If god has indeed created a good world why is there so much evil and suffering in the world?

Answer 1

Christians believe that evil entered the world by a force in the form of Satan/devil, who disobeyed God, and tempted Adam and Eve to eat from the tree of knowledge. Christians believe that evil is caused by free will. Suffering is in this world because of free will given to Humans by God. Catholics believe that suffering is a way of participating in the saving work of Jesus, as Jesus himself went through pain and suffering to achieve a greater good.

Roman Catholic Answer

The definition of evil is a lack of God. God created everything in the world, and called it good. Anything that has being or existence is good. God created angels and men with free will so that they could choose. They do not always choose God, when they choose something other then God, they are committing sin and evil enters in. Think of it like this: if God was the sun shining in the sky, now, turn around, away from the sun. What do you see? A shadow. The shadow is NOTHING, it is an absence of light. That is what evil is. The devil, himself, was created good, it was only when he turned away from God and in on himself that he became evil.

The only one who has existed forever is God; he is the only beginning of everything, and he created only what is good. The Bible reveals to us a God who is pleased because he has created everything beautiful and good, with the goal of life and happiness.

Evil entered the world when God willed to create beings of extraordinary greatness because he made them intelligent and free. Freedom, both for angels and for men, is an irreplaceable greatness. Evil came into being because first an angel and then man abused this gift of God. Therefore, evil did not always exist. It originated when some of the angels rebelled against their Creator. Even then, God manifested His divine mercy and wisdom, because, even though he tolerates evil--he never rejects his creatures--nor does he take away their power to harm others--he is able to bring about good from evil. Therefore, even though diseases, suffering, persecutions, perfidy, and all the evil in the world did not originate with God, he can use them for our sanctification and, therefore, for our own good.

Answer 2

In Christianity we believers are tested and purified so we can become pure as gold. The Christian life is not a bed of roses, as the Bible says. This is also there in our lives to trust our faith.

Developing this

Christianity holds that suffering is the result of human sin. The world is not the way that God created it and because of that, all are vulnerable to the effects of sin in the world. Why does one person suffer and another does not? Why do catastrophes happen to some and not to others? It is because sin is in the world. But there will come a day when the Lord will return and cleanse this world of all sin and all suffering. "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away," (Rev. 21:4).

Now with regards to why God lets innocent people suffer, well this is the most difficult question for Christians to answer and according to the Christian Scholar C.S. Lewis, Atheism's most potent weapon against the Christian faith.

How can a God of love permit war, sickness, pain and death, especially when those who feel it most are apparently innocent? This either presents us with a God of love who is indifferent to human suffering, or a God of power who is helpless to do anything about it.

And yet here is where fact must be acknowledged no matter how harsh it sounds, just as humans are superior in terms of rationality, so to are the all capable of sin and lets face it every person has sinned at some stage so they are not innocent are they? Since "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23), there is no one who has the right to freedom from God's wrath on the basis of his own innocence.

Now this is the bit that hurts me to acknowledge but as far as babies are concerned, they are sinners by nature, they are human and so have original sin and as such will inevitably make sinful choices.

Now I do not use this to claim that sick people are sick as punishment, disabled people etc, how could I as that is not in keeping with a loving God, but what me must acknowledge is that they were not wrapped up in some divine bubble and kept from sickness etc because they were sinners.

Our Lord Jesus Christ, who was the only truly 'innocent' and 'righteous' man in all history, suffered more than anyone else who ever lived, and how was the son of God able to suffer? He was completely human and so from what I have already said was able to suffer. I mean what use would it have been for Jesus to hang from the cross unable to feel pain, what good would that have done? None.

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Catholic Answer

The definition of evil is a lack of God. God created everything in the world, and called it good. Anything that has being or existence is good. God created angels and men with free will so that they could choose. They do not always choose God, when they choose something other then God, they are committing sin and evil enters in. Think of it like this: if God was the sun shining in the sky, now, turn around, away from the sun. What do you see? A shadow. The shadow is NOTHING, it is an absence of light. That is what evil is. The devil, himself, was created good, it was only when he turned away from God and in on himself that he became evil.

The only one who has existed forever is God; he is the only beginning of everything, and he created only what is good. The Bible reveals to us a God who is pleased because he has created everything beautiful and good, with the goal of life and happiness.

