Why bad things happen to good people ?

I have been given various explanations from religious people before and found their theories quite absurd.

Whats your take on it?

Have you ever looked in a Bible for that answer......try the book of Job...thats what the whole book is about.

You expect us to do the work for you?

[This message has been edited by Sniper Piper (edited 06-16-2004).]

I asked for peoples personal views!

I like this analogy, "God" is a six year-old with a magnifying glass. Six year-olds, on the most part, are sadistic and cruel.

You do the math.

I dont know why nobody does but its to easy to blame it on God. Some things like earthquakes and stuff you dont know why they happened to such good people. But god didnt force those people to fly airplanes into buildings or some asshole to rob your house.

quote:Originally posted by intern_7:

Why bad things happen to good people ?

I have been given various explanations from religious people before and found their theories quite absurd.

Whats your take on it?

You didn't put an apostrophe between your What and s.

bad things happen because they must

quote:Originally posted by Sniper Piper:

Have you ever looked in a Bible for that answer......try the book of Job...thats what the whole book is about.

You expect us to do the work for you?

[This message has been edited by Sniper Piper (edited 06-16-2004).]

You're suggesting bad things happen to good people because of God having bar bets with the devil?

That cat must be a fuckin' ALCOHOLIC

Why do you ask?

Would they be good people without the knowledge of bad people or bad things? How could you ever enjoy sweet without sorrow? Good times are gone so fast and bad times linger on. Thats a fucking joke of man.

Neither good nor bad things happen.

"Things" happen and we as humans, in our lack of true understanding, decided what's good or bad.

Well what I am getting at is if there is a God ( which I do not believe ) why would " HE /SHE" say let a mother die leaving an infant without a mother , but let a murderous criminal live to a ripe old age ?

I don't get it - If I was religious and did everything the church expected of me and a heap of bad shit happened to me - I think I'd begin to realize God's bullshit . I don't understand their blind faith.....

Ones perception and Perspective comes into play when dealing with the idea of "good" and "bad".

If I get kicked in the balls, that in my eye is a "bad" and bloody painful thing to occur, yet when another is given a swift kick to the goolies it is a "good" or at least, again in my eye, a truly fucking funny thing.

Thats crap and makes no sense at all . Where's the reasoning that a young mother dying is GOOD ? That answer sucks .

Shit happens, and there is often no apparent rhyme or reason to it.

Edit: Why should there instantly be a connection between 'good' behaviour and good karma?

[This message has been edited by inquisitor_11 (edited 06-16-2004).]

quote:Originally posted by Sniper Piper:

Have you ever looked in a Bible for that answer......try the book of Job...thats what the whole book is about.

You expect us to do the work for you?

[This message has been edited by Sniper Piper (edited 06-16-2004).]

Yeah I read that one. God must be an asshole who really likes to tease people. They say that God "tested" Job. Bullshit, I say he teased Job. Didn't anyone tell God that teasing isn't nice?

it's necessary

quote:Originally posted by intern_7:

Why bad things happen to good people ?

I have been given various explanations from religious people before and found their theories quite absurd.

Whats your take on it?

To test our faith. In the immortal words off Bill Hicks:

"God's fucking with us!"

How could free will exist? Man does it to himself.

Yes, for fuck's sake, read the Book of Job!

Bad things happen to "good" people, you say? You fail to realize that in God's eyes there are no truly "good" people.

When he tested Job, a very righteous man, even he realized that he was a sinner, and begged for forgiveness.

And yes it is a test, not a bar bet or teasing. It's easy for Job to love God when he gives him everything he wants, but what about when he takes that all away? Will he still love him, or does Job only care about the material possessions and happiness on Earth? That is the test.

"Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord!"

There's your answer. It's pretty simple really.

quote:Originally posted by I_Like_Traffic_Lights:

You're suggesting bad things happen to good people because of God having bar bets with the devil?



It is interesting that people equate this to a "bar bet":

Job 1:7-8

7. The Lord said to Satan, "Where have you come from?"

Satan answered the Lord, "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it."

8. Then the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job? There us no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil."

What was the corollation from "where have you been" to "check out my man 'Job' "?

"bar bet" implies a gamble. A gamble implies that there is something to lose. God already knew where Satan came from and what he was up to. He also knew what Job and his 3 friends and the 'kid' would do.

No bar bet here. But it does show how far Satan will go, even though he knows that God will win in the end.

quote:Originally posted by intern_7:

Well what I am getting at is if there is a God ( which I do not believe ) why would " HE /SHE" say let a mother die leaving an infant without a mother , but let a murderous criminal live to a ripe old age ?



This is just my thoughts on the matter...

Maybe the mother that you are talking about, already accepted God, but the "murderous criminal" will accept Him in the future.

If our reason for being here is to (freewill) chose Him or deny Him, to a Just God, life and death on earth is not as important as eternal life or eternal death.

Also, who are we to define what is good and bad, eternally speaking.

quote:

I don't get it - If I was religious and did everything the church expected of me and a heap of bad shit happened to me - I think I'd begin to realize God's bullshit . I don't understand their blind faith

Doing what the church expects is the wrong point of view. The church 'is/should be' (in part) a guide for you to learn what God expects. In other words, the church should reflect and teach what God taught. And we SHOULD do what God expects. It is God that will judge us in the end, not the church.

quote:Originally posted by whocares123:

Yes, for fuck's sake, read the Book of Job!

When he tested Job, a very righteous man, even he realized that he was a sinner, and begged for forgiveness.

And yes it is a test, not a bar bet or teasing. It's easy for Job to love God when he gives him everything he wants, but what about when he takes that all away? Will he still love him, or does Job only care about the material possessions and happiness on Earth? That is the test.

There's your answer. It's pretty simple really.

One other part of the test, I think, was to show Job his pride. Job told about all the things that he did.. clothed the poor, helped widows, treated his servants justly.

And if we are paying attention, it is a messege to us all. How many times have we said something to the effect of : " I deserve this or that, I'm a good person" or "Why did this have to happen to me?, I'm not a bad person."

As for me, too many times. As much as I try to do things because of my love for God, I fall short and expect a reward (blessing) from God. It is up to Him to decide what i need and or derserve. And I am very thankful that I dont get what i really deserve.

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Well I'm glad I don't believe in it - I figure shit just happens because it does - it's unfortunate but no higher being has control - Obvious to me .

quote:Originally posted by intern_7:

I figure shit just happens because it does -



It does. People decide to do "bad things" to other people(good or bad). As for natural disasters they have to happen in order for the earth to stay in balance and they happen naturally they don't just happen to "good people".



quote:Originally posted by intern_7:it's unfortunate but no higher being has control - Obvious to me .



I agree. Weather you believe in God or not there is free will if you want to kill someone you can if God interfered in this there wouldn't be free will and there would have to be an interference for "bad things" to only happen to "good people" they are just a result of free will. God doesn't make "bad things" happen to people to test them or anything the book of Job in my opinion was made to help explain this not as an actual real story and if it did happen the whole God bet thing was just a way to explain why that stuff happened.

[This message has been edited by Doey (edited 06-17-2004).]