Why Would God create man knowing he would suffer?

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Why would God create people knowing full well that they would suffer in life, or that some would suffer much more than others? Why wouldn’t he just stop creating man after Adam and Eve sinned?

I have been questioning this in light of events such as the abuse of innocent children, and the rape of family members - why God would create any person in love and calling life a “gift” when He knows that such children will go through such atrocities.
 
Craisin said:
Why would God create people knowing full well that they would suffer in life, or that some would suffer much more than others? Why wouldn’t he just stop creating man after Adam and Eve sinned?

I have been questioning this in light of events such as the abuse of innocent children, and the rape of family members - why God would create any person in love and calling life a “gift” when He knows that such children will go through such atrocities.
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Adam and Eve disobeyed God,thus sin enter the creation of people.Before the flood God grieved he ever made man.
Also in God’s word it states "Man’s days are few and full of trouble.Do not forget that Satan is walking to fro and fro and up and down the earth.We don’t have the answer as to why little children suffer but you rest assure there is a kingdom and there will be a time that God will wipe every tear from every eye.
However God made it possible for man to escape suffering for ever.After Adam and Eve ate from the tree of "Good and Evil’,God banned them from the garden saying"If they eat of the “Tree of Life,they will live forever”.To live forever in our sinful nature would have meant to suffer forever as we suffer in this life now.God gave us his son so that we will have eternal life in that home where there will be no suffering:thumbsup:
This life we live here, is but a vapor of smoke compared to eternity.
But to ponder why God did not destroy everything and start over is a question friend for which there is no answer for any of us at this moment but when we are face to face,we will know then,these questions which have no answers,yet:)
I am sorry for the tragedy in your family and there are terrible things that happen that do make us question why bad people are allowed to do evil acts.These things are hard to understand.God knows and God tells us that vengeance is his.
 
Louemma said:
Adam and Eve disobeyed God,thus sin enter the creation of people.Before the flood God grieved he ever made man.
Also in God’s word it states "Man’s days are few and full of trouble.Do not forget that Satan is walking to fro and fro and up and down the earth.We don’t have the answer as to why little children suffer but you rest assure there is a kingdom and there will be a time that God will wipe every tear from every eye.
However God made it possible for man to escape suffering for ever.After Adam and Eve ate from the tree of "Good and Evil’,God banned them from the garden saying"If they eat of the “Tree of Life,they will live forever”.To live forever in our sinful nature would have meant to suffer forever as we suffer in this life now.God gave us his son so that we will have eternal life in that home where there will be no suffering:thumbsup:
This life we live here, is but a vapor of smoke compared to eternity.
But to ponder why God did not destroy everything and start over is a question friend for which there is no answer for any of us at this moment but when we are face to face,we will know then,these questions which have no answers,yet:)
I am sorry for the tragedy in your family and there are terrible things that happen that do make us question why bad people are allowed to do evil acts.These things are hard to understand.God knows and God tells us that vengeance is his.
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They disobeyed God without even knowing good from bad, or that disobedience was wrong. They simply were acting in a way a child would after being left in a room with matches and gasoline and told not to touch them or they will die.
You don’t have to be omnipotent to know what will happen next.
 
Craisin said:
Why would God create people knowing full well that they would suffer in life, or that some would suffer much more than others? Why wouldn’t he just stop creating man after Adam and Eve sinned?

I have been questioning this in light of events such as the abuse of innocent children, and the rape of family members - why God would create any person in love and calling life a “gift” when He knows that such children will go through such atrocities.
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Well, A bit of a personal story here. I have gone through some of the most horrific things that could have happened (far from THE worst, but I have seen evil and had evil done to me) to include being molested for about 10 years by my father. I have suffered greatly, mentally and physically. My mental problems at one point were so great that I became a DRASTIC self-mutilator and was spared from suicide by the unexpected arrival of a plumber (anyone else see the hand of God there?).

