Why Do Bad Things Happen?

[InvisiblePinkUnicorn]

Thank you for allowing me to ask you some questions. One that is bothering me is the following:

If god is all-powerful and all-loving, why is there evil and innocent suffering in the world? It seems that he would have the power to stop the evil.

[Cranky Old Man]

Re: Why Do Bad Things Happen?

If god is all-powerful and all-loving, why is there evil and innocent suffering in the world? It seems that he would have the power to stop the evil.

He does have that power. However he decided in his infinite wisdom to give us free will. And free will allows us to do evil. This evil is not without a price though, those who are evil, or catholic, will suffer in hell for all eternity.

[InvisiblePinkUnicorn]

Re: Why Do Bad Things Happen?

He does have that power. However he decided in his infinite wisdom to give us free will. And free will allows us to do evil. This evil is not without a price though, those who are evil, or catholic, will suffer in hell for all eternity.

So free will is better, more perfect one might say, than no free will?

[Cranky Old Man]

Re: Why Do Bad Things Happen?

So free will is better, more perfect one might say, than no free will?

Yes. Would you have preferred not to have free will?

[InvisiblePinkUnicorn]

Re: Why Do Bad Things Happen?

Yes. Would you have preferred not to have free will?

No! I agree that free will seems to be great! Other question: WIll heaven be perfect?

[WWJDnow]

Re: Why Do Bad Things Happen?

No! I agree that free will seems to be great! Other question: WIll heaven be perfect?

No Catholics, no homos, no masturbators, no taxes. Sounds perfect to me.

[InvisiblePinkUnicorn]

Re: Why Do Bad Things Happen?

OK... so will there be Free Will in Heaven?

[Cranky Old Man]

Re: Why Do Bad Things Happen?

OK... so will there be Free Will in Heaven?

Yes. You do not seem to be going there though.

[Ezekiel Bathfire]

Re: Why Do Bad Things Happen?

Thank you for allowing me to ask you some questions. One that is bothering me is the following:

If god is all-powerful and all-loving, why is there evil and innocent suffering in the world? It seems that he would have the power to stop the evil.

I have arrived late at this question, which is, of course one of the standard mindless questions asked by cut-‘n-paste atheists.

The question really poses many questions in the guise of one – this is Satanic Work. The question really asks,

• Is God all powerful?
• Is God all-loving?
• What is the nature of evil from man’s perspective?
• What is the nature of evil from God’s perspective?

Once we have answered those, we may address the final question, “Why does He not stop evil?”

• Yes
• No there are many whom He hates and many actions that He hates. Isaiah 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
  
  Amos 3:6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?
  
  
• Evil is basically something that is subjective and is usually disadvantageous and causes pain and suffering.
• Evil is merely part of the scheme of things. Those who suffer evil either deserve it (as per using free will wrongly) or are simply part of His Plan.

The answer to “Why does He not stop evil?” is therefore, “Because it is not evil in the Mankind definition that is relevant but it comes from God and it is His standards that should be applied.”

No! I agree that free will seems to be great! Other question: Will heaven be perfect?

The Bible has a severe lack of descriptions of heaven, in fact, there are none! However, it has plenty of descriptions of Hell.

I always found this strange but I suppose that yet whilst we all agree that burning in Brimstone in the dark as devils do unspeakable things is Hell, we all have a different opinion of the qualities that Heaven needs to be Paradise. The question is thus, “What is perfect?”

This problem is best answered by, “I will let God decide and that will be perfect.”

[InvisiblePinkUnicorn]

Re: Why Do Bad Things Happen?

Yes. You do not seem to be going there though.

OK. So it seems that we will have free will in heaven and there is no evil in heaven. This means that the previous explanation that "evil exists because we have free will" is false. Correct? If so, this brings us back to the question of why evil exists in the world.

This leads to the thoughtful response given next by Brother Bathfire:

...there are many whom [God] hates and many actions that He hates. Isaiah 45:7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.

• 
  Amos 3:6 Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?
  
  
• Evil is merely part of the scheme of things. Those who suffer evil either deserve it (as per using free will wrongly) or are simply part of His Plan.

The answer to “Why does He not stop evil?” is therefore, “Because it is not evil in the Mankind definition that is relevant but it comes from God and it is His standards that should be applied.”

Thank you for the useful scripture! So if I am understanding you correctly, you are asserting that stuff that all humans universally view as unadulterated evil, especially things that have nothing to do with free will (EG: 250,000 people killed by a tsunami, many of whom were babies still in their mothers' wombs), is not viewed as evil by God. As you say these things are things that he chose to do to apparantly otherwise innocent people because it was part of His plan. Am I understanding you correctly?

[Jacob the Angry Liar]

Re: Why Do Bad Things Happen?

Bad things happen because God wills it, to punish sinners.


And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me;
Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins.
And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat.
And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.
And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours.

(Leviticus 26:27-31)
God threatened for these bad things to happen to the people of Israel, if they disobeyed Him. The same principle is at work for all bad things that happen. In that respect, anything bad that happens to you is your own fault.

[InvisiblePinkUnicorn]

Re: Why Do Bad Things Happen?

Bad things happen because God wills it, to punish sinners.

God threatened for these bad things to happen to the people of Israel, if they disobeyed Him. The same principle is at work for all bad things that happen. In that respect, anything bad that happens to you is your own fault.

So when the Asian Tsunami killed thousands of babies still in their mothers' wombs, what did those babies do to deserve to drwon or suffocate and die?

[GOD=life]

Re: Why Do Bad Things Happen?

Maybe sometimes God just thinks "those people really messed up, let's try again"? You did hear about the Flood, didn't you?

Also: sometimes you give people chance after chance and they still won't listen...

[InvisiblePinkUnicorn]

Re: Why Do Bad Things Happen?

Maybe sometimes God just thinks "those people really messed up, let's try again"? You did hear about the Flood, didn't you?

Also: sometimes you give people chance after chance and they still won't listen...

Yes, I have heard and read about the Great Flood. I agree with you that it another good example of how God can do something that, in the eyes of every human on Earth seems to be the ultimate in evil acts. If I understand you correctly, the only reason that a being wiping out the sentient life of an entire planet is NOT evil is because God did it. Is that correct?

[Gabriel Reproba]

Re: Why Do Bad Things Happen?

Just in case you are going down the "I thought the Bible was all about love" path... you should know that a new scientific study has proved that the Bible Is More Focused on Evil Than on Love!