Where is God in Tragedy?

I will never forget the day when, as a teenager at summer camp, I saw nestled in a big cardboard box the quivering remains of a black-haired baby goat—a cuddly little kid—that had been bloodied almost to death by a raccoon. It was a goat, not even a person, yet my eyes involuntarily began to shed unstoppable tears as soon as I heard its bleating and saw its face so marred.

Why would God allow a precious little kid, entirely innocent, to be violently attacked and disfigured?

Far worse was the day my cousin Tracey, beautiful and envied, was brutally murdered three decades ago, stabbed 23 times on her 21st birthday. Her medical student husband, at the top of his class, had come home one afternoon to find his wife lacerated and limp, lying on their blood-soaked bed. Her mother was so bereaved that for the next 10 years she couldn’t generate a laugh despite her honest faith in God. The murderer has not been found to this day.

How could God have let this happen?

And then there’s public evil, such as the events of Sept. 11 in which people burned alive or jumped desperately to their deaths from a New York high-rise or were pulverized by the weight of the tumbling building that indiscriminately smashed their bodies down to nothing.

Does God even exist?

That’s the question many ask when they encounter hideous evil.

Continue reading at www.relevantmagazine.com

« Previous Article

Posting Policy

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, vulgarity, profanity, all caps, or discourteous behavior. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain a courteous and useful public environment where we can engage in reasonable discourse. Read more.

Chris

Nowhere – there are no gods.
- Evermyrtle
  
  Unbelief in GOD is the most destructive force in the world, ignorance which is spawned from unbelief, comes close behind.
  - Chris
    
    How is unbelief in God destructive. The religious I know are destructive to the environment. materialistic, think it is OK to shoot small animals for fun and are truly selfish – thinking that praying to their magic skygod will get them a job rather than expecting the most competent person to be hired. Even athletes who think that praying should allow them to win over more competent people. It's absurd.
- http://www.answersingenesis.org/ keyboardshark
  
  Chris says: "there are no gods".
  
  Then where did the universe come from? Where did earth, with its perfect conditions for life, come from? And where did life come from? Life never arises from non-living material. No naturalistic explanation is possible for any of these, which leads to the inescapable conclusion that there IS indeed a creator God..
  - chris
    
    Earth doesn't have perfect conditions for life. Life evolved to live with those conditions that occur in some places. It is too hot, cold, wet and poisonous over most of its area.
    
    "Life never arises from non-living material" – and you are an expert on this? There is not yet confirmation of an explanation but many potential hypotheses which leads to the inescapable conclusion, yet again, that God didn't do it just that ignorance will give way to enlightenment. That the Bible was wrong yet again. I'd suggest reading up on science – it's much more useful than your outdated Bible. New Scientist works for me – tells me new stuff about this planet and humans work. Costs less than most people waste on their church.
    - http://www.answersingenesis.org/ keyboardshark
      
      Chris says: "
      It is too hot, cold, wet and poisonous over most of its area."
      
      Simply not true. There has been life found in all kinds of situations that would be hostile to human life, such as in undersea thermal vents hundreds of degrees Fahrenheit all the way to Antarctica, where life has been discovered below Antarctic glaciers.
      
      http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/132679/unusual_life_forms_found_in_the_atlantic/
      
      http://www.popsci.com/environment/article/2009-04/life-thrives-under-antarctic-glacier
      
      Life did not evolve. There is no evidence that it did. It is supposedly an entirely natural process, yet we do not observe it occurring today, nor can it be reproduced in the laboratory. We DO find natural selection occurring, but that is simply a reshuffling of existing genetic information, not the creation of new genetic information, which would be necessary for macro evolution.
      
      God, in His infinite wisdom, created all the life forms we see today that can exist in virtually any environment found on earth. But other planets, which do not possess earth's conditions, are entirely devoid of life. They are all missing one key component or another that is necessary for life.
      
      And yes, I will say it again: "Life never arises from non-living material" Scientists know all of the chemical compounds that comprise a living cell, yet they have never been able to create life in the lab. Spontaneous generation has already been proven false. If we are to believe that life arose from non-living material in an uncontrolled environment, then certainly it should be able to be produced in the controlled environment of the lab, yet it has not, nor ever will be.
      
      You talk about "potential hypotheses" but that is meaningless. Anyone can create a hypothesis, but if the evidence does not support the hypothesis, it must be discarded. And all the evidence we have indicates that life only arises from life.
      
