Quote Originally Posted by HutchEmAll:
Let's say the drugs he sold to a kid were laced with something and the kid suffered brain damage and was unable to care for himself. He lived for 20 more years suffering the whole time...putting a great financial and emotional strain on his family....to where his mom eventually committed suicide.
I want to know how that is God's plan....and how this guy....who has repented....gets a free pass into heaven after the pain he put this kid and his family through.....and that God not only endorses this guy getting into heaven.....part of His plan was to allow this kid and his family to suffer for 20 years.
Please explain to me how that is possible. And if you think it is, how it makes any sort of sense to you.
This is "The Problem Of Evil" in Religious Philosophy. Essentially, if I can paraphrase Hutch, If there is an all knowing, all powerful, all good deity then how can evil exist?
Evil certainly exists... where's God?
Without nailing down a specific religion, SOME religions would answer, "What appears to man as suffering is actually necessary for man to have free will." And further, without that free will man could not CHOOSE salvation.
It's a difficult view to support when put in a social context that involves the suffering of children.
In a biological context however, some animals eat other animals. The animals that get eaten are often the weakest ones. My daughter does not want to see the cute mouse being eaten by a mean old snake. Guess what?
The strong always prey on the weak.
Salvation lies in the strong who have seen the error of their ways. Those that have become powerful and choose to help others instead of using their power for their own gains.
I don't necessarily buy it... but...
Some religions don't "grade" sins. In most modern societies, "lying" isn't as bad as "stealing". If I lie about winning $1000 this weekend on football, it's wrong. What if I stole $1000 from someone else?
One probably goes unnoticed while the other puts me in jail.
But that is a "social" situation NOT a spiritual one.
In some religions, the liars, thieves, murderers, and child molesters only get tried for one crime. Sin.
You repent of Sin and you get a spiritual forgiveness.
Doesn't mean we should open up the prison gates...