Questions about God.

[Magna]

"God is love." God is omniscient.

The question has been understandably asked countless times before: Why do bad things happen to good people? The answer I've been given is that God's ways are not our ways. Meaning, we can't see "the big picture". Therefore, with only a partial first person view of things, experiences that are bad are likely part of something bigger that is good.

This seems to be true sometimes. I've had experiences that seemed bad at the time but in retrospect ended up resulting in something better, or I became wiser from the experience, etc.

What I don't understand is when really bad things happen to perfectly innocent people as if the person/people had no more worth (to God) than a thing. Victims of war, starvation, murder, rape, etc. Innocent victims of the most heinous acts imaginable; victims for no reason. God is with us always and knows our every breath.

Even though we're insignificant, we're "dust", God loves us so much that he sent his only Son to save us. In this way we can liken God's love for us as the love a parent would have for their child.

However, a loving parent of a child would never just let horrible things happen to their child and not prevent or intervene. Never. Yes, we can say that a parent would allow a child with cancer to undergo painful cancer treatments, pain that the child might not understand because the parent sees the "bigger picture" (ie remission, cure). But again, a loving parent wouldn't allow their child to be starved, raped, murdered, etc and just let it happen. In fact, a parent who let things like that happen to their child would be considered anything but loving.

Looking at God as a parent the idea seems to be God saying: "Here's the meaning of life for you: No matter what happens in your life all you need to do is love me unconditionally and you'll live blissfully with me in Heaven. I love you unconditionally even though being with me is conditional. I see and know everything that you do and I see and know everything that happens to you when it happens. So even though I might let very bad things happen to you and I won't step in to stop them, you need to love me no matter what and you'll be better off in the end."

The explanation that I gather as to why such things happen to innocent people is that our lives on this earth are not the end all be all. Our bodies are a mere shell. Our corporal (ie of the body/flesh) experiences (e.g. pain, suffering) are secondary in importance to our spiritual experience. We should be "looking toward Heaven" (ie our eternal life), not looking at or dwelling on our experiences we have in this life. I have a hard time with this logic.

Why do you think bad things happen to good people? Especially when it's for no reason/random?

 

[tree]

It looks like you've answered your own questions,
but now want other people to offer their ideas regarding
the questions?

 

[Magna]

It looks like you've answered your own questions,
but now want other people to offer their ideas regarding
the questions?

Correct. That's what I ask in the two final questions of my post.

 

[Judge]

Why do you think bad things happen to good people? Especially when it's for no reason/random?

Because on our primary plane of existence we are not only eternal souls, but magnanimous ones at that. That we choose to come to this secondary, imperfect plane of existence for enlightenment as it involves so many mortal considerations that simply do not happen on "the other side".

That despite all the heartbreak and pain of this existence, it is only temporary as a catalyst to experience imperfection and learn the best we can from it. Where we not only experience hardship and struggle of many kinds here, but most of it is by our own design. Carefully crafted (with help) on the other side.

With the knowledge that each reincarnation has multiple "exit points" where circumstances at a particular time may warrant returning home. And that in the course of such experiences random or otherwise, it may be due to those who helped us craft this life as to whether or not we are allowed to overcome an exit point and continue with our lives in a mission to improve our immortal souls.

In essence that in most instances, bad things are supposed to happen to us, as part of a much greater lesson to be had. From a mortal perspective this must sound terrible cruel and horrific. But from the perspective of an immortal soul, it's a primary consideration for self-improvement over an eternity.

 

[Streetwise]

So even though I might let very bad things happen to you a

Free will !people can't have it both ways ,you can choose or you can be completely! obedient ,if you're not completely obedient there are consequences,in Genesis man is told he is the steward over the earth, literally what he! says happens, that covenant has never ended, but let's say a codicil (basically a bit tacked onto the end) was Yeshua becoming the atonement for all sin !ever, if !people asked for forgiveness, forgiven,people don't like somebody saying no you can't!,then they twist what JHVH says about free will ,temper tantrum ,hitting little fists, screaming!" but I want it both ways! I can do what ever I want and there are no consequences" ,no you can't do whatever you want without consquences

 

[unperson]

Suffering separates you out from the 'world', if one never suffered why would you question this world - you'd think you were in the best of all possible worlds.

I have chosen you out of this world because ye are not of the world.

 

[Wulven]

God trieth the hearts. Faith untested is easily broken.

 

[ucrenegade]

It's the curses and blessings that we are experiencing. It takes more than belief you have to pick up the cross and follow him. Read Hosea 4 it will tell you your answer. People are experiencing this stuff because they have been sold a pack of lies one side says all you have to do is believe and the other side says all you have is to do. The fact is you need both the belief but you must also do. Unfortunately this goes to our children because they learn what we teach them and if the parent teaches them the same things they were taught it could be a endless cycle or generations. You may see innocent children but Yah sees that kid grown up and the choices he is going to make. So we as parents and our parents and their parents and on and on forsaked the real truth of the bible and ravenous wolves came in through all the various religions confused everyone away from the simplicity of the bible hence we get the curses that Yah said we would get if we are disobedient. Basically in a nutshell that is your answer but you can even study it more if you would like I am here.

 

[Magna]

Free will !people can't have it both ways ,you can choose or you can be completely! obedient ,if you're not completely obedient there are consequences,in Genesis man is told he is the steward over the earth, literally what he! says happens, that covenant has never ended, but let's say a codicil (basically a bit tacked onto the end) was Yeshua becoming the atonement for all sin !ever, if !people asked for forgiveness, forgiven,people don't like somebody saying no you can't!,then they twist what JHVH says about free will ,temper tantrum ,hitting little fists, screaming!" but I want it both ways! I can do what ever I want and there are no consequences" ,no you can't do whatever you want without consquences

Free Will doesn't come into play when innocent people are subject to victimizations. They don't choose to be victimized and I don't believe God allowed them to be victimized because they weren't completely obedient to God (ie punishment).

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

Free Will doesn't come into play when innocent people are subject to victimizations. They don't choose to be victimized and I don't believe God allowed them to be victimized because they weren't completely obedient to God (ie punishment).

It's true. We give God credit for a lot of the evil that man commits.

 

[Streetwise]

Free Will doesn't come into play when innocent people are subject to victimizations. They don't choose to be victimized and I don't believe God allowed them to be victimized because they weren't completely obedient to God (ie punishment).

I disagree

 

[KOZMOZIS @realchrisharold]

“You’re laughing like I’m supposed to know: what you’re thinking but I don’t. I know this never comes easy; but I’ll never - be your mind reader.”

God is the mind reader: we are the predictors of the “matrix.” We can analyze past events and then come up with formulas to predict the outcome of the outcome that had already occurred. So to say that God let’s bad things happen to good people: it’s because of the bigger picture, for sure. What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger; but remember the change of entropy. The longer the heat builds up: eventually an explosion occurs in a closed system. God is heating us up, and dispensing decades, days, ages, centuries etc.

E.G. the 80’s was the cocaine era; the age of energy.
The 90’s was the tech revolution; communication of that energy
The 2000-2010 was the building of new forms of technology using communication and of course that communication was used to miscommunicate between Goldman, AIG, Lehman and the poor via CDO’s and CDS’s
2010-2020 Was the crash of energy (Oil) and the beginning of expression: NFT’s, DeFi etc