Chapter 10/ If the Creator Cares, Why So Much Suffering?

AS YOUR watch ticks off 60 seconds, more than 30 people from infectious diseases, 11 lose the battle against cancer, and 9 are cut down by heart disease.  And you know that those are just some of the diseases afflicting  people; many suffer and die from other causes.

In 1996, a clock in the lobby of the United Nations building in New York symbolically ticked for each baby born into a poor family-47 times a minute. From another perspective, every time the earth rotates, 20 percent of its population goes to bed hungry. And what if you tried to calculate the amount of crime where you live?

We must face the fact that suffering abounds in the world around us today.  "Yet," says an ex-police officer "many of us remain untouched at a heart level to the injustices everywhere around us."  The impression  that we are untouched, though, may last only  until  our life or the live of a loved one is involved.  For instance,  put yourself in the place of  Masako, who nursed her mother and her father as both suffered with cancer. While they lost weight and groaned  in pain, Masako felt enwrapped in helplessness. Or think of the despair  of Sharada, an Asian girl who was nine years old when her father sold her for $14 (U.S.) Taken from her village to a foreign city, she was forced to offer sexual favors to six men a day. 

 Why does such suffering abound?  And why does the Creator not stop it?  Because of such suffering, many turn their back on God.  The mother of the ex-policeman mentioned  above became the victim of a psychopath.  He explains his reaction:  "The thought of a sovereign, loving God who controlled the universe had never been farther from my mind."  You too may ask, 'Why?' Yes, why does such suffering exist?  What is the cause, and is the Creator concerned about it?  

Next time: If the Creator Cares, Why So Much Suffering? - Is a Previous Life Causing Suffering?

From the book: Is There a Creator That Cares About You?