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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The only persuasive answer I have heard (from my DH who grew up Catholic and also studied Buddhism) is that God allows suffering to teach us compassion and empathy.  Only if you have experienced suffering can you relate to those who are presently suffering and do "good" things to help them.

There is also the free will explanation (i.e., people choose to inflect suffering on others) but, to me, that is not fully persuasive.  Free will does not account for things that are outside human control, like children dying of cancer or natural disasters.

This question is THE major impediment to my faith.  Either God is all powerful and somewhat apathetic or sadistic to allow profound suffering, or God is not all powerful.  Both things cannot be true.  So I really, really struggle with this and don't have a good answer. [/quote]

I’ve struggled horribly with my faith since my husband died suddenly of a rare cancer.  He spent his adult life practicing medicine and helping others....but alas there was no help for him.  He was such a wonderful person.  I cannot understand why....why?[/quote]

I'm so sorry that you lost your husband this way. I can't think of a religion that promises only good things to good people.

Unfortunately, many good and/or innocent people die regularly of diseases and accidents (think of all the people in the Beirut explosion).

Religion can bring comfort but it can't promise a life of good things to the deserving.[/quote]

How can it bring comfort if awful people have power, health, longevity and other kinder people suffer awfully? Children, the elderly, etc? Seems to me if God wanted comfort to be something he/she gives, those things would be remedied more than they are. God brings me almost no comfort and didn't when I was molested as a child, for example.[/quote]

God brings comfort partly because He is a perfect parent.  
If you have a good parent or someone who fills the role of a good parent, they do bring comfort, even if they don’t remedy the situation.  They absolve you of any unfounded guilt or shame, take on some of your pain and sadness themselves, and give you advice on how to move forward.  
[/quote]

Why doesn’t he spend more time making the world better and less time comforting [/quote]

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