Why Would a God of Love Allow Pain in His Universe?

A good friend of mine made me a few very important questions that I would like to answer in here.

I start by the final part of his questions:

Are there answers to what I ask?

Sure there are, and I hope I can give some in here. Those won’t be complete nor flawless because only God has all the answers. However, I believe that God has revealed enough of Himself for us to have suficient answers.

The first question reads:

What moved me there [agnosticism] is that I’ve seen a lot of human suffering and I don’t… I can’t understand why a loving God would allow this

Depending on who asks this question, it can be very profound and almost leave me a bit tearful. When a sincere heart makes this question (and I know that my friend has one of those hearts), it is heart renting because many times it’s a question that they themselves have asked in certain sad moments of their life: “Where was God when my little girl died?” “Where was God when my wife was stolen and beaten by a burglair?” “Where was God during Katrina?” “Where was God when I found out that I had cancer?“

Having that in consideration, I am very careful not to say something that can in anyway minimize what people have gone through. God Alone knows how many people in the world today cry for justice and for cure for something that they feel that they don’t deserve.

Let me start by telling a story.

In the movie “Superman III”, Clark Kent, in his superman costume, says something that I have never forgotten. The background of the incident is that, after superman left Earth, Lois Lane wrote that “the world doesn’t need a savior“. However, in his night flyings, superman had the habbit of standing away from Earth and listen to the cry of help coming from all over the globe.

Because of that, he then tells Lois something like this (typing from memory):

You said in your article that the world doesn’t need a savior, but when I close my eyes and hear what is going on in the world, I hear them crying for a savior.

When I read that, it really touched me deeply because it says a lot about the world we live today. The world is getting more and more secular, more and more sexualized, more and more materialistic, but … the inner hunger for justice and comfort still cries out inside the hearts of millions of human beings. Why is that? Why hasn’t money, technology, sucess, sex and power filled our souls? Man denies needing help from above, but his cries say otherwise.

The short answer to the question as to why there is pain in the world is that, from the beggining of creation, humans have decided to live as if God doesn’t matter.

God made a perfect world, with a perfect enviroment, and had a perfect relationship with us humans. When the moment came for us to make a moral decision (trust in what God had said or follow our desires), we made the wrong decision, and disobeyd Him Who had given us everything. Ever since the sin of Adam, all humans have been born with a fallen nature and thus, inclined to do evil. When we look at the world today, we see it. It doesn’t matter how rich I am, how powerful I am, how influential I am; when the moment comes, I will reveal the fallen nature that is in me.

Because of the sin of Adam, God placed a curse on the universe. Ever since then, the world has got worse and worse and worse. It is because of the sin of Adam and the curse placed in the universe, that we see the things we do in the world today. That is why people die, have deseases, fell lonely, get despaired and other things. The sin of Adam had the effect of changing everything God had made for our benefit. These are the bad news.

The Good News are those in which God says that, even after what we have done (murder, lying, stealing, adultery, fornication, etc) He has prepared a Way for us to gain accees to His eternal blissfull future. The Way is not made of stone or wood, but is a Person:

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” John 14:6

Heaven is restored by the Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus on the cross, and by accepting Him into our lives. By telling God that we have done things we knew He would call sin, and that we are willing to turn away from it by accepting the Lord Jesus, we are translated from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of the Messiah.

God’s focus is always in the eternal not in the temporal. God has plans for our eternal future, regardless of what happens in here.

If it hadn’t been for that solid foundation, my life would be a total mess. Ever since I was younger, i had a feeling that I was “missing the good things” of life because of my life style. I was never a “party animal” nor a womenizer or something like that. Having been born in conservative catholic family, I had the feeling that life was passing by me, and I wasn’t enjoying it.

However, after a few years something begun to happen. The people I thought were having so much fun (party, girls, etc) would return with empty lives, shatered dreams, and spiritual bruises that would take years to heal.

I begun to wonder and search for truth and something that really matter beyond our mear temporal existence. If the best the world could give wasn’t making people happy, then what would? I wanted Truth not empty “good feelings” (the kind you get when you go to a disco but then are gone the following morning). After much reading and many online debates, I have found that in the Lord Jesus. I now know that my life has a purpose and value, and that whatever condition I am today, it will be over on day. One day there will be universal peace to all those whose sins have been erased by the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus.