Through all of this I doubted whether God existed, whether he loved me, I doubted whether I was even able to be loved. I still have problems that plague me daily. And yet, despite all this, I would not wish that I had never been born. To know God is to know love (1 John 4:7-8) and I would not give up my knowledge of God, my knowledge of His love for me, or my love for Him for anything in all the world.

This is the thing that makes life worth living “the greatest thing in all the world is to love and be loved in return”. To never have existed would have been the greatest sorrow (i might not have known it, but it would be sad none-the-less).

The thing with suffering is that to understand it truly, you have to understand that all suffering, pain, and sorrow in the world does not come through God, from God, or from the will of God. It is from us. It flows from within us, from the beginning, caused by the initial disobedience of Adam and Eve. Even that principle sin is something to be thankful for, in an odd way, since it (kind of) forces us all to realize that we need God to be truly happy.

I cannot explain this any better right now, but I am sure that others will add their $2 (inflation stinks) and help this thread along.

With love,

FSC
 
In my humble opinion, it seems God allows suffering to bring out a greater good. As Christians we know that no one suffered like Jesus. God allowed himself, as Christ, to suffer more than any human could ever comprehend. But brought out the greatest glory and good out of his Passion that humanity has ever seen. We can’t possibly fully understand the ways of the Creator of the Universe. We just have to try to accept that all suffering is allowed for greater glory.
 
but to the same extent, if God ceased the creation of people (knowing they would suffer), then he himself would have never had to suffer, either!
 
Ignatius said:
He Himself suffered, you know!
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but to the same extent, if God ceased the creation of people (knowing they too would suffer, before Christ), then he himself would have never had to suffer, either!
 
Craisin said:
Why would God create people knowing full well that they would suffer in life, or that some would suffer much more than others? Why wouldn’t he just stop creating man after Adam and Eve sinned?

I have been questioning this in light of events such as the abuse of innocent children, and the rape of family members - why God would create any person in love and calling life a “gift” when He knows that such children will go through such atrocities.
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That question would only make sense if there was no afterlife. But as Catholics we believe in an eternal afterlife. Do you have any idea of how long eternity is when compared to this life? St. Paul somewhere says that the heavenly prize is bought cheap (so to speak.) IOW, whatever our tribulations in this life, they are as NOTHING when compared to the Glory to come. It often happens that those that God favors most, appear to suffer more as well. However, their reward in heaven will be great!

That is basically the whole premise of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus says BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO MOURN.

Do not put all your hopes in this life, it is fleeting and short.
 
StrawberryJam said:
They disobeyed God without even knowing good from bad, or that disobedience was wrong. They simply were acting in a way a child would after being left in a room with matches and gasoline and told not to touch them or they will die.
You don’t have to be omnipotent to know what will happen next.
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Adam and Eve were told what would happen if they ate from the “Tree Of Good And Evil”.God is omnipotent but we are created in his image and we are created with a free will.If you have children and you tell them right from wrong and what you expect from their behavior and they disobey,do you discipline them or do you reason saying,they are simply acting as a child would,not knowing right from wrong even though they were told:)
Bad things happen and God gets the blame. When we as humans forget that free will,sin and Satan are the cause of the evil acts in this world.God could stop the evil but most evil comes from man’s own free will.God wants us to freely choose to love him and if he created us as robots then that’s not the same.Who wants to make someone love them against their own free-will?
 
Life is a test to see whether we will turn toward God or away from him, to decide to do our will or his. We are tested every minute of every day, both with the good and the bad. And don’t be so sure that “bad” things are the hardest tests you can indure. After all, how many of the most talented, famous, rich people on the planet end up unhappy and in some kind of rehab or another.

Human’s actually thrive and grow with challenges. Those people that are given everything in life and aren’t challenged, do not grow physically, mentally ,emotionally or spiritually.

Think of your life as a very elaborate video game for a second, if you can. The game would not be very satisfying if there weren’t challenges to overcome and periodic successes to revel in. In fact, you would be bored to death and would move on to something else.

