We are now living in a world where there is a great deal of pain and suffering. Looking at the world today, we see there is starvation on a massive scale that affects millions of people. Wars are widespread and the consequences of these are devastating to everyone who lives in these war zones. Crime is rising almost by the day as people show less and less compassion to those who are less fortunate than themselves.
Then there are what I term natural disasters and sometimes "acts of God". Disasters such as earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, and fires. These are occurring with more severity and regularity than ever before. The world seems to tear itself apart.
And last, but certainly not least, we see diseases of all kinds affecting almost every person on the planet. Some ailments are minor, and many can affect every part of our lives. If you are not affected, then you will at least have family or friends who are suffering pain of some sort. The pain can be physical, psychological, or spiritual.
When we look at these problems we face every day, many are asking God.
WHY IS THERE SO MUCH SUFFERING IN OUR WORLD?
There is no simple answer to this all important question, but there are hints in God's bible if we are prepared to search for them and actually believe what we read in this amazing book.
A common comment about our suffering goes like this. "Since there is so much suffering, there can be no God, otherwise He would stop all suffering". Then there are Christians who believe in the existence of God, but do not believe He can control all things. That He is not sovereign over all of His creation.
What happens if we take God completely out of the picture? Now we must have what I will call a "naturalistic view" of the world. A view that excludes any form of creation, but only allows for evolution. In this case, where do we get the notion that anything is good or evil, right or wrong? It is only the human species who have these thoughts of what is morally right or wrong. All other species of animals do not share our views on these matters.
If this world came about purely by evolution over a period of billions of years, and has been all about the survival of the fittest, then where do we get these values of what is right or what is wrong?
If there is no God who created all things, then we have a universe that has absolutely no design, no purpose, really no reason at all to even exist. No cause or reason for anything to be good or bad, right or wrong. All things must be just merciless indifference, with no meaning or purpose in life. How can there possibly be any good or evil, right or wrong, in an impersonal universe that came about by "time and chance", by "survival of the fittest" and "evolution?"
If the universe doesn't care if an act is good or evil. Then why should we?
I certainly do not have all the answers to the question "why is there so much suffering in the world", and I know that no one else does either. God and only God knows what is happening, and He knows the reason for anything that happens in any part of His universe. We must accept that He is supreme and sovereign and has a plan that involves us all.
If you purchase this book, I sincerely hope you can use it to begin your own studies about suffering.
May God bless all of your efforts to understand.
Leslie Rendell has had no formal religious education. But he has been studying the bible for most of his life. When he is researching a topic, he looks at what other people have said in their books, or on the world wide web. He believes it is important to see opinions from every angle of a subject to be able to give his own informed decision. But still the most important reference is always the bible. There is no other authority when it comes to matters of what God expects from those He has created in His own image. If there is a conflict between the bible and man's thoughts, The bible will win every time.
All though he has not had any formal bible education, he believes the bible can be understood by the average bible reader. Otherwise how could they ever understand what God's will is for their lives?
Apart from bible studies, Leslie loves to spend time with his family watching his daughter grow into a wonderful woman and mother. His grand children starting on their life journeys, and now some great grand children to watch growing up. It is a special time in his life to see his family grow.
He is retired and now lives in the South West of Western Australia. Apart from his love of the Bible and his family, his other hobby is photography, where he loves to photograph God's creation.
