Why has God allowed this to go on for so long

by watersprout 65 Replies latest jw friends

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  GoingGoingGone

  "God is waiting for humans to see that the only way this life works right is by the WILLING acceptance of his rules of order. It is pretty basic that if all human life were to use the rules of the sermon on the mount as a means to live and do so because they WANT to, the morass of mess that exists now will begin to change."

  And that would stop earthquakes that kill thousands? Or tsunamis that kill hundreds of thousands?

  "The only problem that requires the existence of God is to remove death." What about cancer? We may be able to cure cancer - but have you witnessed the suffering that chemotherapy causes? Watched a child nearly die from a bone marrow transplant? Why is that ok with god? GGG
• 

  truthseeker

  I don't think anyone truly understands why this milleniums old issue has lasted so long.

  For those that believe the Bible, it is mystifying why suffering has not ended after 6,000 years. The problem is, we don't have all the facts.

  We only know what happens here through various forms of media and our own personal experiences.

  We know nothing about the spirit realm and on this the Bible is virtually silent, with the exception of a statement by the apostle Paul: "We have a wrestling, not against blood and flesh, but against the governments, against the authorities, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the wicked spirit forces in the heavenly places.”

  The Devil's job and that of his followers is to prevent Bible prophecy from happening (think back to when Herod tried to eliminate the infant Jesus); if he can do that, he can win his godship and live forever, although the scriptures make it clear that God will win this war.
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  PSacramento

  The Devil's job and that of his followers is to thwart Bible prophecy; if he can do that, he can win his godship and live forever, although the scriptures make it clear that God will win this war.

  Dude, the devil has no power, he had no power over Job untill God gave it to him so as to show how silly he was to make a bet with an all knowing being, His infulence was dashed in regards to Christians upon the coming of the HS, all one has to do is "resist the devil and he will flee".

  What little influence he has left is applied to non-believers and even then, the choice is THEIRS.
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  Designer Stubble

  The only conclusion for me is that God does not exist. If, you and I as simple human beings would do something about the suffering if we had the power - than how come someone who is omnipotent and love itself allows billions of people to suffer, get sick, live in poverty and eventually die - all because two people ate a f*cking apple. No the only valid explaination for me is that the scientific explaination of big-bang and evolution must be true.

  If I am wrong and God does exist, he can take a freaking hike - I want no part of such a person...
• 

  truthseeker

  PSacamento,

  Interesting point you make.

  Satan's miscalculations of how mankind would react under a given situation reveals that he underestimated some would remain faithful; in the spirit realm a little more than one-third of God's angels became unfaithful.

  God chose Job because he was of perfect integrity and turned a deaf ear to Satan's way of thinking; although Satan did not choose Job, he lumped Job in with his theory that all of humankind were exactly the same; he used the same ideology that direct creations like the angels shared a common root with mankind and only served God for the same reasons that people like Job were faithful. In Satan's mind, faithfulness to God came with a high price, so he questioned Job's integrity:
  
  Job 1:9-11 "Satan answered the LORD, "Does Job fear God for nothing? Haven't You placed a hedge around him, his household, and everything he owns? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions are spread out in the land. But stretch out Your hand and strike everything he owns, and he will surely curse You to Your face."

  Satan reasoned that as long as things went well for Job, he would remain faithful but if God appeared to alter things, then undue hardship would cause Job to turn on God.
• 

  startingover

  Sspo nailed it. It's such a simple no nonsense answer.

  Streets76- well put!!
• 

  steve2

  God hasn't allowed suffering. Man was the one that started it all - they need to find a solution to it. This is not Gods' problem, it's yours and mine

  Actually, views on this very point are very wide ranging and some do not "let" God/Creator off the hook so easily.

  If this world was created and regardless of cause, evil predominates, a Creator who lets it continue is as guilty as the evil doers.

  If you had the power, could you knowingly "stand by" and allow children to be abused and killed? When would you step in and say, "Enough is enough". Saying that all humans are responsibile for evil undoubtedly has a grain of truth in it, but it is far from the whole truth.

  Besides, even among humans, we endeavour to enforce laws on human conduct and convict, judge and sentence wrongdoers. The fact that the history of evil goes back millenia and continues into the present is a particularly difficult one for believers to explain away.

  Among the smuggest explanations are those that assert God is somehow above all of this and should not be blamed. Hello?! I prefer to hold responsible those who have the power to stop it who chose not to. It is academic why it has continued; fact is, it has continued and if there is a Creator, the buck needs to stop there.

  But I am a mere field mouse, easily squashed, so I better tred carefully (but it still doesn't satsifactorily answer the question - that is, if a Creator is "out there"...somewhere.
• 

  gubberningbody

  Yup sacramento.

  To insist on my own existence at the price of all the pain and suffering which led to my existence would make me as much of a monster as any creator who sponsored this evil time-line.
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  miseryloveselders

  Steve2, your post made me think about the mosaic law, and Exodus 21:29, where if a bull had a habit of goring, and the owner didnt take steps to secure the animal and it killed someone, then both the bull and the owner were put to death. So the law had stipulations regarding what we might call negligence, or even good samaritan laws if you want to stretch it. The point being, back then you could be put to death for not taking action regarding a problem that was capable of harming other people. According to JW theology, for the past 4,000 years or so, the human race has been in the middle of a debate. On one side, there's someone who's referred to as a roaring lion seeking to devour someone. 1 Pet 5:8.. On the other hand, there's a loving Creator who cares for me, but he doesn't have a problem allowing this roaring lion roam free devouring people. The same lion He created. And to top it off, neither one of them will let me know they're out there watching me. So I have a spiritual predator after me, and a invisible, negligent zookeeper. To top it off, if I make the mistake of not believing the zookeeper is still around and performing His duties, he's gonna destroy me forever, or burn me forever, or whatever you believe is the ultimate judgement. It just doesnt make sense somedays. So for 4000 years plus of suffering on this planet was all for a debate regarding a disagreement between spirit creatures. It just seems a bit much over an argument.
• 

  Chalam

  Welcome watersprout!

  Why has God allowed this suffering to continue?

  Another question is why has man allowed this suffering to continue for so long?

  For example, we have enough food on the planet to feed everyone but some are dying of morbid obesity whilst other starve.

  Blessings,

  Stephen