Why does God allow this to happen?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Stillsosola
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
The stock objection to the Free Will defence of the Problem of Evil is that God shouldn’t have given us so much power. Yet no one has explained how all cruelty could be prevented. Even animals with limited knowledge and intelligence ill-treat and kill their own species. It is very easy to criticise the world but to create a better one is far more difficult and in the absence of a solution we are not justified in believing it is possible.

To take the blessings of life for granted and to condemn its drawbacks is a very shallow philosophy. It is a blatant example of senseless ingratitude. There is wisdom in the saying we should take the rough with the smooth. The only logical alternative is to agree with Schopenhauer that it would have been better if life had never existed on this planet. Ironically he was very attached to his pet poodles! Sceptics, pessimists and those who blame the Devil always contradict themselves sooner or later…
 
Partinobodycula said:
Ye shall become as Gods, knowing good and evil. Wasn’t that the promise Satan made in the garden? Perhaps if Eve had only known, the price we would have to pay in forgoing innocence for wisdom? Our eyes have been opened, and we see the pain, and the anguish, and the injustice. We see the innocent die, and the righteous suffer. We have indeed gained the knowledge of good and evil, but it is difficult to say, whether we should rejoice in our attainment of wisdom, or mourn for our loss of innocence. In the words of Edna St. Vincent Millay, “For my omniscience paid I toll, in infinite remorse of soul.”

Life is brutal. The innocent die, the righteous suffer, and we wonder why God does nothing. But life is also beautiful. It struggles, it endures, and it overcomes. Amid the barbarity of the world, there is beauty, for there is life, and it perseveres. Mourn for it, rejoice in it, and cherish it. Its greatest beauty is born, not in spite of the struggles, but because of them. Life is inspirational, because it perseveres. We are better, for we have struggled, and God is just, for He has let us.

We are wise, we humans, but it has come at a heavy price. Never forget from whence your wisdom and compassion come, they come from the suffering of others.
Click to expand...
👍 The existence of others is certainly not an illusion.
 
tonyrey said:
How could God prevent every atrocity and tragedy without making it obvious that He exists?
Click to expand...
I suspect you already know my reaction to this. I dislike the idea that life is a game where the goal is to guess the correct religion. And it is indeed a matter of guesswork if God’s goal is to conceal himself just enough to make people doubt his existence.

But consider this very different argument: If God had always prevented tragedies, humanity would never have known how terrible life can be. The more peaceful world that results would appear unremarkable, since that’s the way it’s always been. Humans would never question why tragedies had stopped occurring because tragedies would have never occurred to begin with.
 
tonyrey said:
It is very easy to criticise the world but to create a better one is far more difficult and in the absence of a solution we are not justified in believing it is possible.
Click to expand...
But that’s the point: nothing is impossible to an omnipotent being. Just because you can’t imagine a solution doesn’t mean there isn’t one. For example, you cite the fact that animals kill each other. They do so for sustenance. If God designed animals so that they don’t need nutrition or any diet for that matter, the problem would be solved.
 
Oreoracle said:
But that’s the point: nothing is impossible to an omnipotent being. Just because you can’t imagine a solution doesn’t mean there isn’t one. For example, you cite the fact that animals kill each other. They do so for sustenance. If God designed animals so that they don’t need nutrition or any diet for that matter, the problem would be solved.
Click to expand...
Very well said. If my vastly inferior mind can see a better system. surely the Abrahamic-Christian God should do that easily.
 
Originally Posted by Oreoracle
But that’s the point: nothing is impossible to an omnipotent being. Just because you can’t imagine a solution doesn’t mean there isn’t one. For example, you cite the fact that animals kill each other. They do so for sustenance. If God designed animals so that they don’t need nutrition or any diet for that matter, the problem would be solved.
Click to expand...
oldcelt replied:
Very well said. If my vastly inferior mind can see a better system. surely the Abrahamic-Christian God should do that easily.
Click to expand...