Having that in mind, and going back to the original question, we can see thigns from God’s perspective: There is pain an suffering in the world, and it is caused by our sin, however God will fix and restored the world to the way it was before Adam sinned.

Now, does this anul the pain we feel? Does it anul the pain we feel when we loose a close member? What about that little girl who, for all her child life, was abused by her dad? Where was God? What about the baby who is born blind? What fault do they have? What sins have they comited? Those are genuine and honest questions that deserve a direct answer.

The answer, once again, is in realizing in what kind of world we are (a fallen world) and taking into consideration that God will undo all the evil we will ever make in this world. God allows certain things to happen because a) those are consequences of the fallen world we live b) those are the consequences of our sin c) He will remove away all the pain and injustice man has ever created.

I know that this answer is not 100% satisfying, but I hope and pray that, a sincere heart can say something like

“Ok, God, the world You have made is in a total mess, but I know that You are Good, and that You have good plans for me. I know that You love me because You have sent Your Son Jesus Christ to pay for my sins. I don’t have all the answers, but I have enough answers. I have seen that the best the world can give doesn’t make us happy. Our souls cries for something more, and I know You have it.”

250 Rabbis to Obama: Jerusalem is Jewish

by sheikyermami on July 22, 2009

What are our ‘peace-partners’ saying?

“Peace for us means the destruction of Israel.  We are preparing for all-out war, a war which will last for generations.” – Yasser Arafat, former leader of the PLO.

“We plan to eliminate the state of Israel and establish a purely Palestinian state.  We will make life unbearable for Jews by psychological warfare and population explosion.  We Palestinians will take over everything, including all of Jerusalem.” – Yasser Arafat, former leader of the PLO.

“If the Jews all gather is Israel, it will save us the trouble of going after them worldwide” – Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary General of Hezbollah.

(Foto taken from JerusalemShots.com)

• Christian lobby in Washington cautions Congress against Obama’s pro-Islamist administration, policies
• The ‘then maybe they will’ doctrine

Tammuz 29, 5769, 21 July 09

by Gil Ronen/IsraelNationalNews.com

(Israelnationalnews.com) Heads of the Pikuach Nefesh rabbinical committee have begun collecting the signatures of rabbis in Israel on a letter to United States President Barack Obama. The letter demands that Obama cease talking about ending Jewish construction in Jerusalem and stop pressuring Israel in that direction.

In a reference to the upcoming “nine days” which culminate in Tisha B’Av, the rabbis tell Obama that “during these days, in which the Jewish people mourns the destruction of Jerusalem and marks the disgraceful memory of its destroyers, we are certain that you, Mr. Barack Obama, do not want to enter that disreputable list of those who raise their hand to strike Jerusalem and those who live in it.”

We are certain that you, Mr. Barack Obama, do not want to enter that disreputable list of those who raise their hand to strike Jerusalem and those who live in it.

The rabbis note that during his visit to the Middle East, Obama showed “impressive erudition” in the Koran. “As one who is familiar with the Koran, you surely know that the city of Jerusalem is not even mentioned in it once,” they said.

Jews pray towards one place

“The Arab and Muslim world never recognized Jerusalem as belonging to it,” the letter went on. “On the other hand, all of the world’s nations knew for thousands of years that the Jews pray towards one place only – the holy city of Jerusalem.”

The rabbis added that even putting aside the city’s enormous sanctity and importance for the Jewish people, there is no realpolitik logic behind any concession to the PA. “Since Israel began negotiations, withdrawals and concessions to the Palestinians, the entire world is witness to the justice of the Jewish Law (Halacha) which determines that any such concession will entail another round of bloodshed and deepen mistrust and dangers,” they agreed.

The rabbinical letter ends with a clear request: “If you, Mr. Obama. Wish to leave any chance at all for peace and quiet in the Middle East, take your hands off the Holy City of Jerusalem right now!” %ad%

Two hundred and fifty rabbis have signed the appeal, and efforts are being made to collect the signatures of almost every single rabbi in Israel before the letter is sent to Washington.

Obama Stands With Dictator Zelaya

Artigo Completo

I don’t know about you, but I want my country back. Read this great email describing how we are losing our country as we once knew it.

Honduras teaches the United States about Democracy

“Is the future of the United States democratic system being played out in Central America today? I hope so.

You may or may not have heard what has happened in Honduras during the past couple of weeks. Here’s the story in a nut shell.

