How can we say God "cares" with all the horror in the world?

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Like, rape, the Holocaust, murder, Rwanda, starvation, etc.
If God “cared,” wouldn’t these things not happen to the creatures he loves?
 
Couldn’t one equally substitute “we” for “God” in your question? Why is it all down to God? One saint, I can’t remember exactly which one now, said something about us being the hands, feet and voice of Christ in the world. We can choose - as we have been given free will - to work for Christ in doing good in the world, or we can choose not to do anything for the good of the world.

The fact is, taking starvation for an example, that there is plenty of food in the world. More than enough for six billion people. But in the affluent Western World it’s easy to fill up our shopping baskets with food even though much of it will end up in the bin because we can.

Mankind needs to take responsibility for its own actions, and quit blaming God just because it’s the easier thing to do.
 
There are many many things that happen in this world, that are horrible, & man has no control over, like tsunamis, earthquakes, typhoons etc that wipe out thousands of people at a time, some time one catastrophy is not even over & another one hits them. Sometimes we do question these things, & I think its ok to question them. Many people say , God could outstretch his hand & stop these things but he doesnt, I have heard that said many times. We do not know why God allows these things to happen
 
How can we say God “cares” with all the horror in the world?



How can we say He doesn’t?

– Mark L. Chance.
 
Our finite minds cannot comprehend the whole picture. We are utterly unable to reconcile the evil of a child who is repeatedly raped & tortured and a God who “cares”. Our faith teaches us to believe that God sees everything and somehow justice will be fully served… and also the afterlife with Him in heaven will never end, is perfectly blissful and, here’s the key, the love and pure joy we will be encompassed in will be experienced (by that poor child) as infinitely more powerful than the horrors they endured in this life.
 
Every generation in every era has had to suffer. Even Christ suffered and He cried tears of blood asking that God let this cup pass. I have no idea why other than we are subject to our own free will and the free will of others.

But prayers are answered. Penicillin was discovered just before WWII. Think how many lives were saved because of it. Fifty years ago, kids got polio, scarlet fever, mumps, chicken pox, measles, TB. You don’t even hear about these diseases now. Cancer patients live longer and some are cured. You must look at the positive.

If you are looking for true peace, IMO it will not happen until Christ comes again. Man is not capable of true peace. But we must strive for it and keep it and fight for it. That’s our plight.
 
to suffer is not evil, to cause suffering is…so lets think about this,

Jesus suffered and died for our sins, we are the ones who made Him suffer and we are the ones who’s sins He took on…so who is the evil doer and who is the one who loved and cared enough about us to suffer and die so we could be with Him in eternal life, even though we don’t deserve it in the least?
God does care and does love us, we are the screw ups…we hurt Him daily, and yet He is patient with us and forgives us, but how do we deserve that kind of mercy? we don’t…we deserve hell, you should be grateful you are alive now, you still have time…there are so many in hell, and chances are there are alot down there who could have been saved if they didn’t spend their time worrying about the things they didn’t fully understand…
God gives us the answers we are looking for, as long as we look for them with an honest and humble heart, but if you decide right off the bat that God doesn’t care just because you don’t understand why He allows suffering in the world, then your not gunna find your answer, because you mind is already made up…
your lack of understanding doesn’t mean He doesn’t care, it just means you don’t understand, and you need to pray for Him to give you the answers…

so, if you are interested, here are some books that explain alot about suffering…our suffering, and Gods, and His love for us…
tanbooks.com/index.php/page/shop:flypage/product_id/17
tanbooks.com/index.php/page/shop:flypage/product_id/536
tanbooks.com/index.php/page/shop:flypage/product_id/256

as far as i can see, it’s not a lack of God caring, it’s a lack of our caring, a lack of charity, brotherly love, patience, kindness…it seems most people are more worried about football and food and all kinds of entertainments, then to be charitable and help out those in need…there are more then enough people who are able to make a difference…they just choose not to…that’s why we suffer…we need more compassion…there’s so much suffering…and so little compassion from eachother,
God does care, He gave us everything we need to be good, we have access to as many graces as we need, and we have so much knowledge and help with our virtues…but we have to do it ourselves, God won’t force us…even if someone puts the right book in your face, you have to be the one to read it, otherwise it’s useless,
it’s the same with Gods help, He’ll help us whenever we ask, but we need to accept His help, even if it’s not the kind of help we expected, God knows best, and we have to trust that He knows what He is doing.

