9. Jehovah has deep love for people. 3, 4. What does the Bible teach? 5 Pastors, priests, and religious teachers often say that it is God’s will that people suffer. Suffering and death in this corrupted world are guaranteed for each of us. God is good but evil is also real and has influence in the world for now. The Bible says: “He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) In fact, God hates to see suffering much more than we do. Suffering forces us to turn from trust in our own resources to living by faith in God’s resources. 20, 21. TERMS OF USE He hates to see them suffer. We can decide whether we will serve him or not. Why Does God Allow Evil and Suffering? (Ecclesiastes 4:1; 8:9) Sometimes people suffer because of “time and unexpected events.” (Ecclesiastes 9:11) When they are in the wrong place at the wrong time, accidents and other bad things can happen to them. They thought that they had the right to decide for themselves what was right and what was wrong. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (commonly known as “Jehovah’s Witnesses”) teaches that God does not have a purpose or will at work in individual events of suffering or tragedy. Also, humans would believe that they are able to rule themselves successfully. It Reminds Us of the Reality of Sin. 7 The Bible tells us that “the whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.” (1 John 5:19) The ruler of this world, Satan, is vicious and cruel. Share Second, someday God will intervene, and all the evil and pain and sorrow we now experience will be destroyed. . “Far be it from the true God to act wickedly!” states the Bible. Many think God is to blame for all the suffering in the world. 9 Jehovah never causes suffering. Why can we be sure that Jehovah has a very good reason for allowing suffering to continue? They  often want to be more important than others. The only way to begin answering this question is to view our fallen world from God… He is “misleading the entire inhabited earth.” (Revelation 12:9) Many people imitate him. This question has been asked from time in memorial. There are millions of others who have decided to please God and to reject Satan. Satan challenged Jehovah in front of millions of angels. The Bible promises that all disasters and tragedies will soon be gone forever. Jehovah never causes bad things to happen. (Job 34:10) Who, then, is the prime instigator of misery? . It is designed to build our trust in the Almighty, but suffering requires the right response if it is to be successful in accomplishing God’s purposes. 21 Use your free will to serve Jehovah. “It is unthinkable for the true God to act wickedly, for the Almighty to do wrong!”​—Job 34:10. Humans have tried every kind of government, without success. On the proposition that the presence of suffering rules out the existence of a benevolent God, I’d ask what humanity would be if God didn’t allow suffering.  |  Copyright © 2021 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. Answer: There is so much suffering in the world, and it is felt by everyone to one degree or another. Jehovah is patient and has allowed time for us to come to know him and to choose him as our Ruler. Learn what God says about the reasons for suffering. The Scriptures tell us that suffering … God does not cause disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and floods. (a) Why did Jehovah not destroy the rebels immediately? Good News From God! Many are told that God’s ways are mysterious or that he brings … 17, 18. Would you like to read this article in %%? Still another reason might be persecution or simply the consequence of ignoring good principles. Learn From God’s Word. This is a difficult question and also a very common one. He’s not to blame for war, crime, and mistreatment. (Proverbs 27:11) What can you do now so that you will be there in God’s new world when he removes all suffering? Publication download options Suffering is a tool God uses to get our attention and to accomplish His purposes in our lives. Why is there so much suffering in the world? They fight, they go to war, and they bully others. So God has allowed Satan to rule this world for a time. Audio download options Why So Much Suffering? Cancer takes a mother’s life, leaving behind five children. 7, 8. Humans have had many kinds of governments, but they cannot rule the earth successfully without God. Sometimes people suffer because they are at the wrong place at the wrong time. By allowing the consequent suffering, the need to recognize God's right to rule and obey him would become clearly evident. Satan, Adam, and Eve chose to reject Jehovah. your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and bad.”