Christianity And The Problem Of Suffering

[oladotun]

Christianity’s explanation of suffering has always presented loopholes that make no sense to me. Christianity blames suffering on the phenomenon known as original sin – Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit and we have all been paying hell ever since. Suffering, sin, and evil all came into the world because of that one fateful decision that altered history, so we are led to believe. We are told that we are all inherently sinful, born in sin and raised in iniquity as King David says in the Psalms. If that is the case, however, then why is it that we don’t all experience suffering to the exact same degree and magnitude? Of course, Christians have a neat way of explaining that also, they say, we have “free will†and because of that we are free to make choices, good or bad, that affect our lives. It is no secret, however, that bad things do indeed happen to “good people†(even though Christianity’s explanation claims that no one is really “good†since we are all sinners). But this is the problem; Christians will then tell you that if you simply become righteous, meaning accept Christ, and obey all of the Bible commands (a literal impossibility, unless you have not really read the Bible), God will bless you and you life will be prosperous. But if you can’t fully obey the Bible, because by their own admission we are all sinners, then how is it that some, even "wicked" people, experience a better life than some who are trying their best to be good?

 

I thought about all of this one Saturday afternoon when I was watching one of those real life true story murder mysteries on MSNBC. It was about the BTK killer, the one who would Bind Tie and Kill his victims. The story recalled how the BTK killer brutally killed this one family, mother, father, and kids. Fortunately, or unfortunately, one of the kids was not home at the time of the incident, and he was the one who would eventually find the bodies of his dead parents and siblings. He was only a kid at the time of the incident, but as he recalled the story years later, in his adulthood, he said that he could remember the exact minute when his faith left him, when he saw the bodies of his dead family. Their family had been very religious; they had faith, attended church and were very active in ministry. He said that he could not imagine a loving God with all that he had just seen. Is this how God pays you back for service towards Him. Why did their family have to go through this?

 

As I watched the story on TV, I could not help but see the similarities between this young man’s perspective and mine. I too was introduced to God and Jesus at a young age, and after seeing so much tragedy in my own immediate family, I wondered what kind of “loving God’ it is that we serve. My mother suffered so much abuse at the hands of my father, so much so that she eventually took her own life. And yet, I found myself still trying to placate this God, please Him, and make Him love me to deliver me from evil and suffering. But it eventually seemed like the more hoops I jumped through to get God to love me and alleviate my pain, the more the pain persisted. When you hear all these feel good sermons from mega-church pastors today, it all comes down to one formula – if you are good and obey God, or at least do your best to obey His commands, He will bless you and your life will be prosperous and free from turmoil; but if you are bad and don’t obey His commands, He will curse you, punish you and make you suffer. Really! Had anyone read the Bible lately? Do they see how cumbersome His laws are? Stoning kids to death for disobeying their parents? Stoning a woman to death for not still being a virgin on her wedding night? Curses for having clothes made of two different fabrics? You’ve got to be kidding me right? And then, to top it off, this formula does not make sense, all you have to do is look around and see so many instances of undeserved suffering that just does not add up. Kids born into abusive homes, or with mental or physical disabilities, third world nations torn by Civil war and rape etc.

 

Christians always come up with neat little answers to the problem of suffering and why it happens, but none of these answers make any sense. Try telling a Holocaust survivor that their family died because they were not “obedient enough†to God and see how that makes them feel.

 

I am currently reading an excellent book written by a man who was once a minister, but is now an agnostic, he has seminary degrees and the like and he expounds on Christianity’s problem of suffering like no other author I have read. The author's name is Bart D. Ehram and he is now a professor at UNC. His book is entitled “God’s Problem – How the Bible Fails to Answer our Most Important Question – why we suffer!†By a copy and give it to the most apologetic Christian you know. They will not admit it, but his analysis makes perfect sense.

[Snakefoot]

Any time I see "christian" and "suffering" in the same sentence, it reminds me of the pitiable idiots (usually charismatic fundies) who with martyr-like profundity ascribe their problems and maladies to "suffering for the Lord." Pointing out that, according to their own bible, Jebus was supposed to have already done that for them was more than pointless; it often evoked literal wailing, weeping, gnashing of teeth, and speaking in tongues with interpretation to definitively end any such herersy. After all, who can speak against a message in tongues with interpretation?

[Deva]

I think that in Christianity suffering is elevated to be something holy. It is almost to be tacitly encouraged. See the holiness of Christ's suffering. If his suffering was so holy, and he is our example, how is our suffering not also holy? Suffering Christians are taught to see themselves as suffering with Christ.

 

See how plentiful in the Catholic church there are graphic portrayals of Christ's suffering in art and most notoriously, Mel Gibson's movie (which I admit I have not seen). I would say this mindset is in all branches of Christianity also to a greater or lesser extent.

[Legion]

I think that in Christianity suffering is elevated to be something holy.

