we will understand why things happened the way that they did. God has also promised to wipe away all tears, and we will spend eternity in a place of peace and joy with Him. But until that day, there will be no easy answers or pat solutions to the problem of evil and suffering in this world.

And who's to say that God hasn't given divine inspiration to some gifted young medical student who will spend his life finding the cure for pediatric cancers? Or perhaps that student was created by God and should have been born, but a woman decided that she didn't want the "burden" of pregnancy and aborted him.

You apparently think you know more than God about how the world should be run. You aren't the first person to make that mistake. . .and that's a good big chunk of why we're in the mess that we are.

Answer 3

What would happen if as parents we never allowed our children to experience pain? To do that we'd essentially have to stay right by them throughout their life and control their every move, preventing them from experiencing any suffering.

If we did that, they would never grow and develop.

Prior to earth life, we lived with our Heavenly Father as his spirit children. He sent us away to school for a short time to experience things that would help us grow and develop. These experiences include things like diseases, natural disasters, competing truths, and people making both good and bad decisions. Earth life helps us to develop for ourselves an understanding of the principles of happiness that couldn't be gained simply from being told, regardless of the power of the one doing the telling.

This isn't just speculation on my part. Once again there are prophets of God on the earth helping us understand the answer to this and many other good questions. There are some videos at the listed web site that go into the purpose of life and other topics in more detail.

Answer 4

It sincerely breaks my heart to hear of Payton's death to cancer.

The question you've raised is a universal anguish! Every world-view, not just Christianity, must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering. Either evil categorically proves that God does not exist, as the atheist avows, or "evil is not ultimately real evil", as the pantheist claims, or evil is most coherently explained by the Christian view of God and His purpose in creation. It will not do for you, or any challenger, to just raise the question. This problem of evil and suffering is one to which we all must offer an answer, regardless of the belief system to which we subscribe.

The Christian world-view suggests that evil and suffering is better posed as a mystery than as a problem. Please hear me out before screaming "FOUL!" I am not attempting to evade a solution. Problems seek answers but mysteries demand more -- they merit explanation. This means there will need to be converging lines of argument, not just a single answer.

We are not merely observers to the reality of evil and suffering as you well know. We are involved in it beyond any mere academic discussion. A mystery is a problem that encroaches on its own data meaning that we unwittingly become the object of the question. "Getting to Mars is a problem -- Falling in Love is a mystery". Evil and suffering, like love, is not a problem. It is a mystery.

So, how does a good God allow so much suffering? Immediately we enter into a very serious dilemma. How do I respond to the intellectual side of your question without losing the emotional side of it? How do I give an answer for the reason why Payton Wright died without drowning it all in philosophy?

The question is so painful and I shudder at how theoretical philosophical answers are. No body in such pain likes to work through the intellectual side of the question because we do not see where logic and philosophy fit into the problem of pain. If you just buried Payton Wright, or you just witnessed a brutal crime firsthand, this portion of the argument may bring more anger than comfort. Who wants logic when your heart is broken? At such a time we are looking for comfort. We want something to kill the pain.

But to focus only on the result without paying due heed to the process may only temporarily kill the pain. Somewhere and at some point logic must stand on its own. Comfort will follow if the reasoning is surefooted. We must not allow the anguish of the heart to bypass the reasoning of the mind. The explanation must meet both the intellectual and the emotional demands of the question because to only answer the questions of the mind while ignoring shredded emotions is heartless and binding the emotional wounds while ignoring the struggle of the intellect seems mindless.

So this is profoundly difficult to address!!

I want to read your other responses before continuing. This will take some time so I'd rather you email me after spend some time grieving the loss of Payton.

Answer 5

I don't have an answer that will satisfy you so, instead, I'll ask you some questions.

If you are a non-believer, what does any of this matter?

What does the life of an "innocent" matter - to you or anyone else?

What does life matter?

In essence, who cares?

I would imagine that, if I wasn't a believer, it really wouldn't matter nor would I have to blame it on anyone because there would be no one for me to blame. I would believe that our lives are just accidental results of an accidental big bang and therefore senseless. Although, this would beg another question to me; why do we exist altogether and why do we have the instinct to survive? Why anything?

Here's another question, if you are a non-believer:

Why only ask the Christian's perspective? Why not ask people of other faiths?

