A query for believers

How can you believe in a God when things like this happen?

Australian accused of tossing daughter off bridge - USATODAY.com*

 

I don't intend to be challenging.  I just don't understand how people can believe in a kind, benevolent God who listens to our prayers and takes care of children.  Help me understand, please.

This kind of thing happening doesn't make me question God.  But it does make me understand the power of the devil over our thoughts and actions. 

I also don't condemn those who are non-believers.  Who am I to judge?  We are all sinners in some way.  I'm no better or worse just because I have faith.

God didn't do that, a man did that.

God didn't stop it.  Is he/she/it incapable?  Or does he/she/it just not care?  Or is there a better explanation?

There is no God, IMO.... that's why we need to extinguish him immediately.  Blow his brains out and be done with him.

Simply put, it's not about God or the Devil. Neither one is responsible for this failing. It's not their job. The responsibility rests with us humans.

ummm, ok, Jennifer.  Are you always this upbeat? 

that is an awful thing

do you think a person would have to be mentally ill to do something like that?

i was also saddened to hear about the man who killed his five children, his wife and himself recently

It was the fifth mass death of a Southern California family by murder or suicide in a year.

To ask why did these things happen?  Or 'why did God let these things happen'? is a very understandable question, a very human question.

The way you might answer those questions will vary depending on your culture and upbringing.

But it's probably not fair to ask anyone to justify their belief in god (or lack of it) to you, because of the harmful, hurtful actions of other people... 

Original Post by kathygator:

Simply put, it's not about God or the Devil. Neither one is responsible for this failing. It's not their job. The responsibility rests with us humans.

 OK, free will.  Got it.  So why pray?  Why worship God?  Doesn't the theory of free will essentially say that God made us and walked away, and he's not interfering?

God cannot/does not interfere with free will. As sad (horrible, rotten, evil, unthinkable) as this is, the child is in a much better place now. Imagine how her home life must have been prior to this?

eta: think of it this way, the other kids are also better off now. Sometimes the ends are greater than the means....

Maybe God allowed this to happen because He needed her in heaven.  I am not God so I do not know what His reason is.  I do believe it will work out for good at some point.  Everything happens for a reason.

Jennifer-if you believe there is no God then why do you care if people believe in him or not, just wondering.

Original Post by nomoreexcuses:

But it's probably not fair to ask anyone to justify their belief in god (or lack of it) to you, because of the harmful, hurtful actions of other people... 

 I'm not asking people to justify their belief, just explain it to someone who is completely baffled how something like this could happen to an innocent child if there really is a God out there.  I hope you can understand.  I try to be open-minded about this whole God thing, and for the most part, I believe in "live and let live."  But then something like this happens, and I just hold my head in my hands and wonder, if there is a God, how can these things happen?

Maybe you should ask Him, you never know how He might answer.

Oh didn't you know, God only gets credit when good things happen.

Original Post by phylbean:

Original Post by kathygator:

Simply put, it's not about God or the Devil. Neither one is responsible for this failing. It's not their job. The responsibility rests with us humans.

 OK, free will.  Got it.  So why pray?  Why worship God?  Doesn't the theory of free will essentially say that God made us and walked away, and he's not interfering?

 I don't worship anything. So I'm probably not the best person to speak for religion. I don't think it's a matter of 'free will' being 'given' to us by a higher power. I think we each have the responsiblity of choosing what we do.

The primary reason I adhere to a belief in God (as spiritual energy) is to express gratitude for love.

Original Post by phylbean:

ummm, ok, Jennifer.  Are you always this upbeat? 

 LOL When it comes to people that hurt children.. yes!  When I became a non-believer it dawned on me that if I don't believe in God, I can't believe in the Devil.. and that means that these monsters like Hitler who were supposed to get justice served in the afterlife were just.. just.. DEAD! OMG, I realized.. we've got to punish these sick b**tar*s NOW - while they are still here. Actually, not even waste our time with punishing them.. just quickly exterminate them like a virus. :D

I've always found the Free Will argument interesting. I don't disagree with it, in general.

But can't it also be said that God CREATED the Father, imbued him with the attributes that were used in order to do this thing? Doesn't God own some fault for creating what was clearly a very imperfect person?

Current Science suggests that many psychopaths are BORN that way. They don't BECOME psychopaths. They always just were. Why would God create Psychopaths, though?

Did you know that the aboriginal people of australia believe that everything that happens in your life, you agreed to it beforehand, before your soul entered your body?

They believe that souls agree to the lives ahead of them in order to provide lessons, opportunities for learning, or inspiration to others.

So if a child dies, while they agree that it's extremely sad, they look for a lesson in it.  They look to see if someone involved failed to learn the intended lesson.

I think this is a very alien way of understanding the world to most westerners.

I don't view God as a magic being whose purpose is to magically prevent anything bad from ever happening.  And I know from my own personal experience that without having suffered through certain things, I would not have learned many things that I have learned.

My heart goes out to that little girl's mom and grandparents and brothers.

Agree, Nomo. I tend to believe in the idea of pre-destiny (if that's what it's called) as well.

Original Post by hkellick:

I've always found the Free Will argument interesting. I don't disagree with it, in general.

But can't it also be said that God CREATED the Father, imbued him with the attributes that were used in order to do this thing? Doesn't God own some fault for creating what was clearly a very imperfect person?

Current Science suggests that many psychopaths are BORN that way. They don't BECOME psychopaths. They always just were. Why would God create Psychopaths, though?

 Dunno that it actually works that way. But as I said earlier - I'm probably not the best suited user to debate this.

Original Post by phylbean:

How can you believe in a God when things like this happen?

Australian accused of tossing daughter off bridge - USATODAY.com*

 

I don't intend to be challenging.  I just don't understand how people can believe in a kind, benevolent God who listens to our prayers and takes care of children.  Help me understand, please.

I am a believer because I feel there is something out there beyond ourselves. But that said, what makes us so sure that He/She/It is "kind, benevolent, listens to us, and takes care of children"? Maybe It forgot us some time ago. the God of the Old Testament can be very punitive and vengeful. He says up front he is a jealous god. The Wiccans say the Divine manifests in nature, but nature can get very violent and ugly. There are animals who eat their young.

Humans seem perfectly capable of doing good and evil without anybody else's help. I witnessed incredible atrocity and acts of goodness, nobility and sacrifice all in one day. I think the human need for Gods and Goddesses boils down to a map to understand our own nature and strive for what is higher in ourselves, and come to terms with what is lower so we don't feel like we must act upon it.