if you’re worried about all the suffering in the world, then maybe that is God calling you to help the world in it’s sufferings,
maybe God put an inspiration in you to be charitable to those who suffer, and then the devil took advantage of your lack of understanding and put the thought in your head that God just doesn’t care, so instead of your concerns being of love, they turned into hate…

well…whatever the case, i say if you are worried about it, then do something about it, whether it’s by actually getting out there and helping people physically, or just by praying…because blaming God really doesn’t help matters at all…i mean like, you could blame monkeys for all the suffering in the world to, but that wouldn’t stop the suffering now would it…

ok i guess that’s all…hope this has helped you e_e
 
GodsTheBest said:
Like, rape, the Holocaust, murder, Rwanda, starvation, etc.
If God “cared,” wouldn’t these things not happen to the creatures he loves?
Click to expand...
man’s inhumanity to man. Such things are the result of unChristian and selfish choices, sinning against others, by people who in doing so, reject God’s love and law of love.
 
Setting the stage regarding the incomprehensible mystery of the Creator, and with the next post, some thoughts on suffering.
**

Holy God, we do not grasp how awesome and incomprehensible are Your truths. We mistake our conceptions regarding You as the essence of the reality that they fail to encapsulate. Human Reason cannot make sense of God becoming subject to obedience, humility, selflessness and suffering, in love for His creatures! Thus, while we seek You, we are required to trust as little children.

We can only suspect a flicker of the magnitude of this God through His Creation of a stunningly vast universe containing massive expanding galaxies in an immensity of space. Yet, God of such greatness, You also create the fragile intricacy of tiny insects and the worlds of microscopic lifeforms in their intrinsic perfection! Holy God, open our minds and hearts to the supreme greatness and the sublime mystery of Your works!

From our tiny planet, so important to us but insignificant amongst the countless orbits of the universe, we dare to say ‘our God’ and ‘our Father’ in contemplating the Creator of all these marvels and capable of unknown wonders inconceivable to us. Perhaps the greatest wonder, however, is the love and mercy You show to Your human creatures on this planet, Earth!

All things are held in being in continuous creation within You. Yet, to our knowledge, only human creatures dare to sin. You require of us a life of charity and justice, of prayer and self-denial, of trust and faithfulness during our earthly existence—in promise of everlasting union with the everlasting I AM WHO AM, which is Yourself. Slow to trust, we are reluctant to accept sacred Your dream and plan for us as individuals and as community. The choice to reject or accept is ours.

The Angels, whom You created before us, also faced a choice to love and honour God or to serve themselves. Two-thirds obeyed God and now dwell with You in glory and delight. To the rebellious remainder, punishment was swift. Doubtless, You gave these glorious creatures generous opportunity to fulfil their radiant destiny!

Yet many people habitually accept Your revelations and promises with spasmodic attention or with vague complacency. Before so great a God, the purest human zeal and the highest knowledge and goodness are as nothing.

How intense should be our gratitude before the wonder of our relation to You. How great our repentance should be before the arrogance of neglecting our Creator’s laws and astonishing mercy! Holy God please lead us through awareness, repentance and rebirth into continuing spontaneity of response to Your creative love!
 
there isn’t much happening today that didn’t happen 4,000 years ago. 4,000 years ago they didn’t have the internet to report all the minute details. Murder, pilliging and plundering were common, as well as storms and disease. There’s just 6 Billion of us know all interconnected. Man caused most of the damage then and still does today. Nature causes the rest. Believing in God doesn’t mean you have a bubble protecting you from harm. If there wasn’t anything bad here, what would Heaven mean to us???

I wish by believing we had that magic bubble but it isn’t so. But by believing and honoring God today you will have everlasting life. So when the measly 75 years is up on earth you get to spend the rest of eternity with God in Paradise. Not a bad deal when you think about it. You have free will so you can decide. It’s all up to you. I took the time to type this because I also need to reinforce all the good waiting for me/us if we do the right things here. I also hate bad things and evil and would love for God to make it not happen but it just doesn’t work like that. Take care.
 
