Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?

[TheQ]

Was watching the news the other day, and saw a pastor in New Orleans, at the stadium. When asked the above question he said "There are no answers..."

So I decided to "ghost" God.

Yes, yes, we can't prove there is a God, it all depends on faith. But if there were.

So I'm God here for a moment. I can't believe it, I'm winning one hand after another at this $100/200 table...

Well he saved Moses, with the red sea thing. And sent Joseph to Egpyt with Jesus. So why let all these people die in natural disasters. I would like to guess that, they weren't listening. I'm guessing there are a lot of people who are "christian" who don't know God. But I don't see anyone going around healing like it said in the disciples did. I'd have to say if you were close with him, he'd tell you to get out. Not to say I don't feel bad about the loss, it was sad.

Makes we wonder sometimes, why people are into self help, and sarcastic about God? Every day you're becoming a more honest person, or not,ect. I'd say I have faith there is a God, and try to adjust my values/priorities into those He holds, so worst case, I have a happy life, because I have edited my personality to derive happiness from being good, and I die with no-where to go.

But my beliefs are sincere, let the pot-odds on god die.
I wasn't the first to try, Pascal was.

[benkahuna]

I think the problem that people have is the belief that there is some inherent meaning and order to the universe. It would be nice to think that there is, but I've seen nothing compelling to indicate that is the case.

[ QUOTE ]
I think the problem that people have is the belief that there is some inherent meaning and order to the universe. It would be nice to think that there is, but I've seen nothing compelling to indicate that is the case.

[/ QUOTE ]

Of course, belief in God doesn't necessarily add any "meaning" to the universe (this is one of the great fallacies of believers in my opinion). A supreme being creates a universe for the purpose of testing his creatures. Those who "believe" in Him, he takes to the afterlife with Him so they can serve and worship Him. Those who don't, He casts into an eternal fire. So ... where is the meaning again?

[Jacob_Gilliam]

The problem is that I don't consider what happened in New Orleans to be "bad". Although tragedies like these make it seem as if bad things do happen to good people, they're irrelevant. If you believe in God, the good people that died are now with Him, and the bad people that died recieved there just reward. If you don't believe it's just one more random event that in the long haul makes no difference to our existence for millions suffer from tragedies everyday and yet the world ticks on. Things happen because they happen, with no apparant reason, and if they didn't occur human existience as we know it wouldn't exist.

[RJT]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I think the problem that people have is the belief that there is some inherent meaning and order to the universe. It would be nice to think that there is, but I've seen nothing compelling to indicate that is the case.

[/ QUOTE ]

Of course, belief in God doesn't necessarily add any "meaning" to the universe (this is one of the great fallacies of believers in my opinion). A supreme being creates a universe for the purpose of testing his creatures. Those who "believe" in Him, he takes to the afterlife with Him so they can serve and worship Him. Those who don't, He casts into an eternal fire. So ... where is the meaning again?

[/ QUOTE ]

This is semantics. You are correct when you say an existent God does not necessarily give meaning to the universe. It does, though, produce the question of what possible reasons He created (assuming this God was a creator God) the universe and us. Any meaning would derive from answers to that question.

Using your simplistic scenario is one of them, to test us. And if we pass we get to heaven (although I don’t think many believe it is so that we can serve and worship Him if we get there) and if we fail we go to hell. Again, this doesn’t give meaning to the universe. It gives meaning (the purpose) to one’s life. Whether or not one finds this “meaningful” is what your rhetorical question seems to be asking.

There are, of course, other potential answers to the same question.

[MaxPowerPoker]

This NPR interview with John Piper, a pastor of a church in Minneapolis is an excellent source for the answer to your question. He hit the nail on the head.

http://www.desiringgod.org/media/mp3/interviews/20050110_npr_interview_edited.mp3

[Masquerade]

If God exists, he's one hell of a bastard.

[chezlaw]

being good is +ev but dont forget the variance.

chez

[Cumulonimbus]

[ QUOTE ]
If God exists, he's one hell of a bastard.

