Why has God Permitted Wickedness?

by hillary_step 44 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  hillary_step

  Yes, I know what the WTS teaches....but what do you believe?

  If God exists why is there is so much suffering both among humans and even more so among his creation, where all animals must, deceive then eat one another to survive? If he does not exist why is there is so much suffering both among humans and even more so among nature where all animals must eat one another to survive?

  I started this thread as an attachment to one that Ness23 started earlier. Many exiting JW's want answers, not appreciating that while the WTS had all the 'answers' nicely boxed and labeled, it had very little truth and that a frightening scenario might exist that there are no answers but only questions, in fact questions that remain unanswered after a millennia of questioning, and billions of hours spent pondering the subject.

  Of course I have my own views, which will be clarified if the thread expands.

  Best regards - HS
• 

  amac

  I know the answer to this...it is because he has 10 other planets with worse societies than ours and he is just too busy with them.

  Edited to add:

  And I challenge anyone to disprove me.

  Edited by - amac on 9 September 2002 20:12:16
• 

  minimus

  WHY???? I REALLY don't know, for sure.
• 

  Scarlet

  Why is there so much good? So many people focus on whats bad with our world and nobody seems to actually take a look around and say "life isn't perfect, but theres a lot of good going on too".

  Do I deny that there is suffering? Certainly not, even I have suffered at times, but I've also experienced a lot of good in my life. Its part of the human experience and one of the things that comes with human free will. You can't have it both ways, either you are god's robot and live "happy" or you are loosed from those bonds and deal with life. I choose the latter because at the end of the day, in fact at the end of my life I think I will feel more satisfied and happier.

  HUmans still suffer needlessly though, but these problem's are mans doing, and man has to find a way to solve them. I think that the trend of human history shows that much of the needless suffering that goes on will be done away with BY MAN'S OWN HANDS. Maybe it won't be done in any of our lifetimes, in fact most likely it won't, but eventually it will. I just try to do my part by adding to the good while I am here.

  Damn, I posted under my wife's name again, this post is actually from RandomTask

  Edited by - Scarlet on 9 September 2002 20:17:10
• 

  hillary_step

  Hello Scarlet,

  Thank you for your comments. I agree there is also great beauty in nature and much goodness at the heart of man, but understanding this comes nowhere near answering this universal question, in fact it actually complicates it as it introduces the idea that the brutality which is the lot of millions of humans and all animals was actually planned.

  Best - HS
• 

  Dutchie

  I cannot imagine how a loving, caring God, as Jehovah is characterized by the watchtower society, can permit the wickedness that exists in the world today. I am far from perfect and do not see all, yet if it were in my power I would eradicate all the wrongs on the earth today. So why does Jehovah, the almighty, not do so?

  Is Jehovah really as powerful as he is claimed to be? Is Jehovah the loving God that he is portrayed as? Is the Bible really the word of God. I wish I had the answers to those questions. For centuries learned men and philsophers have tried to answer these questions and without conclusive proof, their theories remain just that.

  So my answer to the question posed, is I don't know. I don't think any of us will ever know and the best we can do is speculate.
• 

  expatbrit

  Hillary:

  My thoughts on why there is "wickedness" are pretty much summed up in this post which I notice completely failed to garner your interest when I first posted it. Therefore in the spirit of "advertise, advertise, advertise" I offer it again!

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.com/forum/thread.aspx?id=21395&site=3

  Expatbrit
• 

  LDH

  Because he's a narcissistic, selfish asshole?

  Lisa

  Waiting for her prize Class
• 

  A Paduan

  He hasn't - one day you'll return to dust; all have fallen short.

  But then, raised as a spiritual body, some will 'see life'. If indeed you had an eternity of time, your absolute greatest joy may be found in helping others.

  But, it may also be envy for the flesh, and everything that goes with it - hence, the burning hell.

  paduan
• 

  larc

  Well Hillary, I certainly don't have tha answers. Perhaps, God made planet earth a great big experiment and just let life go on in whatever manner it would. First off he had the bacteria which created a pollutant for them known as oxygen. Then bigger critters came along, with a few extinctions along the way. The last big one was when a great big rock hit the earth and wiped out the dinasours, and gave the then tiny mammals a chance. Then we came along at a much later date. Interesting history, aint it? Maybe God in not is not omiscient, and is just enjoying the whole developement of things, like a kid with a terariam.