Setting the stage regarding the incomprehensible mystery of the Creator, and with the next post, some thoughts on suffering.

Holy God, we do not grasp how awesome and incomprehensible are Your truths. We mistake our conceptions regarding You as the essence of the reality that they fail to encapsulate. Human Reason cannot make sense of God becoming subject to obedience, humility, selflessness and suffering, in love for His creatures! Thus, while we seek You, we are required to trust as little children.

We can only suspect a flicker of the magnitude of this God through His Creation of a stunningly vast universe containing massive expanding galaxies in an immensity of space. Yet, God of such greatness, You also create the fragile intricacy of tiny insects and the worlds of microscopic lifeforms in their intrinsic perfection! Holy God, open our minds and hearts to the supreme greatness and the sublime mystery of Your works!

From our tiny planet, so important to us but insignificant amongst the countless orbits of the universe, we dare to say ‘our God’ and ‘our Father’ in contemplating the Creator of all these marvels and capable of unknown wonders inconceivable to us. Perhaps the greatest wonder, however, is the love and mercy You show to Your human creatures on this planet, Earth!

All things are held in being in continuous creation within You. Yet, to our knowledge, only human creatures dare to sin. You require of us a life of charity and justice, of prayer and self-denial, of trust and faithfulness during our earthly existence—in promise of everlasting union with the everlasting I AM WHO AM, which is Yourself. Slow to trust, we are reluctant to accept sacred Your dream and plan for us as individuals and as community. The choice to reject or accept is ours.

The Angels, whom You created before us, also faced a choice to love and honour God or to serve themselves. Two-thirds obeyed God and now dwell with You in glory and delight. To the rebellious remainder, punishment was swift. Doubtless, You gave these glorious creatures generous opportunity to fulfil their radiant destiny!

Yet many people habitually accept Your revelations and promises with spasmodic attention or with vague complacency. Before so great a God, the purest human zeal and the highest knowledge and goodness are as nothing.

How intense should be our gratitude before the wonder of our relation to You. How great our repentance should be before the arrogance of neglecting our Creator’s laws and astonishing mercy! Holy God please lead us through awareness, repentance and rebirth into continuing spontaneity of response to Your creative love!
 
continued to include thoughts on suffering.

So that we in our unworthiness may be saved and made whole, through Your mercy the seeming-impossible occurs. The eternal Son of God enters the limitations of created time and matter. He assumes fully our humanity, while also retaining His infinite divinity. With His humble, obedient life as human being, He bridges the immeasurably vast difference between God and creature for all humankind!

In our disobedience and ingratitude, our God, You have not destroyed us, but have become for us—a defenceless infant…a humble labourer…a man murdered by Your chosen people. You have become for all time, food to be assimilated into the functions of the human body and soul of mere creatures, devout and lukewarm alike. You have become bread to be tabernacled in centuries of neglect before multitudes of unbelievers and of apathetic followers…cherished only by Your true friends. Yet even these have not lived without offence against You, excepting one pure woman, chosen as Mother—for the Son did not enter our nature in resplendence as a magnificent adult. Rather, the Father humbly, through an Angel, sought permission of the sinless young virgin to accept Him as a helpless embryo!

What is this humility, this faith, this patience, this obedience, this compassion that You show us, infinite God! We are proud, stubborn, untrusting and wayward, yet Your mercy remains open to endless human insult, for within time it is always subject to our personal acceptance or rejection.

Repeatedly, You reiterate Your love and mercy in our hearts and through other persons. You reiterate them through Scripture and ministry of the Church, source of grace, sacrament and wisdom established by the Son to fulfil His promise to remain always with us.

Our God, who are You who so loves His ungrateful, ignorant, unworthy creatures! Behold the humility of eternal, infinite God, to love and desire us who are enmeshed in egoism that alienates us from each other and You! We begin to suspect the smallness of our vision, the confusion of our understanding, and the flawed nature of our enthroned Reason, with its inability to cope with these unfathomable, paradoxical truths.

