Explain why G-d allows tragedies to happen

[Gwenyfur]

This might fit...it might be a bit off...but here's where i come from on "bad things to good people"

Originally Posted by Genesis 3:14-23 KJV

14 So the LORD God said to the serpent:
“ Because you have done this,
You are cursed more than all cattle,
And more than every beast of the field;
On your belly you shall go,
And you shall eat dust
All the days of your life.

15 And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her Seed;
He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.”
16 To the woman He said:
“I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception;
In pain you shall bring forth children;
Your desire shall be for your husband,
And he shall rule over you.”
17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’:
“ Cursed is the ground for your sake;
In toil you shall eat of it
All the days of your life.
18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,
And you shall eat the herb of the field. 19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread
Till you return to the ground,
For out of it you were taken;
For dust you are,
And to dust you shall return.”
20 And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
21 Also for Adam and his wife the LORD God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.
22 Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—
23 therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

From this small passage we see that not just the snake was cursed, Adam adn Eve were not just thrown from the garden, but the very earth G-d created as a paradise for us...was cursed...

When people say it's a "fallen world" they're a lot closer to the truth than they realize. The earth was cursed right alongside mankind.

Why are there famines? G-d cursed the paradise of Eden and we no longer have perfect weather for our existence
Why are their floods? same reason
Why do people die? Same reason
WHy are there diseases same reason...

We are cursed fallen creatures, living on a cursed earth...

We can take joy in this:

This is the only hell a christian will ever know!

We can weep for this:

This is the only heaven the lost will ever know!

[edb19]

I don't think you're off at all - wonderful, wonderful post.

[Gwenyfur]

Thanks...

[wmc1982]

death to serpents!

[Gwenyfur]

Originally Posted by wmc1982

death to serpents!

my mother would agree...she's terrified...
I wonder sometimes if that too is a byproduct of our cursed existence...the seemingly inherent female fear of snakes...

[EgonTowst]

We simply don't know, but it may just be a test of faith. Whenever the Bible records a tragedy and people ask Jesus why it happened, He never gives them a theoretical explanation. He basically just tells them to trust God.

I think natural disasters are the most difficult part of this question to answer. We can't blame God for things such as terrorist attacks, murder, and even some diseases, because it is mankind's disobedience of God that causes these things (for example, smoking often results in lung cancer). It would therefore be extremely selfish for us to expect God to prevent the consequences of our own actions when we don't obey what He has commanded that we do. God doesn't cause those consequences to come on us as a way of expressing anger toward those who disobey them. It's more like warning, looking out for our safety. Just like a parent will tell a child not to play in the street, for his/her own safety, God commands that we do certain things for our own good. We may not understand why He commands that we do certain things, but we should just trust Him because He knows best. If we don't obey Him, it's our own faults when we face the consequences of those actions.

I read an article a few years ago about a hospital that was being built on a major fault line in Los Angeles. I haven't read anything else about it since but it's probably finished now. Geologists were warning city planners not to build any large structures in that area because of the major fault line running through it. They warned that it is a major hazard and only a matter of time before a large structure there without good earthquake resistance would be destroyed. The city planners ignored the geologists' advice and went ahead with the construction of a large hospital right on top of that fault line anyway, because the location of it was otherwise very convenient. So man has ignored God's warning there once again. But guess who's going to get the blame once a major earthquake rips through LA and thousands of innocent people, already sick or injured in the hospital, are killed? God, of course. Everyone's going to say, "If God really existed, He wouldn't have allowed this to happen." But in all honesty, think about how little sense that makes. Say a parent warns a child time after time not to play in the street. Then the child plays in the street anyway and he gets hit by a car. What if that child were in the hospital angry at his parent then, saying that if his parent really loved him, they would have prevented that accident? It doesn't make any sense. Person A warns person B about something, but they don't believe it; then once person B experiences whatever they were warned about, they suddenly blame it on person A as if they never warned them in the first place. I think it's very ironic how so many people in the world choose to live their own lives in disobedience (and even disbelief) toward God, yet then as soon as something bad happens as a result of that disobedience, they blame it on God, as if they basically expect Him to conform to their own standards and desires in everything.

But of course not all suffering is the result (at least directly) of our disobedience toward God. Take for example the major tsunami in 2004 in southeast Asia. You can't argue that however many hundred thousand people who died down there were in some way more disobedient toward God than the rest of the world. Things like this I think are just reminders of the fact that we live in a messed up world, and we need to turn to God in order to get out of the mess. Some might argue that if God really loved us He wouldn't allow such a tragedy to occur. But for the sake of argument, let's assume they're right in claiming this. Where does that leave us? That'd just leave us in a godless world with disasters still continuing to occur, without any hope at all. What good is that? That argument is just a pointless expression of anger. It may be a good question, but it certainly doesn't make anything better by choosing not to believe or trust in God as a result. On the contrary, trusting in God as a result of such disasters can certainly bring hope. If the Bible is true (which it is) and God is who He says He is (which He is), then the only possible way to ever escape the evil and suffering we hate so much is to trust in Him. We will go through difficult times all the days of our lives, but if we put our full trust in Him, after death we'll reach an eternity where suffering no longer exists. The ground was cursed because of Adam's disobedience toward God. We live in a messed up world where things happen that aren't suppose to happen. The only way to get away from that is trust in the One who created the original world before it was cursed.

