If God really loves us, why is there so much suffering?
Why doesn't he at least stop earthquakes, miscarriages and pandemics?
“In light of heaven, the worst suffering on earth, a life full of the most atrocious tortures on earth, will be seen to be no more serious than one night in an inconvenient hotel.” — Mother Teresa.
Last week I summarized some reasons God might allow people to commit evil acts — such as murder.
This week I am addressing why God allows us to suffer for things we can't control. It could be related to people hurting us, or a natural disaster, or some seemingly random event, like a spouse dying of a heart attack.
Logical responses for why God allows suffering provide just a portion of the answer.
There’s an understanding of suffering grasped only through experience.
Dr. Amy Orr-Ewing brings insights from both perspectives.
This short excerpt from her book on suffering is about the incongruence between a loving yet seemingly absent God.
The five-minute video briefly talks about the answer being about love and hope in Christ. She talks about about how God's love for us and free will underpin the Christian answer to suffering.
How could a loving God allow miscarriages?
Drs. Vice and Jo Vitale talk about having a miscarriage and the pain associated with it and the hope they have thanks to Christ eventually reuniting them with their son Lukkas in heaven. They do not provide a simple answer for why God would allow his death in the first place.
God knows and experienced what you are going through.
Dr. Sean McDowell in this video highlights God suffering with us, despite us not knowing why he allows the suffering. McDowell argues that Christianity provides the most compelling answer for why we suffer.
We will never fully understand why suffering exists.
Hope is what God gives us in the midst of suffering, not clear answers on why we’re suffering, argues philosopher Dr. William Lane Craig in this four-minute video. While we can't with our limited, finite mind, understand why on earth God allows suffering, atheism provides no answer to suffering. He also makes a good point that God doesn't expect us to suffer in silence. He wants us to voice our frustrations and hurts, realizing that emotionally when we suffer, it makes no sense at all to us.
Why would God allow the Covid-19 coronavirus?
A newsletter on suffering in 2021 wouldn't be complete if it didn't address our current pandemic. To that end, I wrote a post in 2020 specifically on it: