“Can God Allow Innocent Suffering”
Most of us wonder why things happen to us the way they do. We base what happens around our beliefs and values. Some people consider things such as natural disasters or a loved one dying being innocent suffering. This question is debated between whether it can be accepted or there isn’t anything causing or stopping it from happening in the first place. So the question is, can God allow innocent suffering.
The Contradictor discusses that there isn’t a God at all. People will do their best to explain why their beliefs are true. In all reality, facts are facts and unless people are able to support their reasons then the facts will always override the opinions. People are always going through something, whether it be personal or happening to many. People do stupid things like school shootings and innocent children suffer. Fires break out and kill an innocent family in the middle of the night. Hurricanes that cover the area of more the three states causes thousands to loose their homes and personal belongings, have no way to get shelter and are starving. Do these people deserve to be put through all of this and later in life to only look at it like it was a tragedy. The question is why people suffer. If there is a God, why would these bad things happen to innocent people. Its obvious that God can do what he wants and if he wants to eliminate it (and why would he not?), then why do people still go through these tragedies? If we are capable of doing something we want to do then we will do it. The same applies to God and stopping innocent suffering. The Contradictor explains that either he does not want to eliminate it or he simply cant. Some argue it is not that he cant eliminate it or does not want to, it is that he gave us the option to make our own decisions. But there is not just human evil. The “Free Will Theory” does not excuse the natural disasters, disease, famine, and war.
On the other hand the Reconciler, discusses that evil is compatible with the existence of God. Evil can exist and God can exist to. It says that God has a reason to allow evil to occur. In order for us to become who we are we have to go through pain and suffering, they say it builds character. The nonbelievers say they would completely eliminate the pain and suffering if they could rebuild the world . When in all reality we wouldn’t be who we are today. Myself, being a student, reaching towards a degree, working two jobs and also trying to make a living, wouldn’t be the same person if the world was all peaches and cream. On the other hand, people that don’t work, live off of the government and are constantly causing themselves their own pity wouldn’t be the person that are today. Who knows how the world be but it surely wouldn’t make things completely positive. We as individuals acquire our character through others and the people around us. Some people are more trusting, some are better to have there during a crisis or time of need and some aren’t. The way an individual builds its character is through its own life experiences. We have tragedy’s, accomplishments, and personal challenges. In order for that character to be built we must overcome these phases and process them in a way that we learn from them. A sixteen year old girl gets caught drinking by her parents and she learns the consequences to not do it again, which in return teaches her to be more responsible and learn from her mistakes. A college student completes his requirements to get his associates and it makes him/her feel accomplished , which in return pushes him/her to strive harder to get his/her bachelors to be more successful in life. All of these things play a huge roll in our lives to help us make it through life and build our character to make us the person we are today.
An average person would desire to move forward in their everyday life. If the world was perfect and didn’t have any qualms or heartaches we wouldn’t have anything to strive for. The pleasure world seems to forget that if we have no pain, no suffering, no hunger, no anger, no crime, or even death that no one would have the chance to develop character and find purpose. An individual can see what they really want out of life and what makes them happy.
We also must pick and choose our battles very carefully. I do agree with the Reconciler. If we must go through life and face these challenges to see the light in our own path then so be it. These challenges are opportunity’s for us to face and to realize that we are one step closer, mentally, physically, and emotionally, to our future. We cant guarantee anything in this world but we also have to wrestle with them and make them our mightiest efforts to reach our goals. We wouldn’t know how something happened or worked without experience.