A question on freewill, God's ability to intervene and bad events

[Kouyate42]

This comes after a YT video I’ve seen which posed something like the following question.

The video posed a hypothetical situation where a woman and her son was being mugged and attacked. God saw this and did nothing.

Now it is a fact that among HIs powers, God is omnipotent, and so can intervene where He chooses to do so.

Now the video made the argument of free will, where the muggers in the hypothetical situation were, of their own free choice, able to choose their own decisions and so chose to attack the woman and son.
But he then asks why such events, when allowed to happen, are seemingly pointless and lead to no good for either person. I often heard it argued that bad events which happen to people serve to make them stronger, but this seems to be wrong in that things like rape, mugging and murder do not serve any positive purpose for the person they happen to.
He also makes the argument that where such people as murderers are allowed to continue their actions without any seeming consequence, it seems that God is siding with the evil actions as He seems to place the freewill of the mugger/attacker/murderer above the life of the victim, which is often ruined by such an event.

Smilarly, people claim that God intervenes in minor events such as finding lost items.

How do I answer such a problem? Why does there appear to be a huge imbalance between God’s intervention in serious events and those minor miracles which seem completely irrelevant?

 

[Polycarp1]

This comes after a YT video I’ve seen which posed something like the following question.

The video posed a hypothetical situation where a woman and her son was being mugged and attacked. God saw this and did nothing.

Now it is a fact that among HIs powers, God is omnipotent, and so can intervene where He chooses to do so.

Now the video made the argument of free will, where the muggers in the hypothetical situation were, of their own free choice, able to choose their own decisions and so chose to attack the woman and son.
But he then asks why such events, when allowed to happen, are seemingly pointless and lead to no good for either person. I often heard it argued that bad events which happen to people serve to make them stronger, but this seems to be wrong in that things like rape, mugging and murder do not serve any positive purpose for the person they happen to.
He also makes the argument that where such people as murderers are allowed to continue their actions without any seeming consequence, it seems that God is siding with the evil actions as He seems to place the freewill of the mugger/attacker/murderer above the life of the victim, which is often ruined by such an event.

Smilarly, people claim that God intervenes in minor events such as finding lost items.

How do I answer such a problem? Why does there appear to be a huge imbalance between God’s intervention in serious events and those minor miracles which seem completely irrelevant?

God has His positive will and His permissive will. In order for us to have freewill we have to be able to choose between, love and hate, good and evil. As He created us in His own image an instinct for good is instilled or inherent in us. (His precepts were written on our hearts so to speak) We can reject this and do when we sin. We can rationalize it away.

About God’s permissive and positive will; for example a man decides that he is going to stab someone and steal their wallet. God in his permissive will allows this to happen as the man is using his freewill in deciding to sin. At the same time God using His positive will may determine who the victim will be selecting a person He knows won’t be damned to Hell if he or she dies at this time.

When we ask how can God let that terrible thing happen, we are usually looking at things from our own limited point of view and our own limited sense of what we want justice to be. We don’t often see things through the eyes of God. When we do it’s called Wisdom.

When we choose evil we cut ourselves off, individually or collectively, from God’s grace. When we cut ourselves off from God’s grace bad things can and will happen again individually or collectively. It’s our choice. Only repentance and prayer can restore our life of grace from God. Collectively we benefit from the good that others do but also suffer for the evil that others do. We are mankind and will answer to God together and individually.

 

[PJM]

=Kouyate42;9114723]This comes after a YT video I’ve seen which posed something like the following question.

The video posed a hypothetical situation where a woman and her son was being mugged and attacked. God saw this and did nothing.

Now it is a fact that among HIs powers, God is omnipotent, and so can intervene where He chooses to do so.

Now the video made the argument of free will, where the muggers in the hypothetical situation were, of their own free choice, able to choose their own decisions and so chose to attack the woman and son.
But he then asks why such events, when allowed to happen, are seemingly pointless and lead to no good for either person. I often heard it argued that bad events which happen to people serve to make them stronger, but this seems to be wrong in that things like rape, mugging and murder do not serve any positive purpose for the person they happen to.
He also makes the argument that where such people as murderers are allowed to continue their actions without any seeming consequence, it seems that God is siding with the evil actions as He seems to place the freewill of the mugger/attacker/murderer above the life of the victim, which is often ruined by such an event.

Smilarly, people claim that God intervenes in minor events such as finding lost items.

How do I answer such a problem? Why does there appear to be a huge imbalance between God’s intervention in serious events and those minor miracles which seem completely irrelevant?

Yes BUT…

The answer is here:thumbsup:

Isa.43 Verses 7and 21: “every one who is called by my name, whom I **created for my glory, **whom I formed and made." AND the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.”

Isa. 55: 6-11"Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.*** For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.*** “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and return not thither but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it.”

Amen,

Pat

 

[Leegal]

Fr. Barron references the Book of Job in his answer why a personal God allows evil.

He never causes the evil. He cannot cause evil. Evil is a lack of good.

He permits evil to bring about the greater good, free will. People use their free will for bad or for good. God wants us to have free will because He wants us to choose Him by our free will. For free will to exist, one has to either choose to do good or do bad.

He sums it up that we with our finite knowledge can understand the ultimate consequences are. We think in finite terms — simply good or simply evil. But we cannot know what comes about because of God’s providence.

Fr. Barron