beyond reasonable doubt? week 7 - the problem of evil and suffering

Why me?

Reasons to support belief in God Challenges against belief in God

“Where does evil come from then?” “How come your ‘good’ God allows people to suffer?” Challenging Questions

“What is evil?” “Where does evil come from?” Typical Questions

“How can God do this to me or my loved ones?” “Why has God allowed this suffering to come upon us?” “Where are you God?” Painful Questions

“Why do bad things happen to good people?” “Why is there so much evil and suffering in the world?” “How can I believe in a loving God when this has happened?” Painful Questions

“How can we justify suffering and believe in an all-powerful, wholly good and loving God?” Underlying Question

Wicked acts such as violence Wicked acts such as violence Warfare Warfare Natural disasters Natural disasters Death and bereavement Death and bereavement Illness Illness Poverty Poverty Persecution for beliefs Persecution for beliefs

“Why do bad things happen to good people?” The Wrong Question

“No. Good things happen to bad people” The Right Answer

God Knows...

God shares...

God promises...

Summary The sovereign and utterly good God created a good universe. We human beings rebelled; rebellion is now so much part of our make-up that we are all enmeshed in it. Every scrap of suffering we face turns on this fact. The Bible itself centres on how God takes action to reverse these dreadful effects and their root cause, sin itself; and the believer’s hope is the new heaven and earth where neither sin nor sorrow will ever be experienced again. D.A.Carson

Your questions?

beyond reasonable doubt? week 7 - the problem of evil and suffering