Honduran President Manual Zelaya has been at odds with the Honduran Congress and Courts for many months, seeking to increase his power and authority to levels similar to those wielded by Hugo Chavez in Venezuela. But according to the Honduran Constitution, its president can only serve a single four year term. With his Presidency coming to an end in January, Zelaya wasn’t happy with that situation, so he decided to try an end around play.

He decided to sponsor a constitutional referendum to allow him to continue to serve as president. The only problem is, the Honduran Constitution doesn’t give him the right to do that. Any constitution referendum must be called by the Honduran Congress. Not bothered by that minor detail, Zelaya contacted his buddy, Hugo Chavez, and had ballots printed and ballot boxes prepared in Venezuela and flown to Honduras. The Honduran Supreme Court declared Zelaya’s actions unconstitutional, but again, he was not deterred.

A couple of weeks ago, when Zelaya directed the military to distribute the ballots and boxes, the top military commander refused, citing the orders of the Supreme Court. President Zelaya promptly fired him. The Supreme Court ordered him reinstated. Zelaya refused.

Still undeterred, last Thursday Zelaya led a group of his supporters to break into the military installation where the ballots from Venezuela were being stored and then had his people distribute them in defiance of the Supreme Court’s order. By the way, elections in Honduras are supposed to be managed and overseen by the Honduran Election Tribunal, which was not involved in any of Zelaya’s efforts.

Sunday morning, acting under orders of the Supreme Court, the Honduran military dragged Zelaya out of bed at 6 AM, arrested him, put him on a plane in his pajamas, flew him to Costa Rica, and released him. They literally threw him out of the country.

The Honduran Congress immediately met in emergency session and designated its president as the interim executive as stipulated in Honduran law. It also said that presidential elections set for November will go forward.

Honduras has one of the strongest democracies in the world. When Presidential elections are held, typically 80-90% of the eligible population votes (compared to only 50% in the U.S.). This situation clearly shows how democratic checks and balances are supposed to work.

When the President tried to overstep his bounds, the legislative and judicial branches stepped in and did not allow it. You might make a case that Zelaya should have been arrested and held in Honduras, but I understand he was exiled in order to minimize the probability of violence. Obviously, he will have an even better opportunity to state his case while not in confinement. In fact, he has already been invited to address the U.N. General Assembly.

So where does the U.S. government stand on this situation? Well, Obama stands shoulder to shoulder with Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro and Daniel Ortega in calling for Zelaya to be re-instated as President! President Obama said the U.S. government believed the takeover was “not legal” and that Zelaya remained the country’s leader! U.S. press secretary Robert Gibbs said “We’re seeking to restore that democratic norm in Honduras, and haven’t changed the recognition of who we believe is the president of that country”!

So much for the United States being the world’s biggest supporter of democracy! Even worse than the situation in Iran, where Obama remained silent while protesters were slaughtered in the streets by an oppressive government, in Honduras Obama has gone on record as calling for the re-instatement of a leader who has been ousted by his country’s legislative and judicial processes!

One might ask WHY?

Well, consider this;

No where in the U.S. Constitution does it give the government the power to fire private company employees. But how many bank and automotive executives have been forced out by Obama’s administration since January 20th?

No where in the U.S. Constitution does it give the government the power to own private companies. So how did the government end up owning 70% of General Motors Corporation?

No where in the U.S. Constitution does it give the government the power to set salaries in the private sector, as Obama’s administration is currently doing in banks that have taken TARP money.

No where in the U.S. Constitution does it give the executive branch the power to appoint Czars to make rules governing private industry, that role is reserved for the legislative branch of our government..

No where in the U.S. Constitution does it give the President the power to set aside contracts. So how did GM bond holders end up getting the shaft while the unions profited?

In fact, all of these things are prohibited by the U.S. Constitution.

Like Zelaya, Chavez, Castro, and Ortega, President Obama does not believe a country’s Constitution should limit his power.

Unfortunately, our Congress and our Courts have yet to show the courage and determination that the Honduran Legislators and Supreme Court have shown.

Isn’t it amazing that we have to look to a small country in Central America to see how democracy is supposed to work, while our President sides with the likes of Zelaya, Chavez, Castro, and Ortega!

WAKE UP AMERICA!

Posted by Debra Moore at 9:51 PM