Why does God allow good people to suffer? All my life I've asked myself why God allows war, suffering, and pain. I know Jesus suffered more than any other person
ever has or ever will. But for over three years now, I've watched a dear, dear Christain, unspeakably suffer. And the people that did this to her, she did nothing but bless them. I love God. I love people. I'd like to know how the rest of you deal with such questions.
Why does God allow good people to suffer? Why does He
allow child abuse, the mistreatment of babies, illness and pain. He came into the world to bless the world, that we may have life abundant. Why doesn't everybody fit under that canopy?

Jabber, that is a question that I always wished I had an answer to.

The only answer I can come up with is that maybe God isn’t all mighty. Maybe we have humanized God too much, therefore as humans we can’t understand how suffering is allowed. I believe God is a force in nature that is beyond our comprehension. I think he set a stone rolling…but doesn’t have the power or interest, ( I’m humanizing him now too), to tell the stone where to land.

I do believe in God, because I just can’t believe that all this is just an accident. I do pray, because it makes me feel good. But I’m not sure if those prayers are heard; because if they were…then as you asked Jabber, why wouldn’t this almighty God do something about it.

I’m so sorry to hear about your dear friend suffering. And being a good Christian doesn’t make her exempt of suffering. Just think if it did…wow…we would all be living in churches.

Anne327 & Ed2...
Both of your answers are really, really good. I've pondered this question all my life. I even have a cousin who's 5 years older than me, and pondering this very issue kept her from attending church. Cous had a little
3-year-old sister die from an agonizing disorder. Since then, cuz struggled just to hang on to her sanity. My "friend-in-a-mess" was a churchgoer, active in the both secular and religious community. The lady visited those in nursing homes; cooked meals for citizens' with cancer, etc. I mean, the woman helped a half dozen women fighting depression. She led many back to a relationship with the Almighty. And I don't get it. I research the topic on google. One person finally concluded, "I don't know the answer 2 such a quandary!" That's my answer too. "I don't know." But I admire members on this site and wondered how they justified such unjustice. I think we humans don't have the mental capacity to understand what God is doing. And perhaps it's just as well! Thanks for responding to this. I've been fighting with God for over three years now. If I ever get an answer, I'll surely share it with you gals!
Prayers and blessings,

Oh Jabber, such a great question and I'm right there with you...I've asked that question for years and years and never gotten an answer that seemed to soothe the questioning. Many years ago, I read "When Bad Things Happen to Good People" and my recollection is that something in that book helped me start moving in a new direction. Not, mind you, that it takes away the pain of seeing someone else suffer or feeling things are unfair and unjust. Just that it helped me start seeing life in different ways.

The most recent questioning came after seeing "The Kite Flyers". Have you seen it? The unfairness of so many things had me questioning again and again. And I had another of my "crisis of faith" moments (I spent over 10 years saying "God sucks and there isn't one" and lumping all churchgoers into a rather nasty bucket after my dad used Biblical principles to formally shun me).

To say I have an eclectic belief system is probably an understatement (for example, my belief in past lives). I've been studying Law of Attraction principles, Law of Duality principles and various other spiritual principles for quite some time (about 15 years or so), and this movie really had me questioning, again. I was in tears, sobbing actually, by the time the movie was done. And, because I believe in past lives, I talked to one of my mentors who does too. She reminded me that we don't know what another's path is...what they are here to learn or do or achieve or how they are to do what they came here to do.

I've heard many different teachers and mentors discuss the "value" of suffering and I wonder...why is it that it is that suffering is supposed to be such a great teacher. I remember when my second husband (a Zen Buddhist) said that is one of the Buddhist principles...life is suffering and the more we focus on why it "shouldn't" be, the more the suffering. Hum, I wonder?

Which leads me to the conclusion...we simply don't know the "why" (which drives me bonkers by the way), and it is our job, in my opinion, to support and question and be full of kindness and live in the most loving way we can. To work with the gifts we have and put them to the best use possible! To find the Light within in each being and honor that light, while not condoning inappropriate...or downright bad...behavior at the same time. Crud, the paradoxes of life raise their heads again. Can't it ever be "simple"! The good get the good stuff, the bad get the bad stuff, the punishment? EEK, guess my judgmental side is popping out, eh?

And if you do get an answer, I, for one, would most certainly appreciate it! Maybe then I would quit bugging the bejeebers out of people by asking "why".

Mama Red, Can you remember what it was that helped you move in a new direction?

I wish I did sweetie...and I don't remember the specifics. I *do* remember it opened my eyes to a new way of thinking...I don't remember now if it was that book, or something later, that helped me start focusing on the gifts in situations and working to clear my judgment about what *should* or *shouldn't* be happening based on my own knowledge, realizing I didn't know the big picture for myself, let alone others.

Anne

I am right there with you. In fact, that is one of the points of disagreement between my amazing mom and me. She believes the Bible is the inspired word of God, as written by humans. I remind her that she and I have disagreements about how things happened and we, supposedly, speak the same language (American English)! How much more difficult when you add translations, political agendas and human frailties and opinions into the mix!

Anne, very eloquently put. And I agree with you. I also think the more we try to find an answer, the more confusing it is.

So, I just let it be. Let life happen. I didn't ask to be born, nor will I be asked when I shall die. And in the middle; just make the best of it. Try to be good, do no harm to others, and smell those flowers along the way.

AMEN TO THAT, Edelweiss!!!

Amen Edelweiss! Well said!