Publication download options Various answers have been given but permanently settling the issue is impossible (this side of heaven) because so many of our answers raise further questions. Many ask why the world is so full of hatred and suffering. Why? Human rulers have failed to eliminate war, crime, injustice, or disease. “Far be it from the true God to act wickedly!” states the Bible. 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. So for God to remove a major cause of suffering, he will have to destroy such people. If God is all-powerful and all-loving, then why does He allow evil and suffering in the world? Why does God allow suffering? God didn’t intend for humans to suffer. This article raises questions you may have asked and shows where you can read the answers in your Bible.  |  If God can prevent such tragedies, why does He allow them to take place? 9. Evil began on earth when Satan told the first lie. 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. Read these Top 9 Bible Verses-Why Does God Allow Suffering? That position he will never relinquish. God has promised to remove all causes of suffering. On the contrary, he gave the first human couple a wonderful start. For a limited time, Jehovah has allowed rebellion against his sovereignty. The former things have passed away.”​—Revelation 21:3, 4. Copyright © 2021 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. We live in a world in which good and evil are at play on the world stage and in every human being. That … 1. Why Does God Allow Suffering? Tragic earthquakes and natural disasters that snuff out the lives of thousands seem to be commonplace. Why Does God Allow Suffering? God also helped him to get a clearer understanding of matters and to gain greater faith. Until then, ask Him to show you how He may be using suffering for your good. THE WATCHTOWER February 2008, Audio download options When he speaks the lie, he speaks according to his own disposition, because he is a liar and the father of the lie.” (John 8:44) Jesus also said that the men seeking to kill him were children of the first murderer. Publication download options God cannot stop evil and suffering because He is powerless Of course, this does not stand up to biblical truth. (Ecclesiastes 7:29; 8:9) After 6,000 years of human history, the evidence is clear. Why would a powerful and loving God allow suffering, evil and death? He’s not to blame for war, crime, and mistreatment. Jehovah’s sense of justice required that time be allowed for evidence to accumulate. Jehovah’s Witnesses would be pleased to discuss these answers with you. Jesus called Satan “the ruler of the world.” (John 14:30) True, Jehovah is the Universal Sovereign. * TODAY’S young people have been born into a cruel world. The resurrection of Jesus is an example of God’s victory over the works of the Devil​—a token of what is to come for humans who choose God’s rule. Suffering forces us to turn from trust in our own resources to living by faith in God’s resources. Satan, a rebel angel, called God a liar. Suffering is not in itself virtuous, nor is it a sign of holiness. Like father, like son, the adage states. How did evil start? If God does not cause suffering, why does he allow it? However, for a time, God has allowed Satan to rule most of mankind.​—1 John 5:19. We know that God uses evil to discipline people (Prov. Only people who choose to be ruled by God will inhabit the earth. Does the Bible offer such comfort? Things are not as they should be. What kind of ruler has Satan been? In order to understand some of the big questions that surround this topic we have to look at God’s plan as a whole. The curious, as well as the critics of Christianity, ask this question. What do you think? Why Does God Permit Suffering? Why Does God Allow So Much Suffering in the World? 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. 15:32). Jehovah wants to do the same for you. Soon Jehovah will use his Son to “break up the works of the Devil.” (1 John 3:8) Under God’s direction, Jesus will mend broken hearts and restore shattered lives. But suffering is not just a problem for Christians. To start off with, God did create a world without suffering. 9 Jehovah never causes suffering. Jesus indicted him with these words: “That one was a manslayer when he began, and he did not stand fast in the truth, because truth is not in him. 5:7-9). Share “Far be it from the true God to act wickedly!” states the Bible. Why can we be sure that Jehovah has a very good reason for allowing suffering to continue? He will resurrect back to life on earth billions of humans who have suffered and died over the centuries.​—John 11:25. In contrast to human rulership, God’s rule benefits those who accept it. Share The purpose of this post is not to attempt a theodicy, that is, a defense of why God allows suffering. (Isaiah 48:17, 18) Soon, Jehovah will bring all human government to an end. Let us imagine that a Witness named Michelle has come to the home of a woman named Sophia. The Bible promises that all disasters and tragedies will soon be gone forever. “Human beings are unique in being able to be wicked, because they are unique in being conscious of what they are doing and in making deliberate choices.” —Arnold Toynbee, historian, Mankind and Mother Earth. Here is the classic statement of the problem. One of the most pressing challenges to Christianity is the problem of evil. 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. What is the inescapable conclusion? ALL of us make deliberate choices. This is a difficult question and also a very common one. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that … Good News From God! This was heaven and earth before the fall. The following is a typical conversation that one of Jehovah’s Witnesses might have with a neighbor. God is not the cause of human suffering. SOMETIMES a person asking the question “Why?” seeks comfort as well as answers, for when the question springs from severe loss, there is a great need for solace. Why Does God Let Us Suffer? Would you like to read this article in %%? TERMS OF USE Watch the video Why Does God Allow Suffering? Why Does God Allow Suffering? Why me? Consider just one: It is often people who cause suffering to others. Learn what God says about the reasons for suffering. Learn From God’s Word. Why Does God Allow Evil and 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 produces steadfastness. TERMS OF USE Satan still fosters murderous attitudes in the hearts of mankind. Many bullies and tyrants who inflict pain are unwilling to change their ways. The problem of suffering has been with us since the Garden of Eden and it will be with us until Christ comes back. Why Does God Allow Suffering? For example, R. J. Rummel, emeritus professor at the University of Hawaii, U.S.A., estimates that from 1900 to 1987, various governments murdered 169,198,000 people during political purges, genocides, and indiscriminate acts of violence. Either God is all-powerful but He is not all good, therefore He doesn’t stop evil. This tract tackles a very sincere and tough question, one that’s been called the skeptics’ “silver bullet.” If God is loving and all-powerful and could end suffering, disease, and death, why hasn’t He? Good News From God! Why now? Why Does God Allow Suffering? Or He is all good but He is not all-powerful, therefore He can’t stop evil. Wars and terrorist attacks dominate the news. Let us look at just one of them. True, for now, Satan has the world in his evil grip. They rejected God’s rule and chose self-rule, which was really rule by the Devil.​—Genesis 3:1-6; Revelation 12:9. Satan wreaks havoc on human society in profound ways. 8:29). Ever since his first contact with humans, Satan has been a murderer and a deceiver. It Reminds Us of the Reality of Sin. Let us imagine that a Witness named Michelle has come to the home of a woman named Sophia. Why Does God Allow Suffering? God allows evil to occur partly for reasons we do know and partly for those we do not. The Christian faith makes sense of the rawness we feel in the face of suffering because it says there is something WRONG with the world. God does not cause disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and floods. On Nov. 21, 1980, when the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas burned, survivors were brought into the Convention Center, where our Crusade meetings were being held. 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. 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. The Bible provides a satisfying and comforting answer. They made themselves his children by acting like him. “God is up in heaven where everything is pleasant, while we are down here suffering.” —Mary. (Acts 17:31) The Bible directs our thoughts to that time to come with these comforting words: “God himself will be with [mankind]. Audio download options Human rule under Satan’s influence leads only to suffering. Share Because universal issues, moral ones, raised a long time ago still need to be settled. The following is a typical conversation that one of Jehovah’s Witnesses might have with a neighbor. Remember, the Bible teaches that “he cares for you.” ( 1 Peter 5:7) God hates wickedness and the suffering it causes far more than any human does. PRIVACY POLICY, https://assetsnffrgf-a.akamaihd.net/assets/ct/0d8540a603/images/cvr_placeholder.jpg. —Isaiah 11:9; Read Daniel 2:44. But why does God allow suffering? How so? But not for much longer. Those who learn of God’s standards and live by them have the prospect of living forever.​—John 17:3; 1 John 2:17. Consider three important Biblical truths related to this matter. Jesus called Satan “the ruler of the world.” True, Jehovah is the Universal Sovereign. As we are conformed to His image, we will increasingly learn to obey God (Rom. For example, they write: “God is not responsible for bad things that happen to people; nor d… In an interview, Governor Robert List talked about the … How and when will he do this? Copyright © 2021 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania. But we do know that God loves each person who is suffering, and that He does have each person’s eternal best interests in mind. Who, then, is the prime instigator of misery? The short answer is that we don’t always know why in specific cases. Would you like to read this article in %%? To show that no effort to rule without him benefits people. Really, in the long run, God’s allowance of time has been for man’s benefit. God is good but evil is also real and has influence in the world for now. Jesus, who always did the Father’s will, is our perfect example (John 4:34; Heb. God is not the cause of human suffering. God allows suffering to continue at present for good reasons. And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore.  |  Those who study the evidence and believe it have the opportunity to demonstrate their willingness to be ruled by God. They teach that when bad things happen, it is always the result of Satan and/or of human sin. —Read Jeremiah 10:23; Romans 9:17. THE WATCHTOWER February 2008. That death toll is in addition to the tens of millions killed on the battlefield during the same period. At the beginning of human history, Adam and Eve sided with Satan. Over the next two days, we’ll look at other reasons God may allow painful seasons in our life. 3:11) and to teach them (Prov. What is God doing? Why Does God Allow Suffering? Each of us knows firsthand what it means to suffer as a result of … Life Without Suffering—A Trustworthy Promise. Good News From God! 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