I have some deep question about God, help!

[A94]

Hello,
I have some questions, that I can't find the answers to. (I'm still learning.)
I've been studying and asking God to show me answers to these questions, and yet I'm still so lost.
Hoping someone can help me out a little.

If God is all-loving, why is there a hell, and why do people constantly die needlessly and innocently?
(E.G. People dying of horrific things like being merely beaten to death by someone they never even knew, or suddenly contracting illness? Or dying of starvation, because they're so poor and couldn't get help? There are worse innocent deaths that happen all the time, but I'd rather not make this too graphic. You get the picture.)

Also, why is there a hell? The punishment of hells pain, torture and eternal fire is so sickening to think of. And thinking of the people who will go there, simply because they never knew God, or just happened to get caught up in something wrong, for a time and died. Eternal pain is the worst thing to experience. How is this love?
The bible states that his love is unconditional, but this seems to be a very conditional situation, to me. I'm confused.

If God is perfect and omnipotent, why does this all even exist? Can't he just wipe it all out, and destroy satan?
He is perfect, yet a mistake was made when satan was allowed to come in and interfere in the garden of eden, was it not? Should he not have interfered, then?
Also, being all-knowing, should he not have seen this all coming and prevented it?
Why would he chose to let us live in a world like this?
Also, how is having a choice between God, a perfect heaven of fluffy clouds vs. Eternal suffering and burning free will? It seems like a very forced choice to me, because who in their right mind would choose the latter?
I know the bible says in the end times God will do his final justice once and for all and make things right. However, that will still involve a lot of people going to hell, and I don't understand why he must let us suffer this way, until then.

Not looking to argue or get into anything, as religious discussions tend to go... just really, honestly looking for answers.
Hoping someone can help me understand these things.
Thank you.

 

[dybmh]

All are very good questions. Don't give up looking for the answers.

 

[Muffled]

OP asks: "If God is all-loving, why is there a hell, and why do people constantly die needlessly and innocently?"

I believe there is a Hell because those who do evil have a place where they can't cause the people who love goodness any trouble. There is an old saying: you can't please all the people all the time. This also answers the question: "Why is there evil on the earth." So that those who are evil can have a life.

I believe it is difficult to judge who is needless and innocent. God decides that. The truth is I have no need to die at present but God does not necessarily cater to my needs. Usually innocent people die because there is evil in the world.

 

[dybmh]

Follow up question: Is there something in current events or your personal life that is involved in your search for understanding?

Most people come to a point in their lives when they naturally ask the same questions you are asking.

Knowing a little more about you and your situation might be helpful for me and others in answering your questions.

 

[Muffled]

Op asks: "Can't he just wipe it all out, and destroy satan?"

I believe He can. He is going to wipe a lot of it out in order to bring in the Kingdom of God.

I believe He doesn't destroy Satan because He created him and prefers restoration.

 

[Muffled]

Op asks "Also, being all-knowing, should he not have seen this all coming and prevented it?"

I believe He knew but does not want automatons. He would rather work things out in the long run.

 

[Spirit of Light]

First of all, are you talking about the Christian God? or some other God?

In my understanding the God in Christianity take care of the Christian people not others. But humans keep doing what is called sin in Christianity, and when someone do a sin they will have to repay "learn" why and how things should be done right. So to take a part of Buddhism to explain, karma is the part that make us suffer when we must repay our wrong doings. So even a God is only good, human beings are not. So if we want to become like a God or Buddha we must stop doing wrong actions, speech and wrong thoughts.

 

[RabbiO]

@A94 -

You have posed questions based on a Christian paradiagm, on a perspective mined from Christian sources. Perhaps you will find answers that satisfy you from Christian members of the forum.

As a Jew, not a Christian, I'm not going to be of much help, except to remind you that there are other perspectives from other traditions. For that reason, as they say on Shark Tank, I'm out.

 

[George-ananda]

Hoping someone can help me understand these things.

Here's my attempt at help. I think you are questioning the old ways of thinking about God and the world. I think your questions are typical challenges for a belief system that is outdated for our modern logical thinking skills and worldview.