I think you may be right Deva. I saw a priest on TV last night. He was talking about how suffering can make us better if we allow God to do that. Let us say that something is learned from suffering. Why then are we not allowed to take credit for our own learning? Would that be too much pride?

[gradstu09]

I think that in Christianity suffering is elevated to be something holy.

I think you may be right Deva. I saw a priest on TV last night. He was talking about how suffering can make us better if we allow God to do that. Let us say that something is learned from suffering. Why then are we not allowed to take credit for our own learning? Would that be too much pride?

 

 

Excellent point about Catholicism. Here is something I wrote some time ago:

 

It may be painfully obvious to the rest of the world, but there's something I've come to realize over the past month or so that is becoming a huge help in how evaluate situations.

 

There's no nobility in suffering.

 

I was enamoured in my younger days with chivalry and knights and swordfights and dying heroically and having weeping princesses at my tragic funeral. Life seemed more real on those terms. I did my homework, I studied the Catechism, I understood very well that the world was a fallen place and my job was to navigate it to get back to god and live in heaven when I died. My life was boring and hard. If only I had a dragon to fight, then I could show what a good person I was, and then if the dragon killed me I'd go straight up, dying as I would in the midst of a selfless, difficult, and moral deed that nevertheless seemed much easier than following all the rules laid out for me by the Church. Dying seemed much easier than living, if one went about dying in the proper way.

 

I tried to imbue my everyday moral obligations with a sense of dragon-slaying, but it didn't work very well. You can't die heroically while saying rosaries, and you really oughtn't to be thinking about dying heroically when you're supposed to be concentrating on the rosaries. And so I got into my head the idea that the boringness itself was a good and moral thing, helped along, no doubt, by the teaching that christians are to offer their sufferings up to god. He wouldn't take them away (he only did that in stories), but he would be happy that you were cheerful about being miserable.

 

Ultimately I connected being unhappy and bored with being good, as I'm sure many christians do. There were no dragons. There was no adventure. There was only boring life and the need to be upbeat about not liking it. Therein was the only connection left to my chivalrous dreams. Suffering equalled nobility.

 

Except it doesn't.

 

Suffering as a moral good just doesn't compute anymore. At first I was afraid it was a simple reversal of the Ben and Jerry's slogan ("If it's not fun, why do it?"). There are things in life that aren't fun but are still important. But for as long as I viewed unhappiness as an indicator that I was doing the right thing, I was attaching importance to lot of meaningless or self-destructive things.

 

There is no nobility in suffering. I repeat this several times a day. It's astonishing how many things I've discovered that I simply don't need to do anymore, and how many things it is now possible for me to try.

[Skiergirl24]

My deconversion began because of suffering. I wrote this last year...

 

I would like to draw some parallels between how God treats his loyal servant, Job, and the way an abusive man treats his partner. It continues to amaze me that Jews and Christians truly believe that God is all loving yet still torments and sadistically tortures mankind. According to the Church, God has that right - God is the Supreme Being. This behavior - torture, torment, rape, murder, infanticide etc. comes from an infallible God. Thus, God's actions are infallible. Why then, do we get so upset when we hear about a woman being raped, beaten or murdered by her partner? God did these very things to thousands of people in the Bible. In many of the Biblical tales God "tested the faith" of his followers by punishing them and, in the end, these followers developed a greater love and understanding of God. Was God just testing Sharon Rocha's faith when he allowed Scott Peterson (or maybe God ordered the Devil to make Scott strangle his 8 months pregnant wife, bing her, tie her feet to cement blocks, and dump her lifeless body in the bay) murder her and her unborn baby? If we are to believe the Bible, then God purposely killed Laci and Connor to test the allegiance of Laci's family. Wow, that sounds like a loving God, doesn't it?

 

The book of Job is a long story designed to explain the existence of evil and suffering in the world. It falls short. This is it in a nutshell:

 

Job was a very wealthy man with several children who had families. Job owned livestock, property, and trading companies. On a bet with God, Satan arranged for Job's children and their families to be killed, his livestock stolen and his caravans robbed. Job lost everything he had except his own life. Pressing the bet even more, Satan afflicted Job with a terrible skin disease. Despite these catastrophes, Job did not curse God, even though his own wife urged him to do so. In fact, Job tore his robes as a sign of Grief and due to his immense faith in the Lord he lay down before God worshipped the Creator.

 

Notice how similar God's actions are to those of an abusive partner:

 

Abusive individuals need to feel in charge of the relationship. They will make decisions for you and the family, tell you what to do, and expect you to obey without question. Your abuser may treat you like a servant, child, or even as his possession.

 

Abusers commonly use threats to keep their victims from leaving or to scare them into dropping charges. Your abuser may threaten to hurt or kill you, your children, other family members, or even pets.

