Today many people have questions about God.
These questions are important because a person's image or understanding about God shapes much of one's life. Click here to explore the questions of God's existence and what type of God one might believe in.
The Question of God and Suffering
The question of suffering, especially the suffering of the innocent, is the most challenging question of all.
There is suffering and death in the world of nature and in our human lives. Events like war, crime and the killing of innocent people during the Holocaust fous and sharpen the question in an unavoidable way.
Why is there so much suffering and moral evil in the world if God is all-powerful and all-good?
Theologians are unanimous in saying that God does not directly will suffering.
brought Jesus to new life in the Resurrection.
> We are too close to events of suffering and death and cannot see or understand how God will be
able to bring new life out of them.
2. The God of the philosphers is not the God of the Bible. The God of the Bible according to the
Prophets, like Jermiah, Hosea, Isaiah, etc. is a God who feels what the people feel. The God described
in the Bible loves, cares, gets angry over injustice, prods, forgives, pours out mercy, consoles, wipes
away tears and loves even more. This Biblical God stand with all those who suffer and holds close all
who die.
3. At the center of the Christian life is the memory of the life, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ. Violence may seem to be triumphant but in remembering the Jesus story we say
> This suffering, this death is not in vain
> We will not let this in justice, this tragedy defeat us. We will live life in hope and love.
At the same time, we will cry out to God in Lament.
+ "Do you not see what is happening to us? Do you not care?
+ "How long, O Lord will we have to wait for promises to be fulfilled.
4. We will not be able to answer fully the question of "Why?" there suffering in our world, but we will be
able to live with it in hope.
The question of suffering, especially the suffering of the innocent, is the most challenging question of all.
There is suffering and death in the world of nature and in our human lives. Events like war, crime and the killing of innocent people during the Holocaust fous and sharpen the question in an unavoidable way.
Why is there so much suffering and moral evil in the world if God is all-powerful and all-good?
- Could an all-powerful God not stop such suffering and evil? If not then God must not be all-powerful.
- Does God not want to stop it? If not then God must not be all-good and all loving.
Theologians are unanimous in saying that God does not directly will suffering.
- From a philosophical viewpoint, evil (suffering and death) is a lack of what should be there. God who is being itself and the source of all being, (that is all that exists), does not will a lack of being in suffering and death. Rather God has established natural laws and given humans free-will.
brought Jesus to new life in the Resurrection.
> We are too close to events of suffering and death and cannot see or understand how God will be
able to bring new life out of them.
2. The God of the philosphers is not the God of the Bible. The God of the Bible according to the
Prophets, like Jermiah, Hosea, Isaiah, etc. is a God who feels what the people feel. The God described
in the Bible loves, cares, gets angry over injustice, prods, forgives, pours out mercy, consoles, wipes
away tears and loves even more. This Biblical God stand with all those who suffer and holds close all
who die.
3. At the center of the Christian life is the memory of the life, passion, death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ. Violence may seem to be triumphant but in remembering the Jesus story we say
> This suffering, this death is not in vain
> We will not let this in justice, this tragedy defeat us. We will live life in hope and love.
At the same time, we will cry out to God in Lament.
+ "Do you not see what is happening to us? Do you not care?
+ "How long, O Lord will we have to wait for promises to be fulfilled.
4. We will not be able to answer fully the question of "Why?" there suffering in our world, but we will be
able to live with it in hope.
Additional Resources:
"Why is There So Much Disorder in the Universe?"
Bishop Robert Barron |
"God, God, Tsunamis, and the Problem of Evil?
Bishop Robert Barron |
How to Suffer Well
Fr. Robert J. Spitzer, S..J. |
1- ”The Experience of God: Being, Consciousness, Bliss”, by David Bentley Hart (Book)
2- “God, the Evidence”, by Patrick Glynn (Book)
3- “New Proofs for the Existence of God”, from Modern Science by Fr. Robert J. Spitzer
4- Fr. Robert Spitzer's main site: magisreasonfaith.org
2- “God, the Evidence”, by Patrick Glynn (Book)
3- “New Proofs for the Existence of God”, from Modern Science by Fr. Robert J. Spitzer
4- Fr. Robert Spitzer's main site: magisreasonfaith.org