It’s discouraging to see how atheists don’t even begin to understand issues like this. 🤷
The devil must love it.
 
tonyrey wrote:
The stock objection to the Free Will defence of the Problem of Evil is that God shouldn’t have given us so much power. Yet no one has explained how all cruelty could be prevented. Even animals with limited knowledge and intelligence ill-treat and kill their own species. It is very easy to criticise the world but to create a better one is far more difficult and in the absence of a solution we are not justified in believing it is possible.
Click to expand...
Sums it all up. 👍

Mrs. Parker counsels Theresa in a difficult moment:
… “Long ago Mr. Parker and I had our little tiffs. It was his fault, it was my fault, it was both our faults. Marriage partners share responsibility for all that follows because everything they do affects each other. All they try to do is get by in this world. ** When something goes wrong they’re both to blame and neither is to blame. The world is to blame.**”
Click to expand...
Theresa accepts that the world is what it is and goes on to make the world a better place.
 
GEddie said:
Does love need a meaning?

Isn’t love, like life or light, something true in itself?

Whereas suffering results from a being in somewhat of a broken state, or a broken relation to another?

ICXC NIKA
Click to expand...
Sorry to disagree but yes, love desperately needs a meaning especially for young people who have been brainwashed to believe that love is nothing more than a possessive feeling. Love is a relationship that is based on faith, not just faith in the person you love, but also faith in the love that you have for that person. That is the most important thing: to believe that what you feel is real, not just a product of chemical and electrical interactions in your head. And, for something to be real, it must go on forever. How can love go on forever unless you have faith that it will? Is my love for my family going to die with me, or is it eternal, is it real? If it’s eternal, how can I prove it is? I simply can’t. It’s impossible. This is because the only proof people can give is materialistic proof, but love is not materialistic. So in order for love to be real, eternal, forever, I must force myself to believe that my love for my family is real, and the only way I can do that is to believe, have faith that it is, no matter what.

We can’t fight doubt with certainty. The only weapon against doubt is faith. If doubt is the base of all suffering, and faith is the base of all love, then I can only conclude that love is the resistance against suffering

Nael
 
empther said:
tonyrey wrote:

Sums it all up. 👍

Mrs. Parker counsels Theresa in a difficult moment:

Theresa accepts that the world is what it is and goes on to make the world a better place.
Click to expand...
You must have something to gain by plugging this “Empress Theresa” book…I find it very self serving…hope you will consider laying off the “commercials” here. Are you the author by chance??
 
empther said:
It’s discouraging to see how atheists don’t even begin to understand issues like this. 🤷
The devil must love it.
Click to expand...
I have been having similar thoughts for several weeks now…minus the devil part.
 
Stillsosola said:
news-hound.org/5-month-old-baby-left-in-car-seat-for-8-days-no-food-water-or-diaper-changes-dies/

This precious little boy died suffering from an infection from not getting his diaper changed for 8 days they also did not feed him for 8 days, why does God allow such terrible people to have children? I’ve literally cried for an hours after reading this he probably was crying up until he passed since his fists were clenched the report said how could they just ignore him? How could God not put into thier minds to get up and take care of him?

I can’t understand how God’s mysterious ways work? How can he let children die in such terrible ways, how could he let us kill even the unborn?

I’ve been catholic for a while now and still cant’ grasp the reason behind suffering like this.
I just needed to vent this upset me so bad sorry if it or I upset any of you in the process
Click to expand...
I think the answer to this is simple and obvious. The truth is this. There is no god at all watching over us.

I think its obvious anyway…
 
CatholicGI said:
I think the answer to this is simple and obvious. The truth is this. There is no god at all watching over us.

I think its obvious anyway…
Click to expand...
That, frankly, is a cheap answer. If cheap answers are your thing, then you go right on ahead with it.
 
Amandil said:
That, frankly, is a cheap answer. If cheap answers are your thing, then you go right on ahead with it.
Click to expand...
Why is it a cheap answer? He did state the obvious truth. If an all knowing, all loving God were in control of allowing certain people to have children that would murder them…then what can we say about this all knowing being?

So many people who would love to have children, and beg God for them can’t have them, yet he seems to keep giving those who murder them the children…

He doesn’t make much sense, I tell you that.
 