I have been influenced by a 'New Age' of understanding that also ties in with a lot eastern (Hindu, Buddhist) thought too. Understanding the New worldview takes some time and I can't do it for you in a short reply post. But in a nutshell it goes like this: God is the one and only consciousness. In the play/drama of the universe he incarnates all these finite beings to experience the growth from simple ego clinging consciousness to the joy and peace realization of the ultimate Oneness of all in God/Love.

 

[WalterTrull]

I have some questions, that I can't find the answers to.

Sometimes when questions can't be answered, it's best to examine the premises..

 

[sun rise]

@A94 -

You have posed questions based on a Christian paradiagm, on a perspective mined from Christian sources. Perhaps you will find answers that satisfy you from Christian members of the forum.

As a Jew, not a Christian, I'm not going to be of much help, except to remind you that there are other perspectives from other traditions. For that reason, as they say on Shark Tank, I'm out.

From a different perspective, I feel the same way. I don't believe in a permanent hell, the devil, a literal eden and so forth. My answers would be couched in Eastern thought with reincarnation, karma, past life review in an astral plane with pleasure (heaven) and pain (hell) experiences and so forth.

 

[viole]

Hello,
I have some questions, that I can't find the answers to. (I'm still learning.)
I've been studying and asking God to show me answers to these questions, and yet I'm still so lost.
Hoping someone can help me out a little.

If God is all-loving, why is there a hell, and why do people constantly die needlessly and innocently?
(E.G. People dying of horrific things like being merely beaten to death by someone they never even knew, or suddenly contracting illness? Or dying of starvation, because they're so poor and couldn't get help? There are worse innocent deaths that happen all the time, but I'd rather not make this too graphic. You get the picture.)

Also, why is there a hell? The punishment of hells pain, torture and eternal fire is so sickening to think of. And thinking of the people who will go there, simply because they never knew God, or just happened to get caught up in something wrong, for a time and died. Eternal pain is the worst thing to experience. How is this love?
The bible states that his love is unconditional, but this seems to be a very conditional situation, to me. I'm confused.

If God is perfect and omnipotent, why does this all even exist? Can't he just wipe it all out, and destroy satan?
He is perfect, yet a mistake was made when satan was allowed to come in and interfere in the garden of eden, was it not? Should he not have interfered, then?
Also, being all-knowing, should he not have seen this all coming and prevented it?
Why would he chose to let us live in a world like this?
Also, how is having a choice between God, a perfect heaven of fluffy clouds vs. Eternal suffering and burning free will? It seems like a very forced choice to me, because who in their right mind would choose the latter?
I know the bible says in the end times God will do his final justice once and for all and make things right. However, that will still involve a lot of people going to hell, and I don't understand why he must let us suffer this way, until then.

Not looking to argue or get into anything, as religious discussions tend to go... just really, honestly looking for answers.
Hoping someone can help me understand these things.
Thank you.

Well, there is a simple answer that deals with all of your questions at once.

Ciao

- viole

 

[Brickjectivity]

Hello,
I have some questions, that I can't find the answers to. (I'm still learning.)
I've been studying and asking God to show me answers to these questions, and yet I'm still so lost.
Hoping someone can help me out a little.

If God is all-loving, why is there a hell, and why do people constantly die needlessly and innocently?
(E.G. People dying of horrific things like being merely beaten to death by someone they never even knew, or suddenly contracting illness? Or dying of starvation, because they're so poor and couldn't get help? There are worse innocent deaths that happen all the time, but I'd rather not make this too graphic. You get the picture.)

Also, why is there a hell? The punishment of hells pain, torture and eternal fire is so sickening to think of. And thinking of the people who will go there, simply because they never knew God, or just happened to get caught up in something wrong, for a time and died. Eternal pain is the worst thing to experience. How is this love?
The bible states that his love is unconditional, but this seems to be a very conditional situation, to me. I'm confused.

