"My father just passed away after a 4 month battle with lung cancer. He suffered towards the end. My grandmother spent 13 years dying in a nursing home where she could do nothing but lay in bed. She was in pain and suffering. She didn't even recognize her children for almost 10 years. Also I have been physically abused/ assaulted/ raped on 3 occasions before I was 22 years old. What kind of God would let this happen to my family? What is the ultimate purpose in this?"
I'm sorry to hear all that you've experienced, Lindsay. And rather than cheapen this very real question with a simple answer, let me just open this one up to whomever would like to respond. . . And this may be a situation where words of encouragement would speak louder than an attempt to defend your theology.
We are very intellectual and spiritual as human beings always searching for the right answers. It is clear, there is evil on this earth; however, there is also good. As an individual who is facing his own problems, I cannot tell you why your family has suffered with illnesses. But I can tell you that your life here on Earth is only a blink of the eye compared to your eternal life. This is simply a test to see if we are the few handful of good people here that will make it to paradise. People have all been given a conscience and are capable of creating their own destiny, for the better or worse, but will be judged at the end of the road for their actions. All I can tell you is to keep faith my friend because it will all be put in the hands of god before you know it.
Posted by: Michael | November 04, 2009 at 12:11 AM
I would like to hear the simple answer referred to. Saying that words of encouragement are better is a cop-out to me. How can this God that so many people believe in put people through so much suffering? I, too, struggle with this issue because I refuse to believe in a God that wants us to feel gut-wrenching-miserable hurts like sexual assault, no matter what the "bigger purpose" is.
Posted by: Concerned | October 30, 2009 at 09:41 PM