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God and catastrophe
If God is good, all-powerful, and loving, why do bad things happen? (Katrina.)
January 22nd, 2008 at 4:09 pm
C.S. Lewis, an atheist that became a great Christian writer, wrote a book called The Problem of Pain, in which he wrestles with this issue.
I would try to sum up the thoughts but this website has already done so.
Lewis sets the stage by saying: “The possibility of solving [the problem] depends on showing that the terms ‘good’ and ‘almighty’, and perhaps also the term ‘happy’, are equivocal: for it must be admitted from the outset that if the popular meanings attached to these words are the best, or the only possible, meaning, then the argument is unanswerable”.
Whether you are Christian or not, the explanation given by Lewis in this book is beneficial for anyone wanting to truly seek the intellectual truth of this issue.
January 23rd, 2008 at 10:01 am
I believe a great deal of this has to do with the free-will that God has given man. God doesn’t want a lot of zombies roming the earth, so he lets us choose our own path. He loves us so much, that we are permitted to reject him if we so choose. God is perfect and holy. He allows imperfect humans to reject him and make mistakes, so that we can learn and grow.
Its like playing with fire. You are far less likely to play with fire (sin) if you have the experience of being burned. Actions have consequences, whether good or bad. As a result of man’s free-will, his imperfect nature sometimes strays outside the perfect will of God. This is called sin.
Our world has been imperfect since the sin of Adam and Eve long ago. God often uses undesirable circumstances to make us stronger and wiser. It strengthens our character.
Sometimes humans cannot comprehend an individual act of God. However, Christ-Followers believe His will is perfect and good, and they trust that He has everything under control.
January 23rd, 2008 at 8:33 pm
There was a speaker that spoke about this issue last year in the fall during IV’s “Why?” series. The spokesperson came to the conclusion that bad things happen as a result of our sinful actions MOST of the time.
However, God does still issue out punishment and will at the end of the world. In doing this he is also referred to as the Judge of Judges and the perfect Judge.
May 25th, 2008 at 10:37 pm
That is a good question Katrina.
We must understand that the world was created GOOD in the beginning. In Genesis chapter 1, “God saw that it was good…”
God Created a perfect environment in the Garden of Eden. No death, no illness, no disease, no natural disasters etc.
God specifically told Adam not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. One simple command. The problem came, when Adam and Eve disobeyed God i.e. rebelled against God which is SIN. God gave them a choice to obey or to disobey. We messed it up, not God.
(Romans 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so DEATH PASSED UPON ALL MEN, for that all have sinned:”)
As a result, everyone born today inherit a sin nature i.e. we do what is best for us. (Romans 3:23 “For ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”) We do not have to teach our child to be selfish, they know it naturally. The perfect environment is gone and we live in a fallen world (filled with natural disasters, diseases) which are part of God’s judgment upon evil men.
God’s nature though is still the same, must punish sin since God is Holy and Just. God is also Love in the fact that He has sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ into the world and His sacrifice on the cross enables us now to have fellowship with Him. Before that happens, we as individuals must realize that we are sinners, guilty before God. (Have you ever lied, stolen, used God’s name in vain? If so, you are a sinner) We must repent of our sins and turn to Jesus Christ ALONE for salvation, by faith realize that His death, burial and resurrection was the work that He did to pay the penalty for our sins (which is burning in hell forever). No works needed for salvation. Once you are saved, you are born again, you have fellowship with God and ALL of your sins are forgiven.
If you would like to talk further Katrina, please let me know.
God Bless