      There is absolutely nothing in the Bible that contradicts true science. Speculations about something that supposedly happened in the past, or "potential hypotheses" are not true science. I'd suggest you read up on science and research the difference between operational science, which concerns processes that are occurring in the present that are observable and testable, and historical (or origins) science, which deals with the unobservable, untestable past.
- Michael g.
  
  Can you be so sure?
Engineer

I beg to differ, but there would be no sense to try and show you. The lord had nothing to do with this shooting. It was this man. I for one would like to know, is he a far left leaning Lib? Sounds to me like he is.
- PureLogic727
  
  My acute political instincts lead me to the same conclusion: he's an angry, violence-tinged, pro-Obama/leftist doctrine low-life. In almost every case, these demonic perps have twisted ideas about society and government, i.e., just like the POTUS, who is running the country into the ground. The left is bereft!
- Evermyrtle
  
  100 yearsago this would not have happened, everybody would have at home in bed. No, I am not saying they should have been home in bed. That is for them to decide. But I bet that many survivors have thought that they wish they had been there. I do say that is where the children should have been.
  
  This, I believe is one of the "signs of the times" the end days, the days just preceding Jesus return to earth.Perilous times, when Satan and his anti-CHRIST people are trying to change the country, to their liking and we are allowing it. They want to replace JESUS with their god Allah.II believe it was a crafty trick to continue the attack on us as a Christian country.
TEA9876

I believe God and Evil do exist side by side. The human experience is to be free to make choices. One can be overcome by faith in one or the other. The choice is ours.
- http://profile.yahoo.com/5BCRE5KKYMYH5ILYTZUUD7VPGI BYRON
  
  Easy for you to say, friend. If there is a God, he is not willing to entervean. That I know.
  - PureLogic727
    
    Get your spelling right, Byron. The word is INTERVENE. Please consult a dictionary online if you're not sure about a word instead of embarrassing yourself.
  - Texas Jack
    
    Do you know him –thats the question
  - Despeville
    
    There is nothing easy about it… Nothing, even for the believer but God is not surprised by it. He in fact allowed it which is not the same thing as causing it…
    
    Is a trumpet blown in a city,
    and the people are not afraid?
    Does disaster come to a city,
    unless the LORD has done it?
    Amos 3:6 ESV
    
    I form light and create darkness, I make well-being and create calamity, I am the LORD, who does all these things. Isaiah 45:7 ESV
- Despeville
  
  That is a rampant paganism and dualism. God and satan are not equals and we are fallen creatures condemned ALREADY that are saved solely by the free choice and holy will of God and notting else.
Evermyrtle

In the beginning GOD created the world. in six days time, he invented this world and everything in it, including man. It is HIS to handle as HE pleases. HE gave every one of us the right to make our own choices, good or evil. Every last one of is is capable of doing evil, that is our choice to use or not to use.

In my opinion this is part of the determination of the evil to bring America down, to make us question GOD, doubt GOD, to turn us into ther "peace loving????" Islamist faith.It won't happen, JESUS will return and take us with HIM while the earth is being "cleansed" and wil return us when it it ready.

GOD has allowed HIS churches filled with believers to be bombed, WHY? Who has the answer?

We have one raging around the world. Lucifer or Satan, all evil can be credited to him, not GOD. Satan's aim is to overcome GOD and HIS people. That is impossible!!

Millions of times every day GOD saves HIS people from horrible situations. Why not this one?? We do not know why Because they were where they should not have been?? NO, that was not the reason, again, we do not know, why.

HE has a home for us, that we will enter when the time is right, where we will be safe from all evil, forevermore. We, who love HIM, are working toward that goal, by serving Him the best we can. We are not perfect, we err every day, we repent because we love HIM and are ashamed for sinning against HIM and He accept us doing this.

We cannot help but wonder why such awful things happen but this does not give us the right to try to "correct GOD!"
http://profile.yahoo.com/5BCRE5KKYMYH5ILYTZUUD7VPGI BYRON

If there is a God of love, I well question that , big time. God is not well to step in, that I know.
Michael g.

To answer the above question: God is right in the middle of it.
He allows these things to happen so He can draw a greater good out of it.
I'll wait, and watch…
mallen11

John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears MY word, and believes Him who sent ME, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

Phil 1:16 For me to live, Christ; to die gain.