[/ QUOTE ]

[spaminator101]

bad things happen to good people because
1. they show God's power
2. God is just- He doesn't let sin go unpunished
3. it brings them closer to God
4. not all good people are Christians

[sexdrugsmoney]

[ QUOTE ]
I believe bad things happen to good people because
1. they show God's power
2. God is just- He doesn't let sin go unpunished
3. it brings them closer to God
4. not all good people are Christians

[/ QUOTE ]

Why doesn't 2+2 have a :rolleyes: emoticon? /images/graemlins/smirk.gif

Anyway FYP.

[baggins]

the rain falls on the just and the unjust.

bad things happen to everybody.

assuming all that your question assumes (there is a God and He did create the universe, and he created humans as moral beings) then you have to understand the framework of the universe that he's set up.

first of all, if there is no God, there is no 'good' or 'bad'. if there IS a God, then good and bad derive from His ultimate standard. there may be 'more desirable for me' and 'less desirable for me', but without God, there is no 'good' or 'bad'.

to create us and then decide every move we make, would be to program us, and take away any free will we have. if the God of the bible is real, and more or less the way we interpret the bible to describe Him, then we are to understand that the greatest choice we have is whether or not to follow Him. this 'choice' would be meaningless if we had no free will. if we were simply programmed to accept everything that we were given from God, and there was no possible path otherwise, then that 'choice' would cease to have a purpose or a meaning. note that we are talking about a meaning to God. it matters very much to Him that we choose Him of our own volition and with other options available. thus, he has to give us the option to follow all the guidelines he's given us. human beings are notorious for screwing things up - even the ones that are trying hardest not to. the results of these choices and decisions and actions is that bad things happen. if the consequences of these choices were removed, then they would cease to be 'bad' things. to give weight to good and bad means that bad things will happen.

note that all of this is God's sovereign prerogative. he chose to have it this way. this is not something we as lesser beings get to judge. we have no ground to say that he was abusing his power, or that he should have asked the rest of us, or that he should have done it differently.

if you read in Job, when Job questions why God allowed Satan to bring all the pain and suffering into his life, and then to allow his closest friends to accuse him of sin, when he was blameless - God answers Job. he asks Job if he was around for the design of the universe, for the creation of the sun and moon and stars and horses and hyenas and zebras... He offers to let Job take the reigns of the universe for a while. all of this to say that, if the words and questions and accusations Job had for God were to have any binding significance, then Job must be prepared to handle all the responsibility of holding the universe together and making things run properly.

the question we really have to ask ourselves is 'what am I doing to make Good things happen?'

[PoBoy321]

Bad things happen to good people because you touch yourself.

[TheQ]

lol, my worst fear confirmed. I must, try, to, stop.

[TheQ]

Just started the reading the Bible a few months ago, partly because because my Kid is asking questions, but mostly because I'm interested. Can't wait to start the Old Testament. Besides, if I can read and reread my poker books over and over, why can't I put that same dedication into everything else in life?

That post had a lot of thought in it.

[baggins]

wow. good for you. i encourage you to stick with it, at least for a complete intellectual curiosity if nothing else.

also, if Job is kinda wierd, please don't stop reading. it has a cool ending.

let me know if you have any questions. i'm not a bible scholar or anything, but i have studied it, and i lead a small group bible study, and my dad is a pastor. i have access to a wealth of material regarding the bible and questions that arise from reading it.

[NobodysFreak]

[ QUOTE ]
Bad things happen to good people because you touch yourself.

[/ QUOTE ]

I had this one all queued up... I think I would have added "at night" but its all the same. Nh, sir.

[Godfather80]

Why do we assume that both death and suffering are bad? From our perspective, they can certainly be painful, but are they morally evil? If we are all moving on to a better place, shouldn't anything that speeds this process along be seen as a good thing? I believe that it is all about perspective.

This notion of God testing us is very silly. What would God ever need from us? A passed test? God already knows what is going to happen anyway. Do you think we are going to surprise God with our faith/disbelief?