 

The abuser lashes out with aggressive or violent behavior. The abuse is a power play designed to show the victim "who is boss."

 

Abusers are very good at making excuses for the inexcusable. (Not only does this sound like God but also, the Church's explanations for suffering). They will blame their abusive and violent behavior on a bad childhood, a bad day, and even on the victims of their abuse. (Doesn't God blame evil on Satan??)

 

The abuser sets up the victim and puts his plan in motion, creating a situation where he can justify abusing her. (How many times in the Bible - OT and NT-does God set people up to be hurt and tortured??)

 

To be blunt: I fail to see how anyone capable of average cognitive functioning and of sound mind could worship a God who willingly tortures and torments his followers.

[Gobbler]

I thought about all of this one Saturday afternoon when I was watching one of those real life true story murder mysteries on MSNBC. It was about the BTK killer, the one who would Bind Tie and Kill his victims. The story recalled how the BTK killer brutally killed this one family, mother, father, and kids. Fortunately, or unfortunately, one of the kids was not home at the time of the incident, and he was the one who would eventually find the bodies of his dead parents and siblings. He was only a kid at the time of the incident, but as he recalled the story years later, in his adulthood, he said that he could remember the exact minute when his faith left him, when he saw the bodies of his dead family. Their family had been very religious; they had faith, attended church and were very active in ministry. He said that he could not imagine a loving God with all that he had just seen. Is this how God pays you back for service towards Him. Why did their family have to go through this?

 

As I watched the story on TV, I could not help but see the similarities between this young man’s perspective and mine. I too was introduced to God and Jesus at a young age, and after seeing so much tragedy in my own immediate family, I wondered what kind of “loving God’ it is that we serve. My mother suffered so much abuse at the hands of my father, so much so that she eventually took her own life. And yet, I found myself still trying to placate this God, please Him, and make Him love me to deliver me from evil and suffering. But it eventually seemed like the more hoops I jumped through to get God to love me and alleviate my pain, the more the pain persisted.

 

It's ironic that their killer was also a church-going christian. BTK was very active in ministry just as much as that family that he killed. I wonder if they went to the same church? Maybe god didn't like that family because they were going to the wrong church and had BTK pour out his wrath!

 

I can't possibly imagine the suffering that you have gone through and my heart goes out to you! It is no wonder why you no longer believe in the imaginary sky king!. Yet I'm sure you have heard all the excuses for your pain and suffering from christians like; god's will/plan, have more faith, trust in the lord he will see you through, your mother is in a better place now, you must forgive your father so god can forgive you. And a whole lot more nonsense I'm sure. I would like to use your observations and example on my Myspace with your permission, giving proper reference of course. Your argument about suffering and christianity are quite compelling!

[CelloChick]

I think that in Christianity suffering is elevated to be something holy. It is almost to be tacitly encouraged. See the holiness of Christ's suffering. If his suffering was so holy, and he is our example, how is our suffering not also holy? Suffering Christians are taught to see themselves as suffering with Christ.

 

Suffering with Christ? I always found this idea confusing when I was a Christian. Now, it just infuriates me. For those of you who haven't met me yet, I have a progressive, incurable, life threatening neuromuscular disease. I was diagnosed in June of 1998. Two weeks later, I was diagnosed with cancer and had a 9+ hour surgery to remove a tumor from over my heart. January 2007, I finished 23 straight cycles of IV chemotherapy, and I'm now taking chemo weekly.

 

If suffering makes someone holy, wouldn't I be more holy than Jesus? Compared to what I've lived through, Jesus had a bad afternoon!

 

Suffering doesn't lead to purity or being holy. It leads to grief and anguish. It taught me what the word weeping means. And the church added to my suffering. Either blaming me for not having enough faith, or telling me God has a special plan for my life...

 

Church made everything harder. I kept spinning in circles, trying to figure out what I did that was so terrible I deserved to suffer. I begged for healing. Pleaded. Cried. I was prayed over and anointed with oil. But, it didn't make my illness go away, and it didn't make it easier to deal with either.

 

God never gives you more than you can handle. You need to trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding. You need to...

 

Church felt like a freak show and I was the star attraction. People looked for a sign from God, treated me as if I was extra holy because of the "thorn in my side." I tried so hard to live up to the expectations of how a faithful person suffers "correctly." People freely told me that I was doing it wrong. I had a lecture about not having enough faith. Everyone in church had a cookie-cutter answer, and like a cookie-cutter slices through dough, their answers sliced through me. The more I tried to find hope and faith in God, the harder it was to cope with reality.

 

Now I can rage if I feel like raging, and not worry about sin or being lectured. I can cry if I feel like it and not worry about being told I'm not showing enough joy in the Lord. I'm free to be upset and free to stand tall. But best of all, I'm free to just be...

