Is God Malevolent?

[Guest miketaba]

Because he doesn't stop suffering.

Why would someone so intent on loving us and stuff want to cause us such pain?

[Ovedya]

God does not cause pain.

[Guest miketaba]

But if God truly loved all of His people, why does he let these horrible things happen? Yeah, free will and stuff, but that only takes you so far. Why does God not care enough to let these horrible things happen?

I would also like to point out that though God does not cause pain, he allows it to happen. I believe in the Act of Contrition, a line goes "Forgive for what I have done and what I have failed to do."

It seems God hasn't done anything but is failing to care for His people as it seems He should.

He's breaking His own rules.

Edited March 1, 2006 by miketaba

[Ovedya]

I saw a strip in last Sunday's paper. It showed a guy fly fishing. He's standing there in the water, in his wading boots, flipping his rod, and he's talking to the guy standing next to him: "I take this big hook and I get it caught in the lip of the fish. Then I pull the fish out of the water gasping for breath, rip the hook out of its mouth, and then put it back in the water so someone else can come along and catch it again. Then I question why God would allow me to do such a thing."

That pretty well sums it up for me. God is not to blame for the woes that man has placed upon himself. Sure He could just swoop in and solve everyone's problems and put a stop to it all, but then we wouldn't learn anything, would we? More importantly, we wouldn't learn anything about the dymnic salvation that God has afforded us through His Son, Jesus Christ.

You see, God has already given us a way of solving our own problems. Jesus Christ is the way. It's not His fault if we don't take Christ as our way!

[Guest miketaba]

Please explain to me why God decides not to help us? Sure we wouldn't LEARN anything, but I believe ignorance is better than senseless killing "God" allows to go on every day.

Also, in the book of Genesis it seems God condones ignorance, saying you may not eat from the tree of wisdom. It seems as if he tries to keep his people in the dark.

Edited March 1, 2006 by miketaba

[Ovedya]

Please explain to me why God decides not to help us? Sure we wouldn't LEARN anything, but I believe ignorance is better than senseless killing "God" allows to go on every day.

Also, in the book of Genesis it seems God condones ignorance, saying you may not eat from the tree of wisdom. It seems as if he tries to keep his people in the dark.

I have a 4-year old daughter. I told her one day not to drink bleach: "Don't drink that. Bleach is bad. It will kill you." Am I keeping her in the dark?

God has not decided not to help us. He sent His Son to die in our stead, so that we might have peace in this age and eternal life in the age to come. Just because His way of peace and salvation does not match your own ideals doesn't mean that He's malevolent. After all, He wouldn't be God if He simply did things at the whims of men, would He?

[Guest miketaba]

God's son Jesus apparently muddled up his jo a bit, seeing as a lot of the mass genocide in this world is attrbutable to Christians.

You were not keeping her in the dark, but how is drinking bleach comaparable to knowledge? Ignorance is the real evil, not knowledge.

[Giaour]

Romans 5

1. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

2. By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

3. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

4. And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

5. And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

6. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

7. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

8. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

[Guest miketaba]

Romans 5

1. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

2. By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

3. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;

4. And patience, experience; and experience, hope:

5. And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

6. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

7. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

8. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Okay great, but who needs hope when you know your family will never be killed but die of old age, and knowing that you will not get into some accident?

A recurring theme is that God could "save" his poeple for real, but you nsist he has, ven though Hhe allows these atrocities to go on every day.

[Ovedya]

God's son Jesus apparently muddled up his jo a bit, seeing as a lot of the mass genocide in this world is attrbutable to Christians.

You were not keeping her in the dark, but how is drinking bleach comaparable to knowledge? Ignorance is the real evil, not knowledge.

Apparently you love to generalize. Jesus never muddled up a single thing. Humans muddle things up. We've already established that fact.

The drinking of bleach is directly related to the discussion. You said that God's telling Adam not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge was keeping him in ignorace. I pointed out that it brought sin and spiritual death into the world. God told Adam that in the day that he ate of the tree he would die - and he did. And that death - that spiritual death - spread to all of mankind from that day until now.

Rather than simply swooping in and taking everyone's guns away and saying, "Alright, kiddies, time to be good now." He solved the inherent problem within man, which is sin. You can take the alcohol away from the alcoholic, but that's not solving the real problem. The real problem in man is deeper than simply what man does. What man does is the symptom. You don't cure a disease by treating the symptoms. God's salvation takes care of the disease of sin and enables man to gain eternal life through faith in Christ.