Is the Lord responsible for people starving in Africa?

[Ceridwen018]

Well, is he? If god loves everyone, why does he allow people to live with such suffereing and pain? Why are babies born with horrific diseases? Why? Why? WHY?!

Is it Satan? Well then, why does god allow satan such free reign? Why doesn't god say, "I love these people, they are my children, I hereby declare you powerless, Satan."

Basically, this question could also be written as "Is god responsible for evil." Lets hear it!

 

[standing_on_one_foot]

Weeeell...if you have an omnipotent God, then yes, technically, I think God is responsible for everything, even evil, but at the same time...really, I think the answer is just "sometimes bad stuff happens, who knows why?" And, well, I think things would be better if we spent less time pointing fingers and more time trying to fix things, you know?

Heh, kinda reminds me of a random Jewish saying I like: "Pray as if everything depends on God; act as if everything depends on you."

 

[Sunstone]

Have you ever considered the possibility that the Lord is seriously challenged when it comes to morality? Maybe he's a little slow when it comes to ethics. It could be that he doesn't yet grasp starvation is a bad thing. After all, look at the bible: it was quite some time before he grasped that slaughtering women and children in warfare was a bad thing. So, I'm sure he'll do something about the evil effects of famine just as soon as he figures out that there are any evil effects.

 

[Ardhanariswar]

OR maybe, people suffer because of thier karma and what they did. Maybe, this has nothing to do with God, but just the way the world works, in balance. Some must be born up high. Some must be born down low. Otherwise, we will never feel thankful for our meal and feel urges to help the starving. we would all be selfish ******** if the world was perfectly equal.

 

[Ceridwen018]

Lol, what if god had the mental capacity of a 5 year old?.....Oh hell...

 

[Lightkeeper]

I'm going back to my original premise that the Divine is within us and we are responsible for tapping into that. We are responsible for ourselves and we are responsible to help others help themselves. The best aid to a place like Africa is to give them the tools to help themselves. Taking action are the key words.

 

[Ronald]

ABSOLUTELY NOT! Man and his yetzer harah/evil inclination are fully to blame.

You are given an opportunity to do something about the suffering, and there-by store up treasure in heaven.

This is a great problem with people who know nothing of God especially from the Hebrew perspective. God cares as much for those suffering as you doand He will cover them, but you and I don't have such a covering. This being the case we, you and I are the ones to feel sorry for if we sit idley by and do nothing.

 

[Sunstone]

Lol, what if god had the mental capacity of a 5 year old?.....Oh hell...

I submit that, if you just look around you at the way the world is, you can't help but get the impression that this may indeed be true. That is, it is wholly reasonable to suppose that god has some "developmental problems". Either that, or perhaps he spends a good deal of his time drunk. Theologians could speculate endlessly which one it is.

More seriously, Ceridwen, I have often wondered what would be the outcome if a psychologist were to read the OT and analyze the character of God just like he would analyze a patient. What would that analysis show?

 

[Lightkeeper]

More seriously, Ceridwen, I have often wondered what would be the outcome if a psychologist were to read the OT and analyze the character of God just like he would analyze a patient. What would that analysis show?

Why don't you start a thread on this?

 

[cardero]

Ceredwin016 writes:Well, is he? If god loves everyone, why does he allow people to live with such suffereing and pain? Why are babies born with horrific diseases? Why? Why? WHY?!

Is it Satan? Well then, why does god allow satan such free reign? Why doesn't god say, "I love these people, they are my children, I hereby declare you powerless, Satan."

I think we choose our lot in life. Whether it is planned before we arrive here or if it is planned as we go along. Every decision/PURPOSE/challenge/choice is our own. People who blame GOD or Satan or others for their positions in life are people who do not take PERSONAL responsibility for their existences. There are many things that “seem” to BE unfair or INCORRECT or impractical but we cannot K(NOW) or judge exactly what kind of life a physical entity has planned/chosen for themselves.

 

[Jaymes]

Yes. If he is in control of everything, then he is in control of evil as well. He's allowing it to happen.

