Why do bad things happen to believers?

[floridaman1]

Something I have struggled with is why God allows bad things to happen to good people. Why do children get cancer and where one will turn out OK, another will die - and both sets of parents are Christians praying their hardest for healing? There is obviously a lot more to that question, but I think you get the idea. 

[anatess2]

This question has been explored on this forum a bit, even recently, but I'm too lazy to do a search... so I'm going to be the first to answer your question directly.

This question can only be answered by looking at life in an eternal perspective - pre-mortal, mortal, and post-mortal (LDS teaching) - and realizing that mortal existence is just a small blip in that eternal progression.  God's purposes are not the temporary happiness of mortal comfort but the eternal JOY of being one with God.

So, in mortal existence, we may act and be acted upon.  Things happen that we act and exercise our free will or we get acted upon by others with free will.  Whether we get hurt or saved from pain is not the focus - it's that we CHOOSE freely to do what God wishes for us to do.  The burden/cross is what it is - it doesn't get heavy or lighter or disappear because of our faithfulness - we simply become strengthened so that the cross will feel lighter and we can bear it.

Check this out:  https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/2?lang=eng

 

 

Edited February 24, 2020 by anatess2

[Guest LiterateParakeet]

 Christ was perfect, but He suffered the most.

As Anatess said we need to consider these things with an eternal prospective.

[estradling75]

Indeed it is a common question...  And while we can give various answers fundamentally it is going to come down to having Faith/Trust in God that he is doing the right things.  If we have that Faith/Trust then it is simply a matter of trying to see how God sees things which is not easy either.

But for those with Faith/Trust in God issues that is a hill they are not ready to climb.. Faith/Trust in God has to come first.

 

[Vort]

8 minutes ago, floridaman1 said:

Something I have struggled with is why God allows bad things to happen to good people. Why do children get cancer and where one will turn out OK, another will die - and both sets of parents are Christians praying their hardest for healing? There is obviously a lot more to that question, but I think you get the idea. 

I think the question itself, under examination, fails. There are false presuppositions baked into the question.

One unspoken presupposition to the question is that e.g. cancer is a "bad thing". If my child had cancer, I assure you I would think of it as a great evil. Why? Because of the suffering involved for my beloved child and because of the threat of imminent death. Yet we were literally sent to earth to suffer (among other things). That's an important purpose of our lives. And death comes to all; it's a gift from God. We would not want to live forever in our sins, in this mortal state. That would be as hellish a state as any I could imagine.

Another unspoken presupposition is that children and other innocents should not suffer "bad things". But why not? Is not a great purpose here that we learn obedience through suffering, and also learn how to place our burdens on him who will save us? I don't mean this is a strictly theoretical or woo-woo way. That is literally a primary purpose of our mortal lives.

Yet another unspoken presupposition is that like actions should result in like outcomes. if Party A and Party B are equal before God and perform the same actions, they should receive the same outcomes. This fundamental idea of "fairness" seems to be a part not only of the human or even the primate brain, but of most larger mammals. When we realize that, then we see that it's not really an exalted and Godly idea, but of the earth, fleshy, something very akin to envy, jealousy, and spite.

When we remove the presuppositions (such as those I've listed) from the question, then it ceases to be a loaded question and becomes something like, "Why does stuff happen to people?" Far from being a silly or meaningless question, I think this is a basic and even profound thing to ask. Its answer is obvious if you have a certain, I suppose I would say, philosophical or theological background. Otherwise, the answer is that the universe is random and chaotic, and stuff happens. I go with the former, basing my ideas on what I have been taught since childhood. Works for me.

Probably not what you were looking for, but I hope there's some food for thought in what I wrote.

[Jane_Doe]

9 minutes ago, floridaman1 said:

Something I have struggled with is why God allows bad things to happen to good people. Why do children get cancer and where one will turn out OK, another will die - and both sets of parents are Christians praying their hardest for healing? There is obviously a lot more to that question, but I think you get the idea. 

God's game plan is bigger than ours.

God is EQUALLY with both sets of parents, and will bring blessings equally to both.  Even when we don't see them today, and it does hurt a lot today.

[Fether]

40 minutes ago, floridaman1 said:

Something I have struggled with is why God allows bad things to happen to good people. Why do children get cancer and where one will turn out OK, another will die - and both sets of parents are Christians praying their hardest for healing? There is obviously a lot more to that question, but I think you get the idea. 

The question is a natural byproduct if needing to live by faith. The greatest fear of a man in a world of no God is death and suffering. And since we cannot price there is a God, that fear creeps into our minds despite our faith in Christ and God.

Should we know without a doubt that there is a God, death would be comparable to graduating college. 
 

I imagine that when we are all in heaven, we will look back at the sufferings we see today similar to how we see a toddler bumping their head in the corner of a table. Really sad, worthy of comfort, but not a big deal.

[CV75]

3 hours ago, floridaman1 said:

Something I have struggled with is why God allows bad things to happen to good people. Why do children get cancer and where one will turn out OK, another will die - and both sets of parents are Christians praying their hardest for healing? There is obviously a lot more to that question, but I think you get the idea. 

From what I can gather about unmerited suffering, God knows what each of His children needs to suffer, or to witness in others' suffering, to be properly tested for maximal spiritual development. It is both common and unique to everyone. The aim to to bring us back into His presence, fully sanctified and justified through His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ.

[Anddenex]

4 hours ago, floridaman1 said:

Something I have struggled with is why God allows bad things to happen to good people. Why do children get cancer and where one will turn out OK, another will die - and both sets of parents are Christians praying their hardest for healing? There is obviously a lot more to that question, but I think you get the idea. 