Should we, in contemplating such things, wonder at human suffering! We begin to appreciate Jesus’ warning that unless one becomes as a little child one cannot enter God. We also begin to understand some of the causes of difficulties within our human condition, of the conflicts and miseries of our world, and of the corruption of our society in social and personal injustice and discord.

We may regret or resent these global difficulties and evils, and our personal sufferings. We seek to evade them and to avoid discipline of our sensuality and materialism that bind us from the Spirit of God in our lives. We cling to our bonds although we are created for the freedom of eternal union with You our almighty Creator, despite the redeeming anguish, love, humility and submission of God incarnate in His forging of our bridge to You.

Yet should we not welcome that where You permit, we are tested in faith, labour and suffering to loosen excessive attachment to our limited mortal existence! Our need of You is often diverted into search for material satisfaction that increases our frustration and confirms our failure to love others and You truly.

When we choose against God, we curtail the working of Your grace in our lives. This choice draws disaster upon us in the form of injustice, intolerance, loneliness, immorality and war. If we then resent and blame You, we mock ourselves, because You owe us nothing, but offer all. Should it surprise us that sin brings retribution? Should we wonder why we endure natural disasters, when we betray the Creator of all things?

We are often aggrieved at the suffering of innocents, but answer lies in the racked body of the sinless Saviour. Jesus hangs dying in grief and pain to expiate the offences of all human persons for our eternal salvation. Through Jesus, lead us into childlike faith and cheerful daily acceptance of our vocations with their satisfactions and their difficulties. Give us the spirit of the child whom You wish each to be as we say, “Here I am. Your will be done in and through me. Through Your Son, lead me beyond myself, beyond all created things, into Your infinite, loving self, in union with the communion of saints.”

Our God, as the consecrated bread is the infinite Son of God, yet is brittle, mutable wafer, so let me be one in You despite my frailty and unworthiness. Great God, Creator of all things, thank You for Your gifts of creation and existence, and for the mercy that restores Creation and eternal blessedness to Your difficult human creatures.
 
GodsTheBest said:
Like, rape, the Holocaust, murder, Rwanda, starvation, etc.
If God “cared,” wouldn’t these things not happen to the creatures he loves?
Click to expand...
You could say the same thing about your own sins/failings, doesnt God care when you sin/fail & hurt others? But you would object… "Oh but if God prevented me then I wouldnt be free…"And this is the key point… God does care…so much so that he allows you to FREELY choose him. He did not make you a robot, he made you a human being. Some people chose to follow Him, others do not ( & hence commit some of the terrible things you listed)Give the gift of yourself back to God & He will work wonders with you (including standing up against injustices such as that which you listed above)Peace,Zachary
 
We are living in a fallen world. It was not like that in the beginning if not for the sin of our fore-parents.

Now as we live we look forwards to be reconciled and be with God again after we pass from this world. We look at life in this world as temporary and our real home is in heaven. But it is a choice that we all have to make.

So you see, God is not only a loving God but he is also caring - for our eternal life.

God bless.
 
GodsTheBest said:
Like, rape, the Holocaust, murder, Rwanda, starvation, etc.
If God “cared,” wouldn’t these things not happen to the creatures he loves?
Click to expand...
I recommend the following books:

Arise From Darkness by Father Benedict Groschel

Making Sense Out Of Suffering by Peter Kreeft

Why Does God Permit Evil by Dom Bruno Webb
 
EmeraldWings said:
to suffer is not evil, to cause suffering is…so lets think about this,

Jesus suffered and died for our sins, we are the ones who made Him suffer and we are the ones who’s sins He took on…so who is the evil doer and who is the one who loved and cared enough about us to suffer and die so we could be with Him in eternal life, even though we don’t deserve it in the least?
God does care and does love us, we are the screw ups…we hurt Him daily, and yet He is patient with us and forgives us, but how do we deserve that kind of mercy? we don’t…we deserve hell, you should be grateful you are alive now, you still have time…there are so many in hell, and chances are there are alot down there who could have been saved if they didn’t spend their time worrying about the things they didn’t fully understand…
God gives us the answers we are looking for, as long as we look for them with an honest and humble heart, but if you decide right off the bat that God doesn’t care just because you don’t understand why He allows suffering in the world, then your not gunna find your answer, because you mind is already made up…
your lack of understanding doesn’t mean He doesn’t care, it just means you don’t understand, and you need to pray for Him to give you the answers…

