WHY DOES GOD ALLOW SUFFERING?

Bad things happen. Our perennial question will be “Does God care? Why doesn’t He interfere? Isn’t He almighty? If God is omnipotence, why doesn’t He end suffering? If God is kind, why does He inflict suffering on human beings?” It is difficult for us to comprehend why we do have to suffer. Doesn’t life intend to be good? If God is a loving God, why doesn’t He protect His children from suffering? Deist Philosophers seek on the answer by looking at the meaninglessness of life. Theologians discuss this issue by trying to reconcile the problem of evil with the characteristics of God – omnibenevolence, omnipotence and omniscience (all-loving, all-powerful and all-knowing).

Evil is not God’s creation but it is the result of “free will”, hence it is misuse of free will that causes suffering and thus suffering becomes inherent. God does not press “Ctrl+Alt+Enter” when His creation goes wrong. He did not cast it away and rebuild a new and better version. Instead, He creatively makes use of what has happened to make us loveable. You may argue that “God is almighty why doesn’t He choose a better and easy way?” Well, He already takes on the best way. God is almighty but His almightiness does not do “crap”. God can make a triangle and also a square but He cannot make a triangle square for a triangle is not a square and a square is not a triangle. He does not change a bullet to a peppermint or a nuclear warhead to a huge pillow.

Let us look at how God deals with suffering. He incarnated, coming to the world in human form and experienced great suffering to “undo” or using a better word to “fix” what has gone wrong. God redeemed humanity by His own suffering. He is the God who empathizes with our weakness (Hebrew 4.15). He is not the God who does not care but He understands suffering (Exodus 2.23-25). Have you ever asked a simple question, “Why do parents send their children to school?” Most children do not feel comfortable at school on their first day, some might cry terribly. Suffering is not merely bad; it can derive something good too. God does not erase suffering at this moment for He is making use of what has already happened to mold and make us lovable whilst He promises to end it on the Last Day. Suffering is not eternal it will end on the coming of our Lord. Let us turn suffering as barriers to suffering as stepping stones!

Batam, 21 Januari 2013

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