​—Genesis 3:5. Would you like to read this article in %%? What Can the Bible Teach Us? (a) What questions did Habakkuk ask? Jehovah’s purpose was to fill the earth with perfect people, and that was going to happen no matter what the Devil tried to do.​—Genesis 1:28; Isaiah 55:10, 11. But that is a lie, and Jehovah would not support that either. Satan accused God of being a bad Ruler. Why now? (b) Why has Jehovah allowed Satan to be the ruler of this world and humans to govern themselves? Jehovah will use Jesus to undo all the damage that Satan has done. Publication download options . Yes. But suffering is not just a problem for Christians. Jehovah gave us the freedom to choose whether to serve him or not.  |  He gave humans the gift of free will. (Job 38:7; Daniel 7:10) So Jehovah gave Satan time to prove whether his accusation was true. 19. The tendency is to blame God for these conditions, but He did not create them. 2 When disasters or tragedies like those happen, many people ask, “Why?” Many ask why the world is so full of hatred and suffering. 5. “God knows that . But you may wonder, ‘If Jehovah is the most powerful person in the universe, why doesn’t he stop those terrible things from happening?’ We know that God cares deeply about us, so he must have a very good reason for allowing suffering to continue.​—1 John 4:8. 4 At Habakkuk 2:2, 3, we read God’s answer to Habakkuk’s questions and His promise to correct the situation. * But there is good news. He never lies.​—Hebrews 6:18. 11 Adam and Eve disobeyed Jehovah and rebelled against him. But as we learned in Chapter 3, the real ruler of the world is Satan the Devil. so that I can make a reply to him who taunts me.”​—Proverbs 27:11. 18 Jehovah does not force us to choose him as our Ruler. The next chapter will answer that question. They teach that when bad things happen, it is always the result of Satan and/or of human sin. . Why me? Jehovah wants us to enjoy life. But that isn’t true. Often, the response is that suffering is God’s will and that he long ago determined everything that would ever happen, including tragic events. What wonderful gift has Jehovah given us? He claimed that God was keeping something good from Adam and Eve. If you watch TV you see the world-wide suffering all across the world of children … Satan wanted humans to believe that they had the right to decide for themselves what was right or wrong. We have the freedom to make choices about whom we want to be, whom we want as our friends, and what we want to do with our life. On the contrary, he gave the first human couple a wonderful start. Why would a powerful and loving God allow suffering, evil and death? It has taken time to prove that  Satan’s rule has failed. That explains why we see so much suffering around us —it’s because Satan, not God, is the real ruler of the world. Jehovah wants us to serve him because we love him. Jehovah knows when all of Satan’s challenges will have been fully answered. It is true that suffering can bring out the best in us and that the Bible says that the trials God … (Matthew 22:37, 38) He is like a father who is happy to hear his child say “I love you” when the child says it from his heart and not because he’s forced to. What do many religious teachers say about suffering? One of the most pressing challenges to Christianity is the problem of evil. Jehovah will use Jesus “to break up the works of the Devil.” (1 John 3:8) We are grateful that in the meantime Jehovah has been patient with us so that we can come to know him and can decide that we want him to be our Ruler. This article raises questions you may have asked and shows where you can read the answers in your Bible. Even when we suffer, he helps us to endure.​—John 4:23; read 1 Corinthians 10:13. Why does he not stop bad things from happening? 19 Jehovah’s wonderful gift of free will makes us very different from the animals. Why can we be sure that Jehovah has a very good reason for allowing suffering to continue? (b) Why has Jehovah not fixed the problems caused by Satan? Then he will make the earth into a paradise, as it was meant to be. The Urban Alternative is a Christian Bible teaching and resource ministry founded 39 years ago by Dr. Tony Evans. Many argue, "Why would an all-powerful, all-loving God allow pain and suffering?" Satan wanted them to believe that he would be a better ruler than Jehovah and that they did not need God.​—Genesis 3:2-5; see Endnote 27. Still, God felt sorry for mankind so he provided a way to restore … (Proverbs 30:24) Also, we are not like machines that do only what they are made to do. Share “Be wise, my son, . Other times the cause is our own weakness or God’s discipline in our life. Question: "Why does God allow the innocent to suffer?" PRIVACY POLICY, https://assetsnffrgf-a.akamaihd.net/assets/m/502018850/univ/art/502018850_univ_sqr_xl.jpg, https://assetsnffrgf-a.akamaihd.net/assets/a/fg/E/wpub/fg_E_lg.jpg. (a) Why has Jehovah allowed suffering to go on for so long? Avoid jumping to the rash conclusion that God somehow wants us to suffer or that he is personally testing us. God does not cause disasters such as earthquakes, … Read these Top 9 Bible Verses-Why Does God Allow Suffering? 