Where is God When Bad Things Happen?

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OmniPotens

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I’ve really pondered this in my mind for many years and I think right now I need more people to help me think more into the quest and give me replies.

In the cause of my teaching some young children some life morals, I was hit with this question around April last year “where is God when bad things happen to us?” I pretended as if I didn’t understand what the question was all about and the kid continued.

At the age of about 7, her elder brother would always forcefully penetrate her and threatened to beat her up if she reported. This scenario continued until at about her 11th birthday when she could no longer bear the pains and assaults. She reported to her Father who instead of taking up the issue and dealing squarely with it, asked her to show him how he did it. Being honest in heart, she went on to show him and her Father ended up penetrating her too. Now, who was she to run to? He (her Father) went on to convince her it wasn’t a bad thing after all, it was within the family and not a hidden or external affair. She painfully had to believe in such teaching until last year during her catechism for her preparation for first holy communion. She now learnt much about the sixth commandment and how much she had sinned.

Now, imagine what trauma she was passing through telling this story. I felt her pains but the most painful thing was that “she said she was always holding on to and kissing the crucifix on the rosary she wore on her wrist, hoping HE helps her bear the pains of those penetrations.” Can you imagine what the Jesus she kissed on the crucifix was doing at that moment?

Was he asleep or not watching? Was he busy with other issues and not ready? Remember, HE while on earth said, “Leave the little children to come unto me for theirs is the kingdom of God.” What was he actually doing at that point in time? Where was HE, the great I AM at those moments? I think I have really tried a lot in convincing this poor girl who after her receiving the Holy Communion still feels the most guilty of all little children. I need more helps to solve this puzzle.
 
The first thing I will say is that our tiny human, earthly brains are completely under powered to understand the mind of God. We simply cannot know all that he knows or the vast matrix of things that happen in the world and why he does or does not do something.

My personal thought on this which is likely to be incorrect is that everyone has a bucket for pain and suffering. Some people’s buckets are larger than others, so they can handle more.

Now, perhaps she grows up to be a great advocate for abused children or her experiences somehow end up possitively affect many, many others. These things are almost impossible to understand, but I think maybe there could be some good created by the evil of others.

I’m not saying God makes bad things happen to people in order for good things to happen but like I said, my brain is far to small to understand God’s reasons. 🤷
 
Immediately!! As far as your question is concerned, there is no easy answer. I am carrying around alot of confessions myself, from Women who have had this happened. Be there and Show Real Love. This girl is scarred for life. She will never get over it, but She may yet learn to live with the what was done to her. Where was God? I will be honest. If someone can give an answer to this, then they have better insight than I. As far as I am concerned there is no answer this side of eternity for this. We can only go on, and Hope to make such a persons future as healing as we can. If your involved in this, you are in for the long haul. My prayers for her wellbeing, and strength for you to do what needs to be done. but yes. Immediatly call the police and get these scumbags off the street. I wish we had the death penalty for this crime. 😦
 
God hangs on the cross.

Jesus didn’t come to explain suffering, He didn’t come to take it away. He came to unite Himself to us in our suffering.

I have known great suffering, Jesus is there constantly, in the most incredible ways, always holding me up and allowing me to continue in love.
 
omnipotens-She now learnt much about the sixth commandment and how much she had sinned

Me-She did not sin. Evil was perpetrated on Her. Peace
 
I am hoping that the police have been notified. The law requires that in every state I have lived in.

That having been done, I would think that the child would be in a safe place now and receiving counseling. The victim of child sex abuse very often feels as if she has done something wrong. This child hasn’t. She was too young and uninformed and she was basically forced into the situation.

Bad things happen when humans make bad choices. God has given us free wills. When we choose evil over good, other people are often hurt. In my experience, God often takes the situation and works great things through it. He doesn’t will the evil, or cause it. Suffering isn’t a good thing, but it can make us stronger and affect the way we think and act. Through it, we can learn to make good choices, have compassion for others, and many other things.
👍
I guess it was summed up in the earlier statement that we aren’t capable of understanding God’s reasons, but a God who is all good and all-loving doesn’t will that evil exists. Humans just use God’s gift of free will to choose evil sometimes.
 
Heartbreaking 😦
(friendly advice you might want to include a warning in the subject as a post such as this can be triggering to some w trauma history)

I do hope she found help when she confessed this thinking she sinned and assurance she was sinned agaiant !!!
 