 

[Ceridwen018]

People who blame GOD or Satan or others for their positions in life are people who do not take PERSONAL responsibility for their existences.

Your statement here brings out an interesting point. many Christians, it seems, hold firm belief that God causes good, while satan causes evil. I disagree with that on the premise that if god has power over Satan, he therefore has power over hell and is then at least indirectly responsible for it. Anyhow, your point is not "God causes good while humans and satan cause evil" but rather, that humans are responsible for both the good AND the bad. This makes much more sense.

So then ,carrdero, are you a deist?

There are many things that “seem” to BE unfair or INCORRECT or impractical but we cannot K(NOW) or judge exactly what kind of life a physical entity has planned/chosen for themselves.

I agree that this is true to an extent, but there are some things which are so blatantly unfair that they can cause one to seriously question a god's judgement. For instance, how about a woman who lives in Ethiopia, and finally dies of starvation? How is that fair? What about a small baby who is born with harlequin syndrome? How is that fair? To rephrase the question, what purpose could god have for such incredible suffering?

We're getting a little off topic here I think. You obviously believe that god has a plan for each of our lives, and that he is the one who created that plan. That said, do you believe that he is 'responsible' for the starving people in Africa, or on broader terms, evil?

Jensa, I agree with you.

 

[cardero]

Ceredwin016 writes: For instance, how about a woman who lives in Ethiopia, and finally dies of starvation? How is that fair? What about a small baby who is born with harlequin syndrome? How is that fair? To rephrase the question, what purpose could god have for such incredible suffering?

I believe this is our PURPOSE and not GOD’s. If it was GOD’s PURPOSE are existences would not BE our own. As far as why someone would choose a PURPOSE like the examples you gave we can only speculate but we shouldn’t judge.

Ceredwin016 writes: You obviously believe that god has a plan for each of our lives, and that he is the one who created that plan.

I do not believe that GOD has a plan for each of our lives but I believe we have a plan for each of our lives and I think in some ways that plan could and does extend into other’s lives as well.



We’re all in this together.

-Robert DeNiro from the movie BRAZIL

 

[Ardhanariswar]

ya. i bring up my point earlier. If there were no starving people, we could not help them. But there are, and we should help them. it fosters a good wellbeing and cumminity for the better of humanity.

 

[Scott1]

Every decision/PURPOSE/challenge/choice is our own.

I'm confused.... so the starving people in Africa made a decision/choice to starve and watch their children die?

 

[Hope]

This is one of those discussions that keeps popping up and always goes in circles. Ah, my aching head!

But, seriously, the issue shouldn't always be, Is God responsible for this, is He responsible for that. He gave us the capacity to make the world a better place if we choose to, if we just get off our butts and do it. If more of us actually cared about the suffering in this world, I think there would be a lot less of it. Unfortunately, the cruel and apathetic people in the world seem to far outnumber the 'Mother Theresa's' of the world. God isn't our enemy--we are our own enemy. :help:

 

[cardero]

SOGFFP writes: I'm confused....

That’s okay.

SOGFFP writes : so the starving people in Africa made a decision/choice to starve and watch their children die?

Yes if that is their decision and their PURPOSE just as it is their decision or choice to experience a life in a location of resourceful prosperity.

Why they would plan an existence/PURPOSE/agenda like this, again I must reiterate, we can only speculate and not judge.

 

[Hope]

That’s okay.


Yes if that is their decision and their PURPOSE just as it is their decision or choice to experience a life in a location of resourceful prosperity.

Why they would plan an existence/PURPOSE/agenda like this, again I must reiterate, we can only speculate and not judge.

I don't think the said 'starving woman in Africa' would appreciate it if you told her this.

 

[Rozs]

In the book of Job, God permitted Satan to test Job. But it doesn't mean that God is evil. Please read the book of Job. Life would be worthless with out God. Please read the Bible for you to be enlightened.

 

[cardero]

Hope writes: I don't think the said 'starving woman in Africa' would appreciate it if you told her this.

I wouldn't expect her to believe or appreciate it but I do think she should consider it?