Questions of Faith

Father Wilmer Todd

Suffering in the world

How can there be a good God when there is so much suffering in the world?

The problem of human suffering and of a loving God has been a topic for discussion throughout human history. Many people are struggling with that same question today.

The Book of Job was one of the first books to take on this question. Job is a pious man whose faith is tested when God allows him to undergo multiple disasters until he is naked and ill and with only three friends. Job finally demands an accounting. God visits him and tells him that his purpose is not to satisfy human needs. Job, recognizing God’s majesty, says he is sorry for questioning God’s motives, and God rewards him with health, wealth and children. Everyone, including good people, must contend with tragedy without expecting God’s intervention.

The inspired author of Job reminds us that Satan cannot bring financial and physical ruin on us unless God allows it. It is beyond our human ability to understand the “why’s” behind all the suffering in the world. The wicked will eventually receive their just dues. God may sometimes allow suffering in our lives to purify, to test, to teach, or to strengthen our spirits. God deserves our love and praise in all circumstances of life.

Author C.S. Lewis wrote The Problem of Pain in 1940. In the book, he seeks to reconcile God’s power and goodness with the presence of evil and suffering. Lewis’ main answer to the question throughout the book is that God can use evil and pain to mold us and to make us into the persons God meant for us to be. This is God’s love.

Distraught by the loss of his son to a crippling disease, Rabbi Harold Kushner wrote When Bad Things Happen to Good People to share what he learned from the tragedy and to help others find their way through loss and suffering. Kushner’s main idea is that God cannot or will not intervene to protect people from tragedies by preferring that humans use their free will without interference. Bad things happen to good people by accident or from malicious people. In all suffering, God offers his support and love. People must find meaning and purpose from their own God-given strengths.

Pain and suffering can teach us to avoid actions that injure us. As for malicious damage caused by evil people, such as Hitler’s Holocaust, God shares our anger but will not intercede because this would negate our free will and discourage us from doing the good works that greatly exceed the bad deeds. God does not step in to prevent bad things from happening. The almighty does offer love and strength to those who ask for his aid. In praying for fortitude to overcome pain, people often find they have more than enough power to prevail over the disaster.

We often fail to see true significance of things. What appears to us to be a tragedy may have effects that cause greater good, and conversely, what appears to us as a good thing may prove harmful. Many stories are told of people who had cancer or other life-threatening diseases that have turned around their lives. Look at the many people whose wealth has ruined their lives.

God created human beings with a free will to choose between good and evil, but he cannot also force those creatures to choose the good. If he forced their choice, we would not be free. C.S. Lewis says, “If you choose to say, ‘God can give a creature free will and at the same time withhold free will from it,’ you have not succeeded in saying anything about God.”

In coping with great loss, people often blame themselves by believing they have done something wrong to deserve such a fate. Others, angry with sudden misfortune, try to find someone to blame, including God. These efforts only harden the suffering heart and slow the process of grieving and recovery. Those who are willing to continue with prayer and participation in their religious community can find their way back to the simple joys of life. They can heal by accepting their group’s love and support and by supporting others, by forgiving bad deeds, and by recovering in their hearts a love for people and for God.BC