CatholicGI said:
I think the answer to this is simple and obvious. The truth is this. There is no god at all watching over us.

I think its obvious anyway…
Click to expand...
I had a look at your profile curious because your username includes “Catholic”. Your profile doesn’t say much except that your two favourite authors are Catholics authors insofar as I know.
I wonder what has happened between writing your profile including Catholic authors as your favourites (your join date stated as August 2011) and your post above? It seems to me - as possibility only - that it just might be something quite dramatic/traumatic and has left you bitter and angry, lost? My curiosity further aroused, I had a look at your previous 10 posts, and the post above seems to be a really dramatic change of tone indeed - if I am reading your post above correctly that is.

I think you might have a story?
 
AtheistGui said:
Why is it a cheap answer? He did state the obvious truth. If an all knowing, all loving God were in control of allowing certain people to have children that would murder them…then what can we say about this all knowing being?

So many people who would love to have children, and beg God for them can’t have them, yet he seems to keep giving those who murder them the children…

He doesn’t make much sense, I tell you that.
Click to expand...
forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=11807727&postcount=12

forums.catholic-questions.org/showpost.php?p=11804672&postcount=9
 
AtheistGui said:
Why is it a cheap answer? He did state the obvious truth. If an all knowing, all loving God were in control of allowing certain people to have children that would murder them…then what can we say about this all knowing being?

So many people who would love to have children, and beg God for them can’t have them, yet he seems to keep giving those who murder them the children…

He doesn’t make much sense, I tell you that.
Click to expand...
I feel the same in the sense that I can’t fathom his reasoning to give children to horrible people but with hold them from good people and after seeing more and more of horrible cases like this over the last decade its causing me to question my faith something I tremble to do out of fear of hell but I’m wondering if he’s there why doesn’t he stay these peoples hands or stop them or make them like he did abaraham when he was about to sacrifice Issac?
I also can’t fathom how he would allow people to kill unborn children why give these women children if he knows they will abort them?
It’s said he knows everything before it happens then why allow evil?
 
Stillsosola said:
I feel the same in the sense that I can’t fathom his reasoning to give children to horrible people but with hold them from good people and after seeing more and more of horrible cases like this over the last decade its causing me to question my faith something I tremble to do out of fear of hell but I’m wondering if he’s there why doesn’t he stay these peoples hands or stop them or make them like he did abaraham when he was about to sacrifice Issac?
I also can’t fathom how he would allow people to kill unborn children why give these women children if he knows they will abort them?***
It’s said he knows everything before it happens then why allow evil***?
Click to expand...
See links in my previous post
 
AtheistGui said:
That doesn’t answer anything at all.

If God knows all. He knows when he gives children to certain people they are going to murder them.

If God knows all. Why doesn’t he give people children that are going to love them and care for them.

The fact is this. There is no God. Babies come from a pure biological process. There is no all knowing being behind it at all.
Click to expand...
That doesn’t answer anything at all.
Click to expand...
It does for Catholics
 
Stillsosola said:
I feel the same in the sense that I can’t fathom his reasoning to give children to horrible people but with hold them from good people and after seeing more and more of horrible cases like this over the last decade its causing me to question my faith something I tremble to do out of fear of hell but I’m wondering if he’s there why doesn’t he stay these peoples hands or stop them or make them like he did abaraham when he was about to sacrifice Issac?
I also can’t fathom how he would allow people to kill unborn children why give these women children if he knows they will abort them?
It’s said he knows everything before it happens then why allow evil?
Click to expand...
You are on to something here. It makes me glad to know there are others out there that can think logically on this matter.

It is plain to see, that there is no god involved in the process of women getting pregnant and children being conceived, and if there is, it says all I need to know about this god.

There are thousands of good people desiring children that just can’t any…and there thousands of women who have abortion after abortion because they get pregnant all the time.

Why would a god continue to give these women who have multiple abortions children knowing they are just going to murder them?

Its obvious…god is not involved, and he is not involved because he either does not care, or he is not there.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top