Evil entered the world when God willed to create beings of extraordinary greatness because he made them intelligent and free. Freedom, both for angels and for men, is an irreplaceable greatness. Evil came into being because first an angel and then man abused this gift of God. Therefore, evil did not always exist. It originated when some of the angels rebelled against their Creator. Even then, God manifested His divine mercy and wisdom, because, even though he tolerates evil--he never rejects his creatures--nor does he take away their power to harm others--he is able to bring about good from evil. Therefore, even though diseases, suffering, persecutions, perfidy, and all the evil in the world did not originate with God, he can use them for our sanctification and, therefore, for our own good.

Answer 3

That really is the age old question isn't it... Many religions have there own answers. i am a Christian, not sure if I even have it right, but this is what i believe. God gave humanity a choice, we made the wrong one... When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit in the book of Genesis, they abandoned God, went there own way. As Humanity left God and embraced sinful life, perfection left the world as we were separated from God. (Sin is the separation of God). God sent Jesus to bridge that gap between us and God. Jesus didn't come and rule as a king, and make everything perfect as humanity expected him too, he came as a servant. Died for us so we can be with God. If God made the world perfect, there would be no need to strive, no need for heaven, we would already be there. If everything was peachy, we would have built no character, wouldn't have to solve problems, it just sounds unrealistic. i don't believe God choreographs tragedies But he does allow them to happen. A favorite verse of mine, "consider it pure joy my brothers and sisters when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance Let perseverance finish its work so you may mature and complete, not lacking anything." James 1: 2-4 I live in the U.S. My life is better and easier than some in this country and many other countries. Why we all get dealt different hands I have no idea. That's a question I have struggled with for a long time. I am content with not knowing everything in Christianity, that is where faith comes in. The Pharisees thought they had it all figured out, but they were way off. If you think you know everything about God, you are waaaaay off.

Answer 4

Because of the original sin of disobeying God and the subsequent fall. The world and everything in it is not as it should be.

From the book of Romans:

For I consider that our present sufferings cannot even be compared to the glory that will be revealed to us. For the creation eagerly waits for the revelation of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility - not willingly but because of God who subjected it - in hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage of decay into the glorious freedom of God's children. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers together until now. Not only this, but we ourselves also, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we eagerly await our adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope, because who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with endurance.

Catholic AnswerThe definition of evil is a lack of God. God created everything in the world, and called it good. Anything that has being or existence is good. God created angels and men with free will so that they could choose. They do not always choose God, when they choose something other then God, they are committing sin and evil enters in. Think of it like this: if God was the sun shining in the sky, now, turn around, away from the sun. What do you see? A shadow. The shadow is NOTHING, it is an absence of light. That is what evil is. The devil, himself, was created good, it was only when he turned away from God and in on himself that he became evil.

The only one who has existed forever is God; he is the only beginning of everything, and he created only what is good. The Bible reveals to us a God who is pleased because he has created everything beautiful and good, with the goal of life and happiness.

Evil entered the world when God willed to create beings of extraordinary greatness because he made them intelligent and free. Freedom, both for angels and for men, is an irreplaceable greatness. Evil came into being because first an angel and then man abused this gift of God. Therefore, evil did not always exist. It originated when some of the angels rebelled against their Creator. Even then, God manifested His divine mercy and wisdom, because, even though he tolerates evil--he never rejects his creatures--nor does he take away their power to harm others--he is able to bring about good from evil. Therefore, even though diseases, suffering, persecutions, perfidy, and all the evil in the world did not originate with God, he can use them for our sanctification and, therefore, for our own good.

Answer 5

The problem with suffering is that it causes harm, trauma, and sometimes emotional or physhological scars as well as physical pain. Evil leads to suffering, when someone does something evil to someone else it causes them to suffer. Love your neighbor as yourself. The neighbors in your house are your closest neighbor, treat your family with love. Christians will be neigbors with other Christians in eternity even if they don't live near each other now. You have neighbors where you live and we all live on earth together. Treat people with love and care, don't sin against anyone, don't do evil to anyone.. There is two types of evil moral and natural. Some people believe God might be the creator of evil because he is omnipotent and omniscient.

Answer 6

In Christianity, evil is the result of Satan winning over the sinner and causing the distance between us and God to become wider. Evil causes us to suffer, and evil introduced pain, crying, and death into our world, as seen in Genesis Chapter 1.

Answer 7

Evil is a problem because it is wrong and because it causes great harm to those on whom it is inflicted. Suffering may be the result of evil, but in any case suffering causes distress and misery.

