Thursday, October 15, 2015

DO SUFFERING CHILDREN PROVE THAT THERE IS NO GOD?



Probably the most common objection, by far, against believing in God amongst atheists, skeptics, naturalists, and non-Christians is, “If there really is a God, then why is there so much suffering in the world?”
 
But the purpose of this article is not to specifically answer the question of why evil exists.  There are many great articles that address this topic elsewhere.  Here are links to a couple of them, one by author (and former atheist) Lee Strobel:


And one by pastor, author, and apologist Charlie H. Campbell:


But today, our focus is mainly on the argument that says:

Since evil is present in this world (especially the suffering of innocent little children) then God must not exist.

To elaborate, many atheists and skeptics will use this type of argument as an excuse for not believing in God, as stated earlier.  They’ll say, “Why is there senseless suffering, especially of innocent children, in this world?  It is inconsistent for a God who is both all-powerful and compassionate to allow such tragedy.  If He is able to stop it, why wouldn’t He?  Apparently, He really must not care.  If He really has the power to do it, then He is obligated; He MUST stop children from suffering to be consistent with what the Bible claims about Him (that He is compassionate), otherwise, He just cannot exist.”
 
But this is a false dilemma.  You can’t erase God’s existence or override His wisdom and timing with these emotional arguments.  And you can’t say that there is no God just because He does not act like you feel He should act. 
 
First, God is able to turn all bad things into something good (Romans 8:28).  Second, God never promised that anyone (even the innocent) would be immune from suffering in this life.  Third, simply having the ability to do something does not logically obligate Him to do that particular thing.  If He wanted, God could make every person on the planet very, very rich.  But just because He can doesn’t mean that it would be wise to do so.

Look, if there is indeed a biblical God (and there is), then by definition:

·      He created us.
·      He is sovereign and in authority.
·      He is far stronger and wiser than we are.
·      The right to establish the rules belongs to Him, and Him alone.
·      We don’t have the right to tell Him what to do or how to run this world.
·      Since we are finite / limited, we should expect that He would do some things that we don’t understand.

These are simply things that define who the Christian God is, but atheists are trying to re-define Him by saying that, if He would exist, He should be subject to man’s demands. 

Real Concern for the Children?

It seems that the only time that atheists become vocal about suffering children is when someone mentions God.  Are they really as concerned as they say they are, or are they just using the children to attack the concept of God?  But if there is no biblical God to blame, then who will the atheist blame for the suffering children?  Would he be so quick to condemn his own “god” of evolution?  Would he DEMAND that science immediately fix the problem of suffering, as he would demand of the Christian God?  Or would he just say, “Oh, well, suffering is just part of life”?

And, instead of blaming God, why not blame the corrupt politicians who often cause the famine and devastation of countries and people, primarily because of mismanagement and / or stealing of funds that were sent to relieve the hunger and sickness?

Sawing off the Branch You’re Sitting on…
 
Atheists will also say that if God is compassionate, then why does He not remove evil completely?  Actually, He WILL do it.  But it’ll be in His timing and on His terms.  And again, He is under no obligation to erase suffering and evil when we want it done.  Man is often impatient and we don’t see the things that are being done “behind the scenes” by God.  But, like any good parent, God just wants us to trust Him. (Genesis 18:25)

But do we really want God to put an end to all suffering?  If so, then He must put an end to its cause, as well.  But remember, every one of us has, to some extent, contributed to the cause of someone’s suffering!  So, God would have to destroy us all if we insist on getting rid of suffering (and whatever causes it).  So, be careful what you ask for.

In the Beginning

Atheists may ask, “But if God exists, why didn’t He merely create a world where suffering and tragedy don’t exist in the first place?”  Actually, the fact is that He did just that in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 1:31)! 
 
God didn’t create evil.  What He created was perfect.  But in order for love to be genuine and freely given (He didn’t want robots), He gave man and the angels free will.  They had the ability to freely choose either good or evil.  And this free will was abused by both angels and men, twisting goodness into evil, through their sin and disobedience.  In a nutshell, this is why there is suffering in our world, even today. 

An Argument that Backfires

We all agree that evil exists in this world, but you know, the very fact that we designate something as “evil” is strong evidence FOR the existence of God!  Though many may not realize it, calling something good or evil is an appeal to an objective (or absolute) standard of morality.  It points to a standard that is transcendent (above and beyond the limits of man and this world).  In atheism, “good” and “evil” can only be relative terms.   What is “right” for one atheist may be wrong for another atheist.  One atheist might consider a certain act wicked, while another thinks it is totally acceptable.  For the atheist, there are no moral absolutes, and without that absolute standard (God), the atheist cannot say with confidence that anything is actually “good” or “bad.” 

Conclusion

We believe that even if God decided to heal every single suffering child in the world, many atheists would be quick to attribute that miracle to something else, something other than God.  They would simply find another reason to continue to disbelieve in God’s existence.  Those same atheists may want to end the suffering of children, but what they want even more is to have reasons NOT to believe in God and be accountable to Him.

It is an unfortunate fact that we have suffering children in our world.  Sometimes the suffering may seem absolutely pointless, but rest assured that there is a God, and that He has morally sufficient reasons to allow this suffering, for the children’s sake, and for the sake of those directly affected.  Man’s ultimate purpose in this life is not mere “happiness,” but it is to know God intimately.  Only when we come to realize this does the “senseless suffering” make sense.  Eternal bliss awaits those innocent children, and anyone else who puts their trust in the person and work of the Son of God, Jesus Christ.  That even includes the atheist.

In summary, the fact that children suffer on earth certainly does not prove that there is no God.