Loveandfaith said:
Heartbreaking 😦
(friendly advice you might want to include a warning in the subject as a post such as this can be triggering to some w trauma history)

I do hope she found help when she confessed this thinking she sinned and assurance she was sinned agaiant !!!
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100% agreed. :signofcross:
 
Thanks for all the replies here so far. I really appreciate them.

There were some things from some replies that caught my attention I think those still got me and my poor little Amanda more confused although I never did show I was but I guess she noticed I was struggling most time to come up with some answers to her questions.
Bad things happen when humans make bad choices. God has given us free wills. When we choose evil over good, other people are often hurt. In my experience, God often takes the situation and works great things through it. He doesn’t will the evil, or cause it. Suffering isn’t a good thing, but it can make us stronger and affect the way we think and act. Through it, we can learn to make good choices, have compassion for others, and many other things.
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@Hecares With you first sentence above on quotes, do you mean that God gave us free wills so he doesn’t care at what we do with those free wills so bad things then happen? Do I call it that God’s powers are unlimited with reference to the wills he gave us so he has no say or control over our wills? Well, may be it is true because when the evil spirits asked to get into the swine he granted that. Another too was when one of the thieves crucified with him asked to be with him in paradise, he granted too. Those wills he couldn’t say NO to, not even the wedding feast at Canaan when he turned water into wine at the request of his Mother even when he wasn’t ready for it. Hmm… our wills — are they God’s weakness?

I agree with you again that God doesn’t will the evil or cause it but where is HE when they happen? Can’t he stop them or… if I ask more deeply, where was he when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit? I guess that still depicts something so strange in the wisdom of man but then a bigger question. Is God really all powerful and all knowing at all times? Does HE make mistakes? If HE is all knowing then he will know what pains, anguish and confusions certain actions we take or others take on earth can cause us or lead to. Loss of faith, trust, hope, even can cause us stray through the wrong paths when we don’t seem to get the right answers we require.

I’m still loss here, WHERE IS GOD WHEN SUCH EVIL THINGS LIKE THESE HAPPEN?
 
OmniPotens said:
Thanks for all the replies here so far. I really appreciate them.

There were some things from some replies that caught my attention I think those still got me and my poor little Amanda more confused although I never did show I was but I guess she noticed I was struggling most time to come up with some answers to her questions.

@Hecares With you first sentence above on quotes, do you mean that God gave us free wills so he doesn’t care at what we do with those free wills so bad things then happen? Do I call it that God’s powers are unlimited with reference to the wills he gave us so he has no say or control over our wills? Well, may be it is true because when the evil spirits asked to get into the swine he granted that. Another too was when one of the thieves crucified with him asked to be with him in paradise, he granted too. Those wills he couldn’t say NO to, not even the wedding feast at Canaan when he turned water into wine at the request of his Mother even when he wasn’t ready for it. Hmm… our wills — are they God’s weakness?

I agree with you again that God doesn’t will the evil or cause it but where is HE when they happen? Can’t he stop them or… if I ask more deeply, where was he when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit? I guess that still depicts something so strange in the wisdom of man but then a bigger question. Is God really all powerful and all knowing at all times? Does HE make mistakes? If HE is all knowing then he will know what pains, anguish and confusions certain actions we take or others take on earth can cause us or lead to. Loss of faith, trust, hope, even can cause us stray through the wrong paths when we don’t seem to get the right answers we require.

I’m still loss here, WHERE IS GOD WHEN SUCH EVIL THINGS LIKE THESE HAPPEN?
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He is with us, every step of the way.
Ps.34:17 When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.
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This does not mean we will not have troubles. It means we can stay near Him and endure the troubles without giving up our trust in Him.
 
I agree that God gave us free wills and does not always intervine when someone freely chooses to due evil things.

To be frank, you can keep asking why but I doubt that you can ever come to an answer that will satisfy you. There is nothing anyone can say that will make sense to us when talking about something as terrible as this. Again, God knows all and He has reasons for allowing such evil to happen but we as humans are not capable of understanding God fully.

This is why discussions like this often lead to nowhere and some times end with alienating those close to the situation. These things are just beyond us to understand and I think we have to come to peace with the fact that there are just some things we’ll never understand.

One thing we know is that God is loving. “So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Cor 13:13.

