There have been many attempts at explaining why there is suffering in this world and none of them as really explained it to any satisfaction.

For background I suggest you read the current blogalogue on beliefnet between Bart Erhman and N.T. Wright. I will provide links to the first two exchanges. You can go on to the others at beliefnet.

Bart Erhman: Why suffering is God's problem.

N.T. Wright: God's Plan to Rescue Us.

I welcome any original Christian ideas around this problem (in fact any ideas around this would be welcome)...

I wonder what role suffering has in our lives? Is it simply a consequence of bad things that happen to us? Poor choices? Punishment? Teaching us a lesson(s)? And why is suffering so banal at times

It usually doesn't announce itself with a flourish, sometimes it sneaks up on us, even plays with us and sadly for some it kills us. All sorts of questions derive from the very existence of suffering. Whole religions have grown up around suffering as ultimate meaning and ultimate resolution to man's problems.

I've thought at times that God was using suffering as an attention-getter to speak to me as directly as he can without doing that "Moses: let me see you" thing. So now that a very good friend of mine is suffering, I ask "why?" Most theologians and philosophers will say a lot but it reduces itself to basically "because."

All this suffering and an all loving God makes things tricky for Christians.

All this suffering and no one in charge makes this either completely inscrutable or perfectly logical for atheists/agnostics.

Just wonderin'

Alex

Seems that "suffering" is on the loose. With me , It has gotten personal and our normal rationalizations, explanations and theological babble isn't cutting it for me.

Sorry for the rant. Suffering is clearly here to stay!

Alex

CARDW

if WE believe that there is a war going on like
the bible says then we will have a good power or
force and a bad(evil) power or force...

the BIBLE says in JAMES 1: 17 every good gift
and every perfect gift come from above
so who is above???? GOD---JESUS---HOLY SPIRIT
so were does the bad(evil) come from
well the opposing force which is the devil and his
demons.....I would put suffering in the group

so good things GOD bad thing the devil

now with this said some time we people just
make foolish mistakes that will cause us suffering

so where does suffering come from

mostly from the devil but some times just from
our foolish mistakes

I HOPE this might help

dgrimm60

CARDW

GOD is in the saving business---the devil is in the
distorying business

and to answer you question were was GOD durning all
these sufferings.....the same place HE was when JESUS
was hanging on the cross


dgrimm60

Alex,

I think your "rant" captures the soul of this problem. Thanks for making it real.

dgrimm,

Enigmatic statements about god being present while Jesus was on the cross are ultimately unsatisfying because an all powerful god standing by while suffering occurs on levels like that are sickening.

God is either powerless or incompetent or masochistic. And none of those is a characteristic of someone we should admire.

Empathy informs us that when someone with the power to relieve suffering on that scale stands by, that person is evil.

I don't think Christianity has the solution to the problem of suffering. Only God can solve it, and God has revealed to people in the past how He is working to solve it. But according to His revelation, suffering will continue and even get worse before it finally ends. So while Christianity has good explanations of how suffering began and how it will end, Christianity itself can't stop suffering.

The problem of suffering, though, is directly connected to the problem of sin, and until people understand that, they aren't ready to understand what God has done and is doing about suffering. Many people only want to get rid of the pain without treating or solving the underlying cause, that of sin. I would define sin as anything which is contrary to God's will and His laws. God made the universe with both natural and moral law, and when we go against either of those laws, we suffer the consequences.

God's can't solve the problems of suffering, and death in a way that violates our individuality and freedom of choice. In other words, He refuses to treat us as puppets or change us against our will. It would do no good to stop all suffering while people are still choosing to sin and rebel against God's laws. To do so would be only to ensure that people would go on sinning. And if God were to change His laws so that man could sin without suffering, he wouldn't see anything wrong in sin.

For me, suffering is the result of a mean-spirited, evil Satan having his way.

So much of the time we flatter ourselves that what the Bible terms "sin" feels good to ourselves, when the end of it is desolation and suffering.

God knows that there are innocent victims. But he allowed people the freedom to choose anyway. I wonder if we appreciate just how big that gift is.

I don't think Christianity solves the problem of suffering, but it can try to alleviate it. I think of Mother Teresa and all the good she did for the suffering.