3 In the Bible, we learn that men who had deep faith in God also asked such questions. Instead, he allowed them to have children. Consider just one: It is often people who cause suffering to others. The purpose of this post is not to attempt a theodicy, that is, a defense of why God allows suffering. Why Does God Allow Suffering? 14 For thousands of years, humans have tried to rule themselves, but they have failed. Share What is the best choice that you can make now? God has nothing to do with it, and therefore one cannot find comfort in God’s will or purpose when painful things occur, for that would be to “blame” God. It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step.”​—Jeremiah 10:23. Share Why does God allow suffering? TERMS OF USE 9 Jehovah never causes suffering. Some may say that everything that happens to a person, including tragedies, has already been decided by God and that we can never understand why. 16 However, Jehovah has not fixed the problems caused by Satan. The Bible … The Bible provides a satisfying and comforting answer. 17 Can Jehovah repair all the damage that has been caused by the rebellion of Satan and humans? Jesus will undo all the damage that Satan has caused. What Can the Bible Teach Us? A gunman opens fire in a church, wounding and killing a number of people. The Bible promises that all disasters and tragedies will soon be gone forever. God is not the cause of human suffering. 15 Why has Jehovah allowed suffering to continue for so long? The following is a typical conversation that one of Jehovah’s Witnesses might have with a neighbor. For example, they write: “God is not responsible for bad things that happen to people; nor d… why it is god wow suffering you work out didn't intended for humans to suffer on the contrary he gave the first human couple of wonderful start what say to regular angel called godara wire and influence the first humans to reject god so forty when i am alive disturbed god … This is a question that has baffled people for generations and I am going to give you a great theological answer right now: I don’t know. It's our choice whether to accept God's free ticket to eternal life in paradise (Acts 4:12). 8 There are other reasons why there is so much suffering in the world. (Read 2 Peter 3:9, 10.) God said, “If you take that position, you will suffer and die.” Man took that position, and he began to suffer, and he has been dying ever since. There is this intimate bond between the cross, the epitome of the sufferings of Christ, and the suffering of the people which is a participation in the self-same cross. Many bullies and tyrants who inflict pain are unwilling to change … Every belief system has to account for suffering in some fashion or another. Then Jehovah made it possible for the children of Adam and Eve to choose whom they wanted as their ruler. Life Without Suffering—A Trustworthy Promise. With God, all things are possible. Have you ever wondered about that yourself? A TSUNAMI destroys a village. Copyright © 2021 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. Why Does God Allow Suffering? Jesus called Satan “the ruler … (Isaiah 55:8, 9) So then, let’s discuss the question, Why is there so much suffering in the world? Why should we be grateful for this gift? After Adam and Eve rebelled, they passed sin on to their children. Jehovah’s Witnesses would be … Suffering is not in itself virtuous, nor is it a sign of holiness. So, at first glance it seems that suffering gives us good reason to rule out God. (b) How did Jehovah answer him? Everyone wants to know if there is a God, why does God allow suffering. 20 Jehovah wants us to love him. But actually, the opposite is true. Let us imagine that a Witness named Michelle has come to the home of a … What is God doing? All those in “the memorial tombs” will be resurrected. Good News From God! “God neither causes bad things to happen nor incites others to do what is bad,” (Watchtower July 2014 “Bad things happen to good people – Why… In order to understand some of the big questions that surround this topic we have to look at God’s plan as a whole. If … Satan, a rebel angel, called God a liar. Why did Jehovah not ignore Satan’s challenge? Why does God allow suffering in the world? Audio download options Let us examine what this precious gift means to us. 12 Jehovah didn’t destroy Adam and Eve immediately. But we do know that God loves each person who is suffering, and that He does … Even so, innocent people are suffering,” (Watchtower Nov. 2012, “Question 3 – Why does God allow me to suffer”). A: There are no easy answers to the question of the purpose of suffering and evil. Before we speak to the question of why God allows children to suffer, we need to ask the bigger question: Why does God allow suffering to happen to any person, whether he’s two years old, two months old, or twenty years old? Satan accused God of being a bad ruler. Satan was originally a perfect angel, but “he … “It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step.”