Suffering, while uncomfortable to endure, does have merits. It often leads to love, kindness, and charity on the part of others.
 
Louemma said:
Adam and Eve were told what would happen if they ate from the “Tree Of Good And Evil”.God is omnipotent but we are created in his image and we are created with a free will.If you have children and you tell them right from wrong and what you expect from their behavior and they disobey,do you discipline them or do you reason saying,they are simply acting as a child would,not knowing right from wrong even though they were told:)
Bad things happen and God gets the blame. When we as humans forget that free will,sin and Satan are the cause of the evil acts in this world.God could stop the evil but most evil comes from man’s own free will.God wants us to freely choose to love him and if he created us as robots then that’s not the same.Who wants to make someone love them against their own free-will?
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you have to be kidding me.

Do you realize what kind of parent would do what you suggest? You don’t have a chance to “discipline them” in the case with matches and or lighter and gasoline.
You left the room, they did not know a darn thing about good or bad, or consequences.

You did it to them.

You are responsible for them until they can reason, and even after that.
 
StrawberryJam said:
you have to be kidding me.

Do you realize what kind of parent would do what you suggest? You don’t have a chance to “discipline them” in the case with matches and or lighter and gasoline.
You left the room, they did not know a darn thing about good or bad, or consequences.

You did it to them.

You are responsible for them until they can reason, and even after that.
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Perhaps to put it another way.There are things we do not understand and will not understand until God reveals the missing pieces.We know there is more to this then what God has revealed but one day we will know full well why things are the way they are.
It don’t take an Einstein to know there are things that we simply do not know nor do we understand.
We know that God made eternal life possible through Jesus Christ and the faith part to eternal life is up to us.This is called free-will which is what caused the down fall of man.Sin became as much a part of man as his DNA.
But to blame God is to be angry at God.How easy it would be for us to blame him for the bad things that happen and forget to thank him for the good things.
God is not the reason man is full of evil.
God could have wiped everything out and started over but he didn’t and only he knows why.One day we’ll know.
 
With all power, to create the universe, space time and matter. The complexities of the human person, molecules that comprise the human body and the mysteries of the human mind and it’s perception. Infinate power and infinate love. With all power known and unknown, God still does not have the power to make us love him. At least in that one aspect, we do have more power only because He willed it, and that should humble us to our knees.
God Bless,
Neil
 
StrawberryJam said:
you have to be kidding me.

Do you realize what kind of parent would do what you suggest? You don’t have a chance to “discipline them” in the case with matches and or lighter and gasoline.
You left the room, they did not know a darn thing about good or bad, or consequences.

You did it to them.

You are responsible for them until they can reason, and even after that.
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Adam and Eve had preternatural gifts including infused knowledge.

In any case God’s master plan included a way for us children to exercise our free will and make a choice for or against God during our short trial here on earth As a previous poster correctly stated about eternal life, God still gives us a pathway to Him even though we are very flawed…
 
Vega said:
With all power, to create the universe, space time and matter. The complexities of the human person, molecules that comprise the human body and the mysteries of the human mind and it’s perception. Infinate power and infinate love. With all power known and unknown, God still does not have the power to make us love him. At least in that one aspect, we do have more power only because He willed it, and that should humble us to our knees.
God Bless,
Neil
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God has the power to make us love him. He just chooses not to use it, wishing instead for us to come to him willingly.
 
buffalo said:
Adam and Eve had **preternatural gifts including infused knowledge. **
In any case God’s master plan included a way for us children to exercise our free will and make a choice for or against God during our short trial here on earth As a previous poster correctly stated about eternal life, God still gives us a pathway to Him even though we are very flawed…
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Do protestants believe this theory?
 
StrawberryJam said:
Do protestants believe this theory?
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There are a lot of different types of Protestants with a wide variety of beliefs. As far as I can tell, the only two things that All Protestants agree on are:
  1. Jesus Christ is our savior
  2. A disbelief in at least Some Catholic teaching (hence, their protest). Otherwise they would be Catholic.
 
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