Understand that God loves everyone. Perhaps God was giving this evil person a chance to turn around. Believe it or not, God loves him as well even if he has to punish him in the afterlife.

"But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. "

Matthew 5:45

It’s sort of like when one of your kids does something mean one of your other kids, as a parent do you stop loving the one who did that harm?

I know this doesn’t help you underderstand but this is the best I can come with. 🤷
 
OmniPotens said:
Thanks for all the replies here so far. I really appreciate them.

There were some things from some replies that caught my attention I think those still got me and my poor little Amanda more confused although I never did show I was but I guess she noticed I was struggling most time to come up with some answers to her questions.

@Hecares With you first sentence above on quotes, do you mean that God gave us free wills so he doesn’t care at what we do with those free wills so bad things then happen? Do I call it that God’s powers are unlimited with reference to the wills he gave us so he has no say or control over our wills? Well, may be it is true because when the evil spirits asked to get into the swine he granted that. Another too was when one of the thieves crucified with him asked to be with him in paradise, he granted too. Those wills he couldn’t say NO to, not even the wedding feast at Canaan when he turned water into wine at the request of his Mother even when he wasn’t ready for it. Hmm… our wills — are they God’s weakness?

I agree with you again that God doesn’t will the evil or cause it but where is HE when they happen? Can’t he stop them or… if I ask more deeply, where was he when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit? I guess that still depicts something so strange in the wisdom of man but then a bigger question. Is God really all powerful and all knowing at all times? Does HE make mistakes? If HE is all knowing then he will know what pains, anguish and confusions certain actions we take or others take on earth can cause us or lead to. Loss of faith, trust, hope, even can cause us stray through the wrong paths when we don’t seem to get the right answers we require.

I’m still loss here, WHERE IS GOD WHEN SUCH EVIL THINGS LIKE THESE HAPPEN?
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You should really try getting a hold of a book called The Shack, by WM. Paul Young, an incredible story that really touched me. I think it will answer your question.
 
Thanks again for the replies.

My search for a better answer to my question still continues. I’ll search and read The Shack as recommended by @TimeisnearJEN to see how it helps.

More responses are still appreciated as to Where is God When Bad Things Happen?
 
I am sorry for the pain you are feeling. The only other thing I can think of to say is that I will pray that God will help you through your struggle with this situation. If you can, talk to God about this and listen to Him. I pray that He will bring you peace. God bless you.
 
My biggest question aside from the spiritual ramifications, is Have You Informed The Police? Maybe I missed it. You certainly seem to be looking at this in a fairly clinical way. Is this just an intellectual exercise on your part? First call the Police then feel free to seek answers. I personally do not think there are any. There is no good reason in Time or Eternity for a crime such as this to take place. Why place this at Gods feet? Why not blame the evil heart of man, and the Devil? :mad:
 
benidict said:
My biggest question aside from the spiritual ramifications, is Have You Informed The Police? Maybe I missed it. You certainly seem to be looking at this in a fairly clinical way. Is this just an intellectual exercise on your part? First call the Police then feel free to seek answers. I personally do not think there are any. There is no good reason in Time or Eternity for a crime such as this to take place. Why place this at Gods feet? Why not blame the evil heart of man, and the Devil? :mad:
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But who created man and in who’s image and likeness? Was Jesus Christ truly in the full form of man or were there some extras added to him to make him different so as not to be contaminated by the evil ways of the common man?

I cannot call in the Police at this point because I will be bitting more than I can actually chew. Dialoging and prayers have really been helping get things in proper state but lots of questions and doubts still abound.
 
OmniPotens said:
But who created man and in who’s image and likeness? Was Jesus Christ truly in the full form of man or were there some extras added to him to make him different so as not to be contaminated by the evil ways of the common man?

I cannot call in the Police at this point because I will be bitting more than I can actually chew. Dialoging and prayers have really been helping get things in proper state but lots of questions and doubts still abound.
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No, your are legally and morally obligated to call the police. when this is done, then it will be possible to discuss questions and doubts. Do you mean to tell me you are allowing this child to remain in a situation where she is still being assaulted? and you are worried about philisophical points? are you for real?!:mad:
 
Oh, and I will be asking a friend of mine who is LAPD retired, if in fact you could be held as an accessory after the fact by doing nothing. Just some food for thought.
 
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