so, if you are interested, here are some books that explain alot about suffering…our suffering, and Gods, and His love for us…
tanbooks.com/index.php/page/shop:flypage/product_id/17
tanbooks.com/index.php/page/shop:flypage/product_id/536
tanbooks.com/index.php/page/shop:flypage/product_id/256

as far as i can see, it’s not a lack of God caring, it’s a lack of our caring, a lack of charity, brotherly love, patience, kindness…it seems most people are more worried about football and food and all kinds of entertainments, then to be charitable and help out those in need…there are more then enough people who are able to make a difference…they just choose not to…that’s why we suffer…we need more compassion…there’s so much suffering…and so little compassion from eachother,
God does care, He gave us everything we need to be good, we have access to as many graces as we need, and we have so much knowledge and help with our virtues…but we have to do it ourselves, God won’t force us…even if someone puts the right book in your face, you have to be the one to read it, otherwise it’s useless,
it’s the same with Gods help, He’ll help us whenever we ask, but we need to accept His help, even if it’s not the kind of help we expected, God knows best, and we have to trust that He knows what He is doing.

if you’re worried about all the suffering in the world, then maybe that is God calling you to help the world in it’s sufferings,
maybe God put an inspiration in you to be charitable to those who suffer, and then the devil took advantage of your lack of understanding and put the thought in your head that God just doesn’t care, so instead of your concerns being of love, they turned into hate…

well…whatever the case, i say if you are worried about it, then do something about it, whether it’s by actually getting out there and helping people physically, or just by praying…because blaming God really doesn’t help matters at all…i mean like, you could blame monkeys for all the suffering in the world to, but that wouldn’t stop the suffering now would it…

ok i guess that’s all…hope this has helped you e_e
Click to expand...
Did You ever visit a nursing home & see how a lot of people end up, some dont even know where they are at, is that their fault, I dont think so, the way most people end up, I can`t see how a loving God is gonna throw anyone into hell, a lot say , this is hell on earth here, when U take a good look around, You might believe it. No disrespect toward God, just observing
 
All the evils you mention are caused by human beings who chose to inflict suffering on others. The only way to prevent this happening is not to create us with free will but like robots incapable of love and the power to choose what to believe and how to live. Which would prefer - to be a slave or to be free?
 
All the evils you mention are caused by human beings who chose to inflict suffering on others. The only way to prevent this happening is not to create us with free will but like robots incapable of love and the power to choose what to believe and how to live. Which would you prefer - to be a comfortable slave or to be free?
 
NoWhereMan said:
Did You ever visit a nursing home & see how a lot of people end up, some dont even know where they are at, is that their fault, I dont think so, the way most people end up, I can`t see how a loving God is gonna throw anyone into hell, a lot say , this is hell on earth here, when U take a good look around, You might believe it. No disrespect toward God, just observing
Click to expand...
you act like that is their end or something, people who suffer like that, i believe, must go to heaven, because God is all fair and sees how they have been wronged, it’s not like i’m saying everyone deserves the suffering they get, everyone is different, and God takes into account all our different circumstances.
well, i really don’t really understand what you are trying to tell me…so i’m not sure what to say to you…i mean like, i’m not sure how what you’re saying has to do with my post?
 
EmeraldWings said:
you act like that is their end or something, people who suffer like that, i believe, must go to heaven, because God is all fair and sees how they have been wronged, it’s not like i’m saying everyone deserves the suffering they get, everyone is different, and God takes into account all our different circumstances.
well, i really don’t really understand what you are trying to tell me…so i’m not sure what to say to you…i mean like, i’m not sure how what you’re saying has to do with my post?
Click to expand...
Because someone in one of the post said that we cause our own problems, Not true most of the time, some people yes, others no, look at the people who end up with alzheimers, strokes etc, I doubt its their fault, I have not said this, but others have said it to me, when I talked about God, they said if there is a God , hes a horrible God, I was really shocked to hear anyone say that, I do not believe that, although there is a lot all of us do not understand.
 
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