Do any of the popular Judaeo-Christian religions have a “party line”, so to speak, about why their God permits the innocent to suffer so horribly? For example, what do Jewish theologians say about the Holocaust? Or, the Vatican scholars about the massacre of the Christians by the Turks? Or the Muslims about the horrors of Bosnia? Or by any of them about Rwanda?
“the lord works in mysterious ways…”
That’s the only one I’ve heard.
Not necessarily a “party line”, is When Bad Things Happen to Good People, by Rabbi Harold Kushner. I haven’t read it myself, but have heard friends say it’s a very intelligently-written book.
Some ideas that have been tossed my way:
Original Sin. “So we can see that X is bad.” To make us stronger.
Speaking for the Athesists…the party line is, “no god”.
Any questions?
Although this has the makings of a GD, I did take a whole class in college about this topic. We examined a lot of different philosophers viewpoints on the subject.
What I can conclude is that there is no party line. Even a religion as dogmatic as Catholicism doesn’t have one.
I don’t know the Bible well, but isn’t there a passage stating something to the effect, “Satan is god/ruler of the earth”? I don’t remember the context at all, but I was thinking it may be part of a larger passage attempting to explain the problem of evil. Just figured I’d throw that out there and see if anyone recognizes it.
Here are a few theories:
1.Suffering brings us beyond superficial acceptance of truth to dependence on God for hope and life (Think of Job)
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When we speak fearlessly for Christ in spite of our situations, we encourage others (Think of Paul in prison)
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Learning to trust in God’s provision
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Sifting the wheat from the chaff, being tempered by the flame
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Contrast for the perfectness of Heaven
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Take our eyes off of worldly values
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Strengthens the faith of those who endure
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Christ suffered for us
Free will. God doesn’t “let” bad things happen to us – we do it to ourselves.
This is one of my favorite topics. I’ve taught a small group on the subject, and was well supported in my views. Take them for what they’re worth, but I have thought a lot about it.
God seems to have given people the power to choose whether to do good or evil. If it is a real choice, then people have to have the real power to do the evil. Some have chosen to.
The even better question is “Why give people free will if it’s going to lead to such suffering?”
The answer to which is even less certain, but comes down to: God seems to have wanted to interact with sentient beings. Part of that intelligence is the ability to imagine the possibility of doing that which is selfish and hurtful. All I can guess is that on some sort of cosmic scale, it was seen as a price worth paying for having sentience. That is the part that is the hardest part for me to swallow, even with my very small partaking in the world’s sufferings.
I’ve had to leave it there, because I by definition have no adequate perspective to evaluate the decision to pay such a price. All I can do is work to reduce it some.
I guess what I am really asking is “why would anyone love a god who permits such things to happen?” (especially if he allows it just to fully realize an interaction with sentenient beings)
With my spelling (sentenient) I guess he would ignore me for not being sentient.
…Because He first loved us.
He wants the best for us, as we would with our own children. And, just as our children do things that we know are not in their best interest, we have been allowed by God to make the choice to do right or wrong.
Without free will, we would not have the opportunity to choose to avoid sin. As with a child, ones does not grow intellectually or spiritually unless given a chance to act on our own and face our own consequences.
Because the world is far from a perfect place, we are even forced to face the consequences that others have created for us.
I don’t consider myself a theological expert, so I hope I’m making at least a little sense. 
I think Sycorax has the best of all possible answers.
Voltaire’s “Candide” is available in the lobby.
So, we cause horrible and horrifying birth defects and diseases? Don’t tell me we have the power to cure those things. Some diseases remain incurable and it leaves the question unanswered: Why did God allow them to get sick in the first place? Why does God allow people to be born blind or deaf or without limbs or a brain?
Do we allow people to be killed in storms and earthquakes and volcanoes and other natural disasters?
C.S.Lewis wrote a pretty good book called ‘The Problem of Pain’ covering this whole topic. The whole Old Testament book of Job also deals with it.
C.S.Lewis then wrote a heart-breaking book called ‘A Grief Observed’ after his wife died of cancer (after a three year, apparently miraculous remission) that deals with the whole question from a personal, as opposed to an intellectual point of view.
I wouldn’t say there is a ‘party line’ even among Christians, let alone Judaism or Islam. I think Buddhism teaches that suffering is caused by desire, and nirvana is the extinction of all desire, so no suffering. There are lots of differing sects in Buddhism, so your mileage may vary.
FWIW - I believe the answer contained in Mr. Kushner’s ‘When Bad Things Happen to Good People’ is that God cannot help it. The occasion for the book (IIRC) was when Mr. Kushner’s son died of progeria, that disease you get when you age at an incredible rate and die of old age when you are chronologically a child.
OK, I’ve looked at Job. He seems to be asking why a righteous man like himself must endure such suffering, God’s wrath apparently, even though the wicked prosper.
i.e.
**Job 10:3
'Is it right for You indeed to oppress,
To reject the labor of Your hands,
And to look favorably on the schemes of the wicked?
Job 10:7
'According to Your knowledge I am indeed not guilty,
Yet there is no deliverance from Your hand.
Job 12:6
"The tents of the destroyers prosper,
And those who provoke God are secure…**
What do his friends and advisors tell Job? Don’t worry. When judgement comes you’ll be OK. You’ll get into Heaven.
And what is God’s answer? That Job has too much pride! Hubris. Indeed, this is what Job 38 is all about.
And what does Job say in respsonse?
Job 42:2
"I know that You can do all things,
And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.
i.e I leave it up to you. After all, God, you know best.
I find all of this most unconvincing.
Let me explain it in terms you’ll understand. We are like contestants on Survivor. The Earth is like the island. God is like the producers of the show. Bad things happened to the people on the show, like insect bites, hunger, cuts, etc. I don’t think any of them blamed the producers for those bad things.
Got it?
I’d agree so long as the producers, despite being capable of working a miracle or two, declined to turn Richard into a pillar of salt.
TampaFlyer, your lame analogy is majorly flawed. The producers of Survivor have no control over nature. God supposedly does.
Besides, I thought Survivor was stupid, and the idea that god might run the universe like Survivor makes me think god is a rude, crude, pathetic loser.
Fortunately I don’t believe god is that way - but then I don’t believe in god.