 

CelloChick

[hereticzero]

Mother Teresa enjoyed suffering so much she shared it with everyone she showed 'compassion' for. I would not want to be one of the unfortunates to use her convent's generosity and medical care--meaning the order's way of showing their hospitality was just providing a place on the floor to lay on until you die. The only difference between dying inside or outside, was the roof over your head.

[ogilvy]

Mother Teresa enjoyed suffering so much she shared it with everyone she showed 'compassion' for. I would not want to be one of the unfortunates to use her convent's generosity and medical care--meaning the order's way of showing their hospitality was just providing a place on the floor to lay on until you die. The only difference between dying inside or outside, was the roof over your head.

 

it was seeing people in india so horribly deformed, including children, wheeling themselves on little like skateboard things, or just dragging themselves along the street, that made a horrible doubt creep into my consciousness re the cruelty of God. presumably those people were not suffering to bring themselves closer to Jesus, because they were, i guess, hindus. so what was the point? what good would come out of it? i began to dread such a God. there was no excuse i could think of.

[ogilvy]

another thing which caused a horrible dread of God to creep into my consciousness was seeing cattle in bare paddocks due to the drought we're having here. i mean, animals dont even sin. not that people deserve to starve because they sin, either. how cruel to send drought to bring people to God. it drives me away from God. if he's like that, why would i ever imagine he would want to do me good. if he does, why does he not want to do good to other people? if he loves the little children, why are so many being sexually abused daily? it just doesnt add up.

[Deva]

Suffering with Christ? I always found this idea confusing when I was a Christian.

 

Oh yes, the idea is that Christ took on the suffering of everyone - all the penalty of everyone's "sin" is a main tenant of this religion. Christ was not just a person after all, but God, that is how he could supposedly accomplish this miraculous feat of infinite suffering in - what - 3 hours? Suffereing was really his main accomplishment. It is a stupid, criminally ignorant idea and we are supposed to pattern ourselves after this example?

 

Church felt like a freak show and I was the star attraction. People looked for a sign from God, treated me as if I was extra holy because of the "thorn in my side." I tried so hard to live up to the expectations of how a faithful person suffers "correctly." People freely told me that I was doing it wrong. I had a lecture about not having enough faith. Everyone in church had a cookie-cutter answer, and like a cookie-cutter slices through dough, their answers sliced through me. The more I tried to find hope and faith in God, the harder it was to cope with reality.

 

Christianity, unlike for example Buddhism, does not look at suffering as something that can be solved or ended in this life. In fact, it is elevated into holiness and that is why it is a circus atmosphere and an atomsphere of hypocrisy. Under the surface of " God never gives you more than you can handle" and the blame game, I say they want suffering to continue so that they can "identify with Christ." Cello, thats why you were the star attraction and they treated you as holy. They won't admit it, but it's really sick and a total lie.

[oladotun]

I thought about all of this one Saturday afternoon when I was watching one of those real life true story murder mysteries on MSNBC. It was about the BTK killer, the one who would Bind Tie and Kill his victims. The story recalled how the BTK killer brutally killed this one family, mother, father, and kids. Fortunately, or unfortunately, one of the kids was not home at the time of the incident, and he was the one who would eventually find the bodies of his dead parents and siblings. He was only a kid at the time of the incident, but as he recalled the story years later, in his adulthood, he said that he could remember the exact minute when his faith left him, when he saw the bodies of his dead family. Their family had been very religious; they had faith, attended church and were very active in ministry. He said that he could not imagine a loving God with all that he had just seen. Is this how God pays you back for service towards Him. Why did their family have to go through this?

 

As I watched the story on TV, I could not help but see the similarities between this young man’s perspective and mine. I too was introduced to God and Jesus at a young age, and after seeing so much tragedy in my own immediate family, I wondered what kind of “loving God’ it is that we serve. My mother suffered so much abuse at the hands of my father, so much so that she eventually took her own life. And yet, I found myself still trying to placate this God, please Him, and make Him love me to deliver me from evil and suffering. But it eventually seemed like the more hoops I jumped through to get God to love me and alleviate my pain, the more the pain persisted.

 

It's ironic that their killer was also a church-going christian. BTK was very active in ministry just as much as that family that he killed. I wonder if they went to the same church? Maybe god didn't like that family because they were going to the wrong church and had BTK pour out his wrath!

 

I can't possibly imagine the suffering that you have gone through and my heart goes out to you! It is no wonder why you no longer believe in the imaginary sky king!. Yet I'm sure you have heard all the excuses for your pain and suffering from christians like; god's will/plan, have more faith, trust in the lord he will see you through, your mother is in a better place now, you must forgive your father so god can forgive you. And a whole lot more nonsense I'm sure. I would like to use your observations and example on my Myspace with your permission, giving proper reference of course. Your argument about suffering and christianity are quite compelling!

 

That is fine. You can quote my observations. No problem here...