You are not alone with your struggle as to why God allows what we would call "bad experiences" to be in our lives. There are scriptures that provide us a minute understanding of why this must be (at least according to an "eye of faith"):

1) God is no respecter of persons

2) The rain falls on the just and the unjust. The sun gives warmth to the just and unjust (confirming #1)

3) Romans 5: 1-5 > The purpose of some trials/hardships/bad things is in order to give us experience, patience, and hope. That hope is only founded when we allow our Spirits to be embraced in the Lord's grace and atonement.

4) That a righteous judgement may be brought to pass on all people, both the wicked and the righteous.

5) And one of my personal favorites, although at times my heart weakens, 2 Nephi 2: 24.

I too do not understand why my younger brother (2 years of age) fell out of a two story window onto a pile of bricks and survived with only a bruise on his butt, while my cousin (4 years of age) experienced a car crash that took his life. He was in his car seat, but the buckle didn't snap fully and when they were hit he rolled. When they checked him he had no outward harm, but was unfortunate to hit his temple (unseen injury) that later took his life.

I do not understand why some good and bad people have such an easy life, while other good and bad struggle with much more hardship. I do understand though how are choices in life can lead to more hardship, so I am more referring to people who are making good choices, that steer clear of harmful enticements and yet still struggle immensely in this life.

If God only allowed bad things to happen to bad people (who are his children) he would then be an unjust God and one would become a respecter of persons. A question then would have to be answered, is what do you mean by bad things or how far would God have to go? Stop every car crash of good people, while only allowing car crashes of bad people? At what level would God consider someone bad such that only bad things happen to them, and at one level would God consider good that only good things happened to good people? Is it one sin, two sins, only adulterers, only fornicators, or simply just murderers?

My faith in all this is exercised in #5, 2 Nephi 2: 24. I trust He knows what He is doing, and one day all my questions (from my limited knowledge and perspective) will be answered.

 

Edited February 24, 2020 by Anddenex

[Guest MormonGator]

In fairness to @floridaman1, he's asking questions that have been asked since the dawn of time. Virtually every believer in God has asked this question before. In fact, because it's been asked so much, that probably means that no answer can fully satisfy it. Intellectually you "might" be able to answer it, but even then, it does't do much. 

A rabbi wrote a great book "When Bad Things Happen to Good People." OP, you might want to check it out. 

[Moonbeast32]

Ask yourself a question: what exactly does divine favor look like?

Here, your question implies that divine favor means an absence from pain, hardship, and loss. While it is certainly true that a prayer of faith can take away these things God willing, they really don't matter so much in the eternities. There are worse things in this life than pain.

Seeing that it rains on both the just and unjust, I'd invite you to participate in a little journal activity: Instead of asking why God allows bad things to happen, look for and identify the ways in which God blesses the humble and faithful. It brings peace to recognize what the truly most important blessings in this life are.

[askandanswer]

14 hours ago, floridaman1 said:

Something I have struggled with is why God allows bad things to happen to good people. Why do children get cancer and where one will turn out OK, another will die - and both sets of parents are Christians praying their hardest for healing? There is obviously a lot more to that question, but I think you get the idea. 

I suspect that there are very very few, if any at all, circumstances that we can completely accurately describe as good or bad. The information and calculations needed to determine whether any particular act or set of circumstances is, in net effect, good, or, in net effect, bad, is beyond our ability to determine. Only the promptings of the Spirit can help us understand if something is good or bad.

[floridaman1]

Thank you everyone for your replies, they do help me and I will have to ponder further. @Vort, thank you your reply is helpful and I really will think on this further. 

[Traveler]

On 2/24/2020 at 8:52 AM, floridaman1 said:

Something I have struggled with is why God allows bad things to happen to good people. Why do children get cancer and where one will turn out OK, another will die - and both sets of parents are Christians praying their hardest for healing? There is obviously a lot more to that question, but I think you get the idea. 

The promise is that all things will turn out to be good for those that have faith are are believing.  This has brought about the saying that the things that do not seem to be of any good will come to be know as worth it.

 

The Traveler

[mrmarklin]

On 2/24/2020 at 7:52 AM, floridaman1 said:

Something I have struggled with is why God allows bad things to happen to good people. Why do children get cancer and where one will turn out OK, another will die - and both sets of parents are Christians praying their hardest for healing? There is obviously a lot more to that question, but I think you get the idea. 

Rain falls on the just and the unjust equally.  Why shouldn’t bad things happen?  How does that help?  Adversity can build strength. 
I think it helps to think about our lives as a series of problems to be solved. It’s in solving our problems we achieve our greatest satisfaction. Of course, some may be insoluble.  The role of religion is to teach about solutions as well as give us consolation when things are at their lowest. 

[Guest Scott]

Here is how I answer the question for myself:

Jesus was good.  Bad things happened to him.

If bad things happened to Jesus, who was the most good of any person who ever existed, why shouldn't we expect that bad things won't happen to us if we are good people?

[askandanswer]

How can anybody really know for sure if something is good or bad? It seems to me that before you decide if something is good or bad you would first need to find out every single consequence of the original act and then all the consequences of every act that follows from the original act. One problem is that we can never really know when all the consequencess of the original act have played out. Once we have found out all the consequences and acts resulting from the original act we would then need to assign a value of good or bad to each act and consequence flowing from the original action. Then we would need to take the next step of assigning a further value indicating HOW good or HOW bad each consequence or resulting act was. Finally, you would need to subtract the total good resulting from the original act from the total resulting bad. Only after gathering all that information and making the calculations would you be in a position to begin making an approximation of whether any particular act or situation is good or bad. Clearly this is an impossible task. So we can either make a guess, which might be right or wrong, or we can pray about it. But i don't think that on our own, we can make a reliable assessment of whether any particular action or situation is good or bad.