​—Jeremiah 10:23. Why is there so much suffering in the world? 6 Many people blame God for all the suffering in the world because they think that God rules the world. What will Jehovah do about all the damage that Satan has caused? 12, 13. Satan, our adversary, will be banished forever, and God will make all things new. Satan has been proved a liar. To start off with, God did create a world without suffering… Why doesn’t Jehovah force us to serve him? They came as a result of man’s disobedience to God… (John 5:28, 29) People will never get sick or die. We cannot successfully rule ourselves without God. For example, the prophet Habakkuk asked Jehovah: “Why do you make me witness wrongdoing? Many ask why the world is so full of hatred and suffering. Either God is all-powerful but He is not all good, therefore He doesn’t stop evil. Sometimes, people suffer as … What Can the Bible Teach Us? The ruler of the world is Satan the Devil. How will you use your gift of free will? Why are destruction and violence before me? God has allowed men to rule for long enough to demonstrate that they cannot resolve mankind’s problems Evil began on earth when Satan told the first lie. God allows suffering to continue at present for good reasons. Or He is … The prophet Jeremiah was right when he said: “I well know, O Jehovah, that man’s way does not belong to him. It is only IF God exists … If God can prevent such tragedies, why does He allow them to take place? Why Does God Allow So Much Suffering in the World? They mainly act because of their instincts, but we can choose how we want to live our lives and decide whether we want to please Jehovah. God didn’t intend for humans to suffer. How could Jehovah prove that the rebels were wrong and that he knows what is best for us? Others may even say that people, including little children, die so that they can be with God in heaven. Good News From God! Animals act primarily because of instinct, but Jehovah has given us free will. 9. PRIVACY POLICY, https://assetsnffrgf-a.akamaihd.net/assets/a/bhs/E/wpub/bhs_E_lg.jpg. 10 In the garden of Eden, the Devil misled Adam and Eve. Why do many people blame God for all the suffering in the world? 6. 13 Satan challenged Jehovah in front of millions of angels. Each of us knows firsthand what it means to suffer as a result of … Even though they have made advances in science and technology, there is more injustice, poverty, crime, and war than ever before. How and when will he do this? What do you think? And that’s just one reason why the world is so full of lies, hatred, and cruelty. He’s not to blame for war, crime, and mistreatment. If he did, it would mean God supports Satan’s rulership, and He will never do that. 15, 16. God has promised to remove all causes of suffering. James 1:2-4 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith … And why do quarreling and conflict abound?”​—Habakkuk 1:3. Does God Use Natural Disasters to Punish Mankind Today. Physical death is just the death of the body, but the spirit lives on. But whatever the origin of our … Jehovah has deep love for people. The short answer is that we don’t always know why in specific cases. Humans do need God’s help. And why do you tolerate oppression? Here is the classic statement of the problem. Likewise, God does not cause innocent people to suffer. The Bible says: “It is unthinkable for the true God to act wickedly, for the Almighty to do wrong!”​—Job 34:10. He also gave humans time to set up their own governments under Satan’s guidance to show whether they could be successful without God’s help. Life Without Suffering—A Trustworthy Promise. And because of sin, humans cause other humans to suffer. We aim to spread the teaching of God’s Word through Christian media with the goal of … The problem of suffering has been with us since the Garden of Eden and it will be with us until Christ comes back. The freedom to choose him as our ruler our choice whether to serve him ask why the world you TV. “ it is only if God exists … Likewise, God does not force us to turn trust! Of governments, but Jehovah has a very common one why do many people blame God for all the in! Much suffering in the world of children … why does God allow pain and suffering? banished,... 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