If God is perfect and omnipotent, why does this all even exist? Can't he just wipe it all out, and destroy satan?
He is perfect, yet a mistake was made when satan was allowed to come in and interfere in the garden of eden, was it not? Should he not have interfered, then?
Also, being all-knowing, should he not have seen this all coming and prevented it?
Why would he chose to let us live in a world like this?
Also, how is having a choice between God, a perfect heaven of fluffy clouds vs. Eternal suffering and burning free will? It seems like a very forced choice to me, because who in their right mind would choose the latter?
I know the bible says in the end times God will do his final justice once and for all and make things right. However, that will still involve a lot of people going to hell, and I don't understand why he must let us suffer this way, until then.

Not looking to argue or get into anything, as religious discussions tend to go... just really, honestly looking for answers.
Hoping someone can help me understand these things.
Thank you.

You may make these challenges in the biblical debates section. We prefer to keep debate in specific areas of the site.

This is not a site intended to teach you the Bible, but you are welcome to hang around and make friends. Our forum mission is not teaching the Bible to you but providing a place of conversation for religious people in different religions. I'm really sorry but nobody here can make enough posts to replace personal study of the subject, and there are other resources better equipped to fill in whatever knowledge you are seeking. The word 'Religious' in the forum title includes all kinds of religion.

 

[pearl]

I have some questions, that I can't find the answers to. (I'm still learning.)

We are all still learning, the process of which dose not stop until we have drawn our last breath.

If God is all-loving, why is there a hell, and why do people constantly die needlessly and innocently?

The images of hell that Sacred Scripture presents to us must be correctly interpreted. They show the complete frustration and emptiness of life without God. Rather than a place, hell indicates the state of those who freely and definitively separate themselves from God. Everything that lives eventually dies.

Or dying of starvation, because they're so poor and couldn't get help? There are worse innocent deaths that happen all the time, but I'd rather not make this too graphic. You get the picture.)

God has no hands but ours. When we know people are starving to death, and do nothing, it is us who kill them, not God.

Why would he chose to let us live in a world like this?

As far as humanity's treatment of humanity, the world is what 'we' make it, not God.

 

[sooda]

OP asks: "If God is all-loving, why is there a hell, and why do people constantly die needlessly and innocently?"

I believe there is a Hell because those who do evil have a place where they can't cause the people who love goodness any trouble. There is an old saying: you can't please all the people all the time. This also answers the question: "Why is there evil on the earth." So that those who are evil can have a life.

I believe it is difficult to judge who is needless and innocent. God decides that. The truth is I have no need to die at present but God does not necessarily cater to my needs. Usually innocent people die because there is evil in the world.

Not everyone believes in hell and there are many good reasons for that.

 

[sooda]

@A94 -

You have posed questions based on a Christian paradiagm, on a perspective mined from Christian sources. Perhaps you will find answers that satisfy you from Christian members of the forum.

As a Jew, not a Christian, I'm not going to be of much help, except to remind you that there are other perspectives from other traditions. For that reason, as they say on Shark Tank, I'm out.

Jews and Muslims have a different take on hell.. and original sin.. IMO.. there is value to Christians in looking at those beliefs.

 

[RabbiO]

Jews and Muslims have a different take on hell.. and original sin.. IMO.. there is value to Christians in looking at those beliefs.

I agree that it is worthwhile, and important, to understand the beliefs and perspectives of those from other backgrounds and traditions. However, that was not my understanding of what the OP was seeking in her original questions.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

Christian theology doesn't really make any sense so no matter how much you think about it and question, it will never really add up. So there's no satisfying answer to your questions, unfortunately. Thinking about it led me to dump Christianity. If a religion isn't logical, then it's not for me. St. Paul and some OT verses scorn reason and earthly knowledge, anyway, so Yahweh makes it clear what sort of followers he wants.

 

[BSM1]

When we stop trying to separate "God" from everything else, the answers become apparent and constantly evolving. However, to do this usually means having to tear down and sometimes give up everything we've been taught about "God". Keep honestly looking and don't be afraid of what you might find; and remember, no matter what people say no one knows any more about "God" than the next person.

 

[sooda]

I agree that it is worthwhile, and important, to understand the beliefs and perspectives of those from other backgrounds and traditions. However, that was not my understanding of what the OP was seeking in her original questions.

Well, if she is interested perhaps breaking it down to smaller questions instead of trying to eat the whole enchilada at once. Personally, Judaism and Islam have both helped me understand the things that bothered me about Christianity.