Why Does God Allow Bad Things to Happen to Good People


shyguy
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they way i see it is that life, and the plan of salvation has been set on like a clock. he set the clock when earth was created and is just letting it pan out.

I very much agree with your representation - however, I would add that I believe that some of that clockwork is of our own creation.

The Traveler

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they way i see it is that life, and the plan of salvation has been set on like a clock. he set the clock when earth was created and is just letting it pan out.

That may be true but the devil reset the clock or even changed to a different clock as a result of the Fall. Most things have been put into motion as a result of the Fall, there are a few things that somewhat remain as God set them originally or at least very close to it but that is hard to know right now. Maybe the position of the Sun or the moon, but even then likely the whole face of the Earth was changed as a result of the Fall. How that was done we don't know.

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I wonder if those missionaries or those innocent children view their death as a bad thing? Paradise vs. mortality. Hmmmm....though choice!

It's funny the things we as humans consider to be bad things with our limited perspective! Most "bad" things that happen to us are only bad if we react poorly to them. Is pain a bad thing? Personally, I think it's a pretty good teacher.

Edited by Marlin1
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Marlin,

I get your point, I think. Perspective is very important to understanding. However, I have been in situations where individuals have shared things with parents like the thought above and found it to be not very helpful. Your experiences of course may differ.

-RM

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Marlin,

I get your point, I think. Perspective is very important to understanding. However, I have been in situations where individuals have shared things with parents like the thought above and found it to be not very helpful. Your experiences of course may differ.

-RM

This is one of those empathy things. Nobody currently suffering wants to hear "Well, with an eternal perspective..." even if it's true. We know that in the grand scheme of things, death isn't really a bad thing. It's just another step forward. Yet loved ones missing an individual who's passed on still grieve. They miss them. They long for continued experiences together or further growth and life that the dead individual will now never have.

I think a great comfort to individuals who are suffering is the story of Lazarus- not because Jesus brought Lazarus back to life but because Jesus wept. He didn't tell Mary, "It'll be alright. There's no need for tears, because Lazarus is fine. Death isn't a bad thing." No- Jesus wept. He shared her pain, he empathized with her sorrow.

We are asked likewise to "mourn with those that mourn". I think that when facing questions about why God allows bad things to happen intellectually, this speculation and discussion is a great thing. But if someone is currently suffering and experiencing a loss, we should empathize and weep with them. Because even if it is a good thing when looked at from an eternal perspective, it is still a loss. It still hurts.

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I think a great comfort to individuals who are suffering is the story of Lazarus- not because Jesus brought Lazarus back to life but because Jesus wept. He didn't tell Mary, "It'll be alright. There's no need for tears, because Lazarus is fine. Death isn't a bad thing." No- Jesus wept. He shared her pain, he empathized with her sorrow.

I agree with the above. In addition, I think He also wept because He had to wait a while to perform that miracle to show to the unbelievers His true power which is to create life (which relates to the power of resurrection but also shows that this is on the same spectrum of creation, the creation-resurrection power). He waited until Lazarus body was decomposing, by then his brain would have been mush, neurons are all dead, just chemicals floating in a mix of goo. So, Christ had to recreate the billions of neurons in connecting it exactly as it was so that Lazarus would have the same personality and same set of memories etc. that his former brain had. He had to recreate the natural process that would normally take 15 years to do within a matter of minutes. That is the power of creation demonstrated that is not of "natural" means. I think, in part, He wept because of the unbelief of the people, that He would have to go to such measures to show His power as opposed to just saving him immediately. Even today, despite the record, people question whether God could create a body outside of procreation, ignoring this powerful witness of such power - I think that is why Christ wept too (And probably still feels the same way).

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This is one of those empathy things. Nobody currently suffering wants to hear "Well, with an eternal perspective..." even if it's true. We know that in the grand scheme of things, death isn't really a bad thing. It's just another step forward. Yet loved ones missing an individual who's passed on still grieve. They miss them. They long for continued experiences together or further growth and life that the dead individual will now never have.

What you say reminds me of the words of Sister Reeves in the most recent General Relief Society Meeting:

Dear sisters, our Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ, know us and love us. They know when we are in pain or suffering in any way. They do not say, “It’s OK that you’re in pain right now because soon everything is going to be all right. You will be healed, or your husband will find a job, or your wandering child will come back.” They feel the depth of our suffering, and we can feel of Their love and compassion in our suffering.

(Great meeting. If there are sisters reading this who did not watch or listen to the General RS Meeting, you would do well to go watch it today or sometime soon. Some of us brethren find it inspirational, too.)

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What you say reminds me of the words of Sister Reeves in the most recent General Relief Society Meeting:

Dear sisters, our Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ, know us and love us. They know when we are in pain or suffering in any way. They do not say, “It’s OK that you’re in pain right now because soon everything is going to be all right. You will be healed, or your husband will find a job, or your wandering child will come back.” They feel the depth of our suffering, and we can feel of Their love and compassion in our suffering.

(Great meeting. If there are sisters reading this who did not watch or listen to the General RS Meeting, you would do well to go watch it today or sometime soon. Some of us brethren find it inspirational, too.)

I watched the General RS meeting, and that's probably why the story of Lazarus came to mind so quickly here. :)

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