Another reason God allows suffering at times I believe is because sometimes, in the messed up imperfect world we live in, such things are necessary in order for greater goods to come about. Take the stoning of Stephen in Acts 7 for example. He was brutally murdered for no reason but doing what God asked Him to do. He was just sharing the faith. But his commitment to the faith even in death, and his praying for the forgiveness of the very people who were in the process of killing him, touched the heart of Paul who was standing nearby watching the whole event occur. If it was not for Stephen's death, Paul may not have ever given his life over to Christ. And where would that leave Christianity today considering that he then went on to write 2/3rds of the New Testament? For all we know, the brutal murder of an innocent man could have opened the way for millions more to have been saved. I don't know about you, but I think someone who truly had their heart committed to God would even feel honored to die in such a way. What better way to die than to give your life for the sake of millions of other people? It's what Jesus did after all.

The simple fact is we can't know the future, and we can't know why things happen. But God does know, so the only smart thing to do is just trust in Him. It's hard to imagine good coming from something so bad, but how can we be sure that God does not allow temporary lesser evils in order for greater goods to come about? If He were to prevent these temporary lesser evils, for all we know, the world could be in an even worse place today than it currently is.

[memoriesbymichelle]

We must be careful not to assume we know why things happen. They don't always happen as a judgement (remember Job) and alot of it is because we live in a fallen world. It's not always because we are disobedient. Alot of people smoke and never get cancer. Not all people die when they get cancer, but my husband, my mom and my father-in-law all did. Do I think it was because of judgement on them? Not necessarily. I prayed and had faith that my husband would be healed. Guess what? HE WAS! Just not on this earth the way I thought he would be. Am I mad at God or do I even think God caused it? Not necessarily. Do I think he allowed it? Absolutely! But I do not want to question the bigger picture because I do not want God to respond to me like he responded to Job. I was not there when he created the earth and I do believe he has a plan for each of our lives. I am just trying to figure out what my destiny on this journey of life is. There are no easy answers, but I am curious what the OP's thoughts are.

[Court Jester]

Originally Posted by EgonTowst

But of course not all suffering is the result (at least directly) of our disobedience toward God. Take for example the major tsunami in 2004 in southeast Asia. You can't argue that however many hundred thousand people who died down there were in some way more disobedient toward God than the rest of the world. Things like this I think are just reminders of the fact that we live in a messed up world, and we need to turn to God in order to get out of the mess. Some might argue that if God really loved us He wouldn't allow such a tragedy to occur.

I think that it's important to understand that we ARE suffering as a result of our sin. The fallen nature of this world is a result of sin, both personal and inherited. Someone asked me once, "Why do bad things happen to good people". My response was, "They don't! There are no good people." That opened the conversation up for mand being "Wicked above all else." Had I thought about it a little more before I answered, I might have told him, "There has only ever been one good person, and the bad things that happened to Him were for payment of the sins of man."

Either way, that question is an opportunity to share the Gospel.

But that isn't really a fully satisfying answer. I mean, there is a part of that question that is saying, "Doesn't God love us? Doesn't he care that we suffer?" That's the part of the question that is more difficult and, ultimately, impossible to answer fully. Here are some of the better responses that I have learned/adopted after searching for this myself.

1. "The Righteous shall live by faith."

Is there any more oft quoted statement in all of scripture? I can't think of any, and I think this is the answer God would give us. We have faith that our God is good, and his plan is perfect for us.

2. "If God has proven Himself faithful in these things you do understand, can you not trust Him in the ones you do not?" Ravi Zacharias.

That's not an exact quote, but it is the main idea. He was discussing God's response to Job, when Job asked Him why all these things had happened to him. God responds with a series of 66 questions. I think this is a positivel brilliant interpretation of this scripture.

3. "I will praise you in this storm, and I will lift my hands, for you are who you are, no matter where I am. Every tear I cry, you hold in your hands, and though my heart is torn, I will praise you in this storm." Casting Crowns.

When do you ever learn to just be held by the Almighty then when you are at the moment of your greatest pain? You are refined by the fire of suffering. It is the ultimate testing of your faith. If you don't have it, it will drive you away. If you do have it, then it will draw you closer. If you ever want to know your own heart for God, ask yourself, "How did I respond when the heat got turned up?" I think it's quite gracious of God to test us. It gives us the answers to eternal questions that we could otherwise never know.

Again, those are just my thoughts.

[TrinityLives]

I read the headline thinking of what I could add... reading all of your replies I have nothing!!!

Awesome replies, good to see so many have their faith right where it should be , in HIS hands!!

God Bless

[NeverAlone]

One of the few times I will ever do a serious post...this is just something that is very near and dear to me.

1 Peter 1:7 and Romans 5:3-5 I think say it all.

Romans 5:3-5
Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

1 Peter 1:7
These have come so that your faith?of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire?may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.

Superchic(K) has a song called beauty from pain which is so very true and really beautiful.
"After all this has passed, I still will remain. After I've cried my last, there will be beauty from pain."

Everything that happens, happens for a reason. Now this is always easy to say when you aren't going through hardships but I know from my own experience that whenever I have gone through a hardship in my life, it has taught me something that I may never otherwise understood. I've reached the point where I welcome hardship...ok well try to at least. It is hard but it is definitely possible.