Why does God Allow Suffering and Evil? Lesson 2

 Christians believe that it doesn’t make logical sense to conceive God as a partly evil cause of suffering.  This denies God’s essence as total Love and Goodness, which enables God to offer us ultimate future of unending happiness without pain, suffering or evil.  To believe in no God is to eliminate the only real possibility for completely making sense of and ultimately drawing good and hope from all the pain, suffering and evil in the world.

 God permits moral evil out of respect for our human freedom.  Being all-good, God could allow pain, suffering and evil only for a greater good, much like a loving parent allows a child the freedom to fail and fall for the child’s own growth.  Tough Love – Threatening or remove our support of those who depend on us in an unhealthy way.  Gabi Martin’s Story Gabi Martin’s Story

 As Christians we also believe:  “You can trust God not to let you be tied beyond your strength, and with any trial he will give you a way out of it and the strength to bear it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13  This is very different from saying that God directly wills, intends or sends pain, suffering, or evils to torment or test us.  God does NOT “send” us trials such as cancers or AIDS or abusive relationships to punish us or to “test” our love or endurance.

 God helps us to draw good from pain, suffering and evil by becoming more loving and giving as a result of it.  God helps us prevent what is hurtful from also becoming harmful to ourselves or others and helps us make something good of it instead.  If God had not given us the ability to choose evil, we wouldn’t be capable of choosing the good either.

 Which approach to coping with the problem of pain, suffering and evil do you think is easier? Why?  Denying God’s existence  Believing that God is both good and evil  Believing in a good God who allows these for some greater good  Do you ever think in terms of God as “sending” you difficulties or suffering to test you or to make you a better person? Why or why not?  Have you ever heard others say things like “God never sends us more suffering than we can bear”? What do such remarks imply about God?

 Why so much pain, suffering and evil?  We have discussed some reasons why God might allow pain, suffering and evil to happen.  But wouldn’t there have been a better and less unpleasant way to accomplish the same good things than by pain and suffering?  God deliberately did not program the world and people to be entirely perfect but has given us the opportunity to participate in God’s design of building a new and more perfect creation.

 We can understand how our response to suffering can help us become more good and loving persons.  But why do unloving persons sometimes seem to suffer little while deeply good persons suffer a great deal?  Why do the innocent suffer – those who have never done anything wrong?  For Christians the answer to these questions lies in answering another one: Why did Jesus suffer as he did – he who was most good, loving and innocent of all?

 Jesus’ suffering and death redeemed us.  By triumphing over pain, suffering and evil, Jesus brought us back from having to remain captives of evil and despair forever.  His resurrection in glory responds to the mystery of evil and excessive suffering by giving us hope – the hope  “that what we suffer in this life can never be compared to the glory, as yet unrevealed, which is waiting for us.” Romans 8:18

 We have been discussing Pain and Suffering in the world and God’s relationship to it.  Carefully and prayerfully consider your response and with your group, creating a script in which you use the scenario given.  Given your own convictions and the information you have learned in class, be sure to include in the script a response to the individual(s) who are suffering or in pain.  You will have 20 minutes to prepare your script.  20 minor category points  The Fray – “You Found Me”The Fray – “You Found Me”

 You have worked collaboratively with your group to produce a script for your assigned scenario - _____/5 points  You have typed this neatly and posted it to the Collaboration Space in OneNote under your group number with the group members names listed - _____/5 points  Your script would be the equivalent of a one-to-two minute exchange between at least three characters in which each of them has a speaking part. _____/5 points  Your script includes an appropriate and accurate response to the individual(s) suffering which reflects the content learned in class. _____/10 points

Group 1- Drunk driver hits your friend and she is permanently disabled Group 2 - Friend’s brother dies after battling cancer. Group 3 - Younger sister of close friend is killed in a motorcycle accident. Group 4 - Friend’s mother is mugged and killed. Group 5 - Girlfriend of yours is being hit by her boyfriend. Group 6 - Girl you know whose family loses everything in a fire.