The Problem Of Pain

Is it reasonable to believe in a God of love in a world of suffering? Mark Greenwood continues his thought provoking series on some of life’s toughest questions.

- Mark Greenwood

The claim that God is all-powerful and all-loving provokes what is still one of the most commonly asked questions by many.

Unpacking the first three chapters of Genesis is not necessarily helpful if the person asking has – or indeed is – experiencing suffering. I accept the Bible as my source, so I accept any theological explanation as correct. It’s just not helpful as a starting point for those for whom the Bible isn’t held in such high regard.

A better approach is to take the question to its logical conclusion, showing the implications of God doing what is requested of him and then introduce what the Bible says. To help this process, I propose that there are two questions:

Why is there so much suffering?

When I was a youngster a wise older man said to me, “Whenever you point a finger at someone remember you have three pointing back at yourself.” Humanity is very good at finding someone else to blame.

When we ask why God ‘let it happen’, we negate our own responsibility for the suffering we have caused or affected. David Attenborough said, “The greatest risk to our planet is humans.” I agree with him.

i) Human error causes suffering

Extreme rainfall and gales approaching 100mph lashed the British Isles in the year 2000. They were made much worse by human activity, experts said. Shortsighted planning decisions made in the rush to build more homes in the country meant thousands of people were put at unnecessary risk of flooding in times of freak weather. Flood expert Dr Duncan Reed, from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in Oxfordshire, said, “Planners often look at short term weather records when granting permission for homes to be built on low-lying land.”