Why does God allow Illness and Disease?

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YosefYosep

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I have never really clearly understood this. I mean sure the severe illness of a loved one can help bring out the truest of love for the person, and at times make us seek comfort in the Lord, but in other situations it can do just the opposite. One of my friends totally abandoned God after the death of his mother due to cancer. Darwin did the same after the death of his child. It seems that sometimes illness can drive people away from God rather than closer.

I also don’t understand the illness of animals. If animals had no part to play in rebellion of God, and the great plan of redemption then why must they suffer too? Their illness wouldn’t bring people closer, it wouldn’t evoke love or cause them or others to seek God.
 
What would the world look like with no illness (and no suffering of any kind, and especially no death)?
 
I understand why suffering is permitted, but it seems like suffering that pushes people away from God is just pointless. I don’t understand why God would allow certain people to become ill and die when it pushes people away from him.
 
What none of us knows is whether those people would have turned away from God for other reasons, or what graces God gives them to call them back.
 
YosefYosep said:
I understand why suffering is permitted, but it seems like suffering that pushes people away from God is just pointless. I don’t understand why God would allow certain people to become ill and die when it pushes people away from him.
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Maybe he’s testing their faith? It’s certainly within his prerogative as Our God. Even Mary was tested, although she overcame all with a perfect faith. Besides, God doesn’t interfere with our bodies (or ever, really) except when we ask Him. Perhaps it’s their God-appointed lot to die at that certain time.
 
I am personally tired of these types of questions, it is a very close minded approach to thinking of ones relationship with God, as if one really needs to explain every little detail of LOVE, I guess one analogy could be an object in motion stays in motion, so once things are set in motion, by stopping that object in motion would then change the out come of everything else.

Hey for more pointless debates how is this one, if God is so powerful how come he didn’t stop Lucifer an the 1/3 of the Angels from following him ? Why didn’t God just end them flat out.

It is all perspective, did the illness an disease really drive that person from God, or did one choose to not accept the grace of healing that God offers us in our tough times in life ? An why should we blame God for death when Christ has already conquered it ? Why is it so easy to blame God for everything that is wrong with the world instead of turning to Him when we really need Him in our lives.
 
john78 said:
It is all perspective, did the illness an disease really drive that person from God, or did one choose to not accept the grace of healing that God offers us in our tough times in life ? An why should we blame God for death when Christ has already conquered it ? Why is it so easy to blame God for everything that is wrong with the world instead of turning to Him when we really need Him in our lives.
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👍

God’s intent is not to drive them away but to bring them closer. It was Darwin’s choice to turn away.

We are tested, always, in every aspect of life. It is up to us to rise and meet those challenges. Does a trophy mean more when you’ve worked and fought for it or when it’s just given to you for showing up?

Think about this why did God create darkness? It doesn’t help us. When you get up in the middle of the night and stub your toe on a dresser, you reach for the light, because you can not see. If it was always light how could you ever truly appreciate it for what it is?

God gives us darkness so we can appreciate the light. We experience pain so we can fully appreciate His Grace.
 
Suffering, illness, death, concupiscence, and the pains of childbirth are all elements of the curse we incurred by the sin of Adam.
 
Well, there is another obvious conclusion (and obviously one i drew myself), these things exist and in such great quantity because God doesn’t exist.

Of course, the question isn’t so much why is there any illness or disease, the question is why is there so much of it and why is it so bad. Take smallpox for example, it killed more people than all of the worst dictators in the 20th century combined, one single disease, from nature, claimed many, many more lives over than these dictators. Yet, it was a disease we would eradicate anyway. If God was out there designing diseases (and thats a big if), it’s rather puzzling why he’d give us smallpox.
 
kingpomba said:
Well, there is another obvious conclusion (and obviously one i drew myself), these things exist and in such great quantity because God doesn’t exist.
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Then you need to explain how you transcend your body by choosing what to believe and how to live, thereby infringing the law of conservation of energy…
Of course, the question isn’t so much why is there any illness or disease, the question is why is there so much of it and why is it so bad.
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  1. How do you determine the amount of illness and disease that disproves the existence of God? By guesswork or precise calculations?
Take smallpox for example, it killed more people than all of the worst dictators in the 20th century combined, one single disease, from nature, claimed many, many more lives over than these dictators.
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  1. Do you believe God could be directly responsible for such events?
  2. Can you explain how such events could be prevented?
  3. Can you provide a feasible blueprint of a superior universe?
Yet, it was a disease we would eradicate anyway.
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Could we design and create a feasible universe?
If God was out there designing diseases (and thats a big if), it’s rather puzzling why he’d give us smallpox.
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  1. Is the immense value of life puzzling?
  2. Do you agree with Schopenhauer it would be better if life didn’t exist on this planet?
  3. If not why not?
 
You might as well ask why does God allow darkness/ light, heat/cold, thirst, hunger. all sensations, pleasure and pain. Without one you cannot be aware of the other. Indeed one cannot exist without the other (opposite). How can you be aware of well-being if illness does not exist?
You live in a physical world; you are a physical entity so your body when interacting with the environment can ‘go wrong’ feel pain (a warning) and will finally decay. A true saying: You are dying from the moment you are born.’ Even the greatest mountain wears away. Do the mountains complain of this and rage against God. Quite absurd.
These are rather infantile questions. If you accept that death is inevitable for a living organism, then disintegration, decay and pain are part of the process. We don’t live in Wonderland but on the ‘3rd Rock from the Sun.’ Give Glory to the Lord, your God and Bless Him for every moment of your existence.
 
tobbias88 said:
You might as well ask why does God allow darkness/ light, heat/cold, thirst, hunger. all sensations, pleasure and pain. Without one you cannot be aware of the other. Indeed one cannot exist without the other (opposite). How can you be aware of well-being if illness does not exist?
You live in a physical world; you are a physical entity so your body when interacting with the environment can ‘go wrong’ feel pain (a warning) and will finally decay. A true saying: You are dying from the moment you are born.’ Even the greatest mountain wears away. Do the mountains complain of this and rage against God. Quite absurd.
These are rather infantile questions. If you accept that death is inevitable for a living organism, then disintegration, decay and pain are part of the process. We don’t live in Wonderland but on the ‘3rd Rock from the Sun.’ Give Glory to the Lord, your God and Bless Him for every moment of your existence.
Click to expand...
 
tobbias88 said:
You might as well ask why does God allow darkness/ light, heat/cold, thirst, hunger. all sensations, pleasure and pain. Without one you cannot be aware of the other. Indeed one cannot exist without the other (opposite). How can you be aware of well-being if illness does not exist?
You live in a physical world; you are a physical entity so your body when interacting with the environment can ‘go wrong’ feel pain (a warning) and will finally decay. A true saying: You are dying from the moment you are born.’ Even the greatest mountain wears away. Do the mountains complain of this and rage against God. Quite absurd.
These are rather infantile questions. If you accept that death is inevitable for a living organism, then disintegration, decay and pain are part of the process. We don’t live in Wonderland but on the ‘3rd Rock from the Sun.’ Give Glory to the Lord, your God and Bless Him for every moment of your existence.
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A superb post! :clapping:
  1. Every advantage has a corresponding disadvantage.
  2. It is absurd to expect to have everything for nothing.
  3. There is no such thing as a free lunch - or a free life. 🙂
 
YosefYosep said:
I understand why suffering is permitted, but it seems like suffering that pushes people away from God is just pointless. I don’t understand why God would allow certain people to become ill and die when it pushes people away from him.
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Pointless suffering is inevitable in a world with independent persons and natural laws.

Evil is the result of choice and chance within the framework of Design.
 
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