Rom 14:7-8 For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself; for if we live, we
live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.

When there is a catastrophe of any kind and many people are killed; God knows that the ones killed who were not believers would not ever believe in Jesus Christ as their savior anyway and they died along with believers whose time it was to go to be with the Lord in heaven.
http://www.facebook.com/kamaut.longbabilon Kamaut Longbabilon

Where is God in tragedy? – for people who refuse to believe in Him, he does not intervene or listen to their cries for help. For those who nominally believe in God, the same. For those who are dedicated, but have not come to terms with all parts of THE AGREEMENT (in gen-2 and ex-20 law 4) to qualify for belonging to Him and He their only God, then John (and others) said tha He will not listen to their prayers (unless in repentance for ignoring His requirements) or help (unless one or two are people He needs to fulfil a job or prophecy). We cannot ask God to step Down to Our level, we must step Up to His requirements. So many churches think they can ignore the Rules, and still be blessed (but that is where Satan steps in and makes it look good, so they stay in ignorance or "Babylon"… otherwise why would God ask us to "Come Out of Babylon"?
Steve Baloga

"Shall a trumpet be blown in the city, and the people not be afraid? shall there be evil in a city, and the LORD hath not done it?" (Amos 3:6).

"I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things" (Isa 45:7).

"See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand" (Deu 32:39).

"What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips" (Job 2:10).

"For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done" (Act 4:27-28).

If Christ was not immune from the evil brought upon Him by the purpose, predestination and providence of God thru the agency of evil men, no one can question Him for evil He brings about in His providence in any person's life.

God created Satan and wicked men as His agents of evil in this world. Satan is wicked. But he is on a leash – God's leash.

The problem with unbelieving so-called "christians" is this hellish notion that God loves everybody and wants to save everybody.

Nothing can be further from the truth. He hates all workers of iniquity (Ps 5:5). He hated Esau before he was born, before he had done anything good or evil (Rom 9:11-13).

God is love to His elect and to them alone.

He is a consuming fire to those He chose to reprobate (Heb 12:29).

If He wants to kill one of His apostles by evil men sawing them in half, that is His purpose.
And it is good.
- Despeville
  
  Indeed.
- mallen11
  
  God created Lucifer as an angel but God did not create evil. When Lucifer decided he wanted to be as great as God he sinned and this is when sin and evil entered. Human
  good (Heb 6:1) is evil, but not sin. We do not confess HG, but you do confess your sins. HG is cut-off when you acknowledge your sins to God the Father. Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins, not our human good. HG was not judged; it was rejected. If man can do one good
  thing (HG) on his own, then God’s plan is no stronger than man. Since God is perfect and His plan is perfect, the only good accepted by God is Divine Good, never HG (or human
  righteousness).
bill1776

Where was God? God was in the same place He was when His Son Jesus Christ was dying on the cross.
IT’S THE ACLU’s FAULT: There are more crimes in our land because God given morals were taken out of our public schools. It is a scientific fact that after God given morals were taken out of the public schools by the ACLU and our federal dictators in black robes the crime rate has gone up. In the public school, God is out and the atheist secular humanist faith is in that teaches Darwinism. Because of the ACLU we must have more police, more jails and even police in our schools. The ACLU is costing the tax payers millions. You reap what you sow!
The communist butchers of the atheist faith murdered millions. The Guinness Book of World Records list Mao the dictator of Red China (of the atheist faith) as the greatest murder of 26.3 million people.
Mexseiko

God has always been there. It is we who are not with Him when things are peachy. But when tragedy strikes we get religion. We as a country have lost our love for God and life. Fifty five million of abortions as the law of the land has guaranteed our judgment just as slavery brought us the Civil War tragedy. Be prepared, as we go back business as usual, more tragedy will come.
Don smith

Our purpose in this physical creation is for our learning, you can not understand good if you never had evil. just like your arm has an opposing mussel to move it back. If there was no contrast you could not see. Just as you tell a child don't touch the stove it is hot the child has no concept of hot until he experiences it, he don't understand why you said don't touch he may think you are just mean. We are as little children and don't understand why there is evil. But without evil how could we understand love. For Yahweh so loved the world he give his only begotten son so we may have eternal life. this physical creation is tempuary we are here to learn about the love of our creator. With out evil you could never understand (appreshate) love.
jimbo124816