Answer 6

You are misleading faith, you are not understanding. I am a mother and I know how terrible it must feel , it must be awful to have a child have a disease and to die from that. But u cannot blame God for all that happens in the world. Lucifer has a alot of power too. Not more than God, But he is in a constant battle wanting to be greater than Him, and he will constantly try to make us blame things on God and forget the salvation we are entitled to through Christ his son. I am a Christian and I am not gonna go and start to say this child died because he/she was a sinner, because we are ALL born sinners due to the original sin of Adam and Eve. We are simple human beings and there is no way we are going to understand some things that happen in the world or why they happen. It's a mistake and crazy to question God's will. We have to be thankful for every single thing that happens in our lives., whether goor or bad, yes easier said than done, but God's will is unquestionable at times and we may not understand that., sometimes ...some things happen to save us from others in the future. Sometimes God takes so many angels from the world., because their mission is another. We are all intended to live for a purpose and reason,, so many pple never in a lifetime discover their purpose in Life. And to me personally the existence of so many religions and cults .. can make us get out of the right path that leads to salvation, remember the world offers us so much, but only God and Christ will offer u salvation. God is not a thing like u state, God is creation, God is our father, our maker, He is a Higher Divine Power, blasfemy towards Him is punishable. Remember God is Love and He is also forgiveness, but we also have to confess to Him in order to be forgiven.

Answer 7

It cannot be entirely understood. This question is as ancient as humankind. I think Veritas spoke, beautifully. There is little I can add, but it is a mystery. God did not make the illness, but why does he allowed it? In terms of proportionality, we cannot repay immortality. This is what we all have. And so do the children who die an early death and yet they too have eternal life starting sooner then the rest of us.

But in the end, it cannot be entirely understood. In working through grief, we must find peace with God and the world. It will eat at you inside unless you can find it. Otherwise, everything will seem unfair.

Answer 8

Jesus has been a part of History ever since He was born. He may not have gotten the attention of (40) or so historians, but I can guarantee you that He has gotten the "Attention" of many, many more. After all, the Bible is the #1 seller of All time. All through the Old testament there is prophesy of Jesus Christ to be born. There is evidence that He was born, died , and resurrected from the dead.(go to Israel if you don't think so)....

Answer 9

>>>Couldn't he just supply divine inspiration to an extremely gifted young medical student and make the student decide to make fighting pediatric cancer his life's work?>>>

You mean there isn't anybody out there performing research to fight pediatric cancer? Wow, that's news to me!

There are bad things in the world. You seem to blame God for them.

There are also many good things in the world. Do you credit God for them?

I mean, if you're going to blame Him for the bad, then by logical extension you should also credit Him for the good.

But somehow, I get the feeling that your mindset regarding this is just a one-way street: you want to blame God for bad things, but you don't want to credit Him for good things.

I wonder why that is. If you care to explain, please PM me.

..

Answer 10

Death of the body is to be present with the Lord. This is what is to come for His people. Though sad for us that have loved this little girl and miss her. We have to remember for all of us this body will pass. No one is guaranteed an hour or a year. Don't put so much stock in this life but in the next. For Christians, yes it's a time to rejoice, the will be no more pain and she is with her Father.

Also, all will be judged accordingly. I don't attempt to say that her physical death was some sort of plan, but would 1 year, 1 decade, or 1 century make it less sad? Would she have been less missed by loved ones?

Answer 11

The child died a child of God. Jesus himself said:


Matthew 19:14 But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.


You look at the child’s death in the human form only, the spirit lives on. The pain and the lessons to be learned are for the one’s left behind.


NO ..WE DO NOT INHERIT THE SINS OF OUR FATHERS…
Ezekiel 18 …THE LORD SAID:

1 The word of the LORD came unto me again, saying, 2 What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge? 3 As I live, saith the Lord GOD, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.

4Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.
(THIS IS SPEAKING OF THE SECOND DEATH)

FIRST DEATH: DEATH OF THE BODY
SECOND DEATH: DEATH OF THE SPIRIT (SINNERS) These sinners are those who never accepted the Lord. They will have their part in the Lake of Fire...children of disobedience.

All souls are mine…no more shall you use this proverb…all souls are mine…saith the Lord.

The fact that people still use the sin…of the fathers…? I don’t know why. We sin because we are human of the flesh…in the world…Only Jesus was perfect…

Children are seen to God as perfect…they are special…Jesus used them to teach adults lessons. He said…they are like the Kingdom of God. And I believe the Lord still uses children to teach us lessons every day…I can’t say that God sent cancer to this child, but I can say the spirit is with God. Cancer is of the flesh, not of the spirit…we live in the world, and the flesh is corruptible.

My condolences.

God bless you,

Faith