Philosophical questions
Evil and suffering could make Christians question God's omnipotence The all-powerful, almighty and unlimited nature of God., omnibenevolenceAll-loving and infinitely good 鈥 a characteristic often attributed to God., or his omniscienceThe all-knowing nature of God.. For example:
- If God was all-powerful, wouldn't he stop natural disasters?
- If God was all-loving, wouldn't he stop suffering?
- If God was all-knowing, wouldn't he know that people were going to do something evil and stop them?
Catholic responses
Catholics may give one or more of the following answers:
- God has given people free will. He has shown people how they should obey the Ten CommandmentsThe list of rules, revealed by God to Moses, found in the Old Testament books of Exodus and Deuteronomy. The Bible refers to them simply as 鈥榮ayings鈥 or 鈥榮tatements鈥. Also known as the Ten Sayings or the Decalogue. and follow Jesus' life and teaching. It is then up to human beings to decide whether or not to follow God's instructions.
- God has a plan for people's lives that they may not always understand. This may include evil and suffering but Christians should trust and have faith in God's plan.
- God wants people to follow the example of Jesus and help those who are suffering. God must have a reason for allowing evil and suffering but the reason is beyond human understanding.
- Christians also pray for those who suffer and try to help them.
- Evil and suffering in this life is a preparation for HeavenA place, or a state of mind, associated with God and the afterlife.. Evil and suffering give people a chance to become better people and improve their souls. They believe that God will reward them in heaven.
Pope John Paul II outlined the importance and role of suffering and evil and how love is borne out of it in Salvifici Doloris, a document that responds to the problem of human evil and suffering.
Catholicism teaches that love can arise from evil and suffering, and that love is an important part of human life. The Catholic Church sees human suffering as a chance to follow the example of Christ and believe that it is a part of God鈥檚 plan.
Love is: also the fullest source of the answer to the question of the meaning of suffering. This answer has been given by God to man in the Cross of Jesus Christ.
In such a concept, to suffer means to become particularly susceptible, particularly open to the working of the salvific powers of God, offered to humanity in Christ.
The document aims to reconcile suffering and pain with the belief in a loving God. It states that:
- those who suffer here on Earth are united in that suffering with Christ, who died on the cross
- suffering is a trial, but it is through that trial that faith, hope and love continue
- through that suffering, an individual can find their own identity and their identity in Christ