Why do we blame God?
We took prayer out of our schools, telling God that we don't want to talk to Him.
We took the Ten Commandments out of our public places, telling Him that we don't like His rules.
We took the right to have a Bible out of our public places, telling Him we don't want to read anything about Him.
We took crosses and the Star Of David out of cemeteries and memorials, telling Him we don't want to be reminded of what His people died for.
We allowed Television, Movies, books, magazines, and children on the street to use His name as a curse word.
We allowed our schools to reject His wonderful Creation and let them teach that it just happened and we somehow appeared out of some chemical reaction as some slime.
We allowed all kinds of sexual perversions to become the norm, in spite of His prohibition against them.
We encourage young men to have sex with as many girls as they can handle, and for the girls to get pregnant and have lots of illegitimate babies. We pay them more welfare for each one they have.
If the babies are inconvenient for them, we encourage them to have the baby ripped from their bodies and discarded with the trash.
In other words, we told God to get out of our lives and leave us alone…so maybe He did.
citizenrights

Vengeance is mine said the Lord,

The Westboro nazis are coming! The Westboro Baptist nazis are coming! To intimidate and inciting war.
To accuse and judge in the name of fascism. The Baptist Church is there front for all to see. John the Baptist came in a loin cloth eating locust and honey. Declaring a path for the Lord! These so called Baptist are declaring hate and destruction for the path of Lucifer. Creating an illusion using the word of God to spread deceit and lies. Deluding the mind of the weak and challenging the weak minded to do the devils work and destruction! In the name of goodness and righteousness.

For no one is clean and all have fallen short and will be judged. Including all the members of the Westboro Baptist Church!

Not by man for mans sin but by God. God has no pawns to use to bring judgment for sin. He who lives to fulfill the commandments is already judged! Not that the commandments are the law. They are the law. It is written. Your works and good deeds will not get you into the Lords house. Repent you lowly fascist of Westboro Baptist Church. You are of a false God!

He in this world and he who judges with violence shall receive the same measure! Violence begets violence! The way to life is Through Jesus Christ it is not meant to be an easy path, but a struggle. That struggle brings strength in and by God. No man shall enter the gates and cross over with out him the most high. King of Kings. The Lamb, on an individual basis only. By his mercy and grace. The way to death of the body and spirit is through the works of men. Persecution and hate in the name of religion and the name of the Lord! By using Gods word as a means of inciting violence an deceit.

Good Citizens of America do not tolerate a deceptive Church in your midst. Leading many astray the first amendment dose not protect a church that deceives for the purpose of sin and crime as a religion. Harboring and inciting and intimidating crime of any kind in the name of the word of God can be punishable in a court of law.

The Westboro Church are not Baptists! The workers party Condemning Jewish people in the name of Christianity for the execution and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It is by his crucifixion we are saved. So God bless the Jewish people. And all who believe and who love Jesus Christ bless the House of Judea and the house of Benjamin. There is no sin in the act of sacrifice by the Jewish people for God, It was required by God for the purchase of sin . Up to the last and final sacrifice of the Lamb, Jesus Christ. The sacrifice of Gods flesh on the Cross. So that all sin is purchased and paid for in the blood of the sacrificial Lamb. That what God trained and expected his chosen people to do. They have a burden to carry, But it was not a sin nor was any of the sacrifices up to and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ a sin and dose not require repentance to God. There was no murder in the act of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion. He is Alive. He rose and has made a path for all of us who choose to follow, that love him. Believe in him and you shall be saved! He is alive!

The Holy Bible the Revised Standard Version, Some books, some chapters and some verses.

THE BOOK OF HAGGAI.

John Chapters 8-10, John Chapter 10, verse 17-18, John Chapter 20, verse, 19-30 Chapter 21, verse 1-25 The Acts of The Apostles, Chapter 1, verse 1-5,
Romans , Chapter 3, verse 22, Chapter 4 verse 15, Corinthians 11, Chapter 12, verse 3, Chapter 13 verse 4-13, Galatians Chapter 5, verse14-15. Revelations 22, verse 3.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004047180339 John Adams

God is right where He has always been; our sovereign Lord God is on His throne. This event would have never happened had it not been for sin. However, God is still in control and NOTHING happens without his causing or allowing it to happen. It will all bring glory to Him.