Why Is There Suffering?

One of the oldest questions known to man is the question of why God allows suffering.  Sometimes it is at the hand of evil people; sometimes it is because of natural disasters.        If God is good, and is all powerful, then why does He allow it?

This was the question that Job could not understand, especially when his suffering was for no fault of his own.  Theologians and philosophers have all tried to answer this question with various proposals:

· Suffering strengthens our relationships with each other  (Can’t there be an easier way?).

· Suffering brings us closer to God (Sorry, not feelin’ it).

· We can’t know goodness without the contrast of evil (Hmm).

· Suffering develops character (But what if it kills you?).

· Suffering is God’s punishment for sin that entered the world (Why should I suffer for what Adam did?).

· Suffering is because of the free will in evil men who do evil (What about the hurricanes, earthquakes, and tornadoes?).

The question of why good people suffer bad things cannot be answered satisfactorily; and with another person’s suffering, we shouldn’t try.  The question we can answer is, “how should I act when I am suffering, especially from the actions of other people?”