They are a problem for theologians because in a world created by an all-powerful, all-knowing and all-good deity, there should be no evil or suffering. Philosophers say their existence can only be explained, assuming God actually exists, if he is not all-powerful, all-knowing or all-good.

Answer 8

Evil is by definition a vacuum, it is when something is missing that should be there - God, and His Grace. Evil is a darkness where there should be light. Evil is a turning from God and are subsequent sin. Evil comes about from man and our free will which God has given to us in order that we may freely love Him.

Without free will, there would be no evil, but God has allowed it to exist in order that He may bring a greater good out it than otherwise would have been possible. Without free will, there would be no evil, but without evil and free will, we never would have needed a Savior: as the Exultet sings in glory at the Easter Vigil: "Oh happy fault that merited for us such a great redeemer."

Thus we thank God that He in His infinite wisdom has allowed evil to come into the world, like everything else, He shows His glory, His power, and His love. Something which we shall not fully understand until the next world, but we accept in faith here.

Suffering is not supposed to be a problem, suffering is how we are to follow Our Blessed Lord. Suffering is a result of evil, and is allowed by God in order for us to deny ourselves, and accept our suffering and offer it up to Him. We are also here to alleviate the suffering of our brothers, as we treat them we will be judged as everyone of them is Christ. This is covered in the last portion of the 25th Chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel. Matthew 25:31-46.

We need to accept our suffering joyfully, deny ourselves, and take up our cross daily and follow Him. Matthew 16:24-25; Luke 9:23-24.

Answer 9

If you posit a universe made by a compassionate and loving God then the existence of suffering and evil will give you a problem. There are, it seems to me, two kinds of evil; that caused by other humans and that caused by the normal course of natural events. One is personal and directed, the other is not. Both cause suffering. i do not accept that God is responsible for either of these evils. The universe is simply how it is; God brought it into being and has allowed it to run according to the laws of physics, chemistry and Biology, this has inevitably meant that some beings have and are and will suffer simply because of the fact that these laws make no allowance for sentience.

As for the other evils they are caused by humanity's inability to be compassionate, by our excellence at selfishness and by our blindness to what others need. God does not wish evil for anyone but is not going to suspend the laws of the universe so that people are not killed or maimed in earthquakes (as an example) ; nor will God force people to act in compassionate and ethical ways. It is our job as humans to both act compassionately and ethically ourselves and to expect such actions of others.

Can I recommend for you two very different takes on this question? Robert Farrar Capon's,

"The third peacock : the goodness of God and the badness of the world." ISBNs: 0866834974 ;9780866834971 and Rabbi Harold Kuschner's "When bad things happen to good people; ISBNs: 0805237739, 9780805237733, 080524039X, 9780805240399.

Answer 10

they are a problem because we struggle to accept them, or we kick out against them, and we ponder why they (need?) to exist.

Consider the two following quotes, which seem to clash. One is Isaiah 45:7, which clearly states that God "creates evil." The second is Lamentations 3:38, which says "from the mouth of the Most High, evil...did not result."

The answer to the contradiction may be seen in a third verse, Proverbs 19:3, which says "the foolishness of a man corrupts his way, yet his anger is directed against God." Meaning, that while some evil is undoubtedly created by God (such as the death of an infant), a lot of evil is the result of humans' choices. God has given us the gift of free-will (Deuteronomy 30:15-20); and without the possibility of bad results, free-will would be vitiated.

Entire books (such as Job) have long ago been written about the existence of suffering. Suffice it to say that Judaism sees the existence of evil as a test, and/or the result of our own (humans') bad choices, and/or a warning (such as pain, which shows you what part of your body needs repair) or a message (Genesis 42:22), and/or mere misinterpretation (such as the bee's sting, which to a child is unmitigated evil but which adults recognize as a protection for that insect which pollinates all fruit-bearing trees).

In any case, this life was never meant to be a walk in the park. People are meant to invest hard effort in this world (see Job 5:7), and suffering is a factor which should assist us in gaining understanding.

Suffering teaches us:

• our mistakes (Genesis 42:22)
  
• to repent
  
• that we are not all-powerful or in control
  
• that this life is not meant to be uninterrupted pleasure
  
• to have sympathy for sufferers (Exodus 23:9)
  
• humility; maturity; acceptance; fortitude.

Also, when viewed in the context of the afterlife, when worthy people who suffered may be recompensed and the prosperous wicked will have the opposite, the apparent injustices of this world become easier to understand.