non believers that blame God! I hate this!

[Apex]

But at the same time, I think it's a fair question to ask: if God is so loving, how could tolerate the pain and inhumanity that exists on this earth?

Maybe he just waits for people to exit the system via death before making a final judgment. I don’t think there is parole once in hell.

Things like greed, selfishness, etc...I think there's a flaw in our software. Who else can I blame but God?

You can try blaming the person responsible for committing the act. Do you have a problem with not being born into bondage?

[amerikajin]

Because He said it's up to us.

 

Where did He say that? Did he really say that, or are you merely repeating what others have told you? It's written in the Bible? Who wrote the Bible? Hint: it wasn't Jesus.

 

If you're so loving, how can you tolerate your kids doing self-destructive things? What's that? You say there's only so much you can do? Surely you could lock them up in boxes for life to prevent them from doing what they intend.

 

If one of my kids is pulling the hair of my other...I step in and do something about it. Why? Because the other kid is screaming in pain.

 

Because that which seems horrible pain and suffering looms large in our tiny lifetimes. Remember the agony you felt when your third-grade buddy was mean to you? At the time it was a tragedy, but time and memory passes quickly and now you have no remembrance of it. Well, imagine how you'll feel about this 'wretched pain and suffering' in a couple hundred years? A couple thousand?

 

For some, the pain is essentially permanent. What about a child who's abandoned by his parents and tossed around from orphanage to orphanage? Free will? Newsflash: kids need to be taught how to exercise that freewill...some are never taught. You might think it's self-evident, but some people are so full of pain that they can't see anything but black and red.

 

Our existence here is merely a blink in time and when we're away from it, we'll understand that in the (literal) grand scheme of things, this agony will be completely insignificant.

 

The agony ends when we die. Death is a relief for the dead, more agony for the living.

 

As for the original comment (people who don't believe blaming God), that just doesn't stand to reason. How can you blame an entity whose existence you don't recognize?

 

I think the real issue here is believers who still blame God for their problems.

[amerikajin]

You can try blaming the person responsible for committing the act. Do you have a problem with not being born into bondage?

 

What do people in this life value? I think it's happiness, peace, enough food on the table, comfortable living conditions, freedom etc...

 

If God were perfect, everyone would have it. If God were perfect, everything would operate as it should. God would have made humans so that we wouldn't have the kind of pain that we always seem to fight.

 

I'm not saying you don't hold an individual accountable.

[Outcast]

For some, the pain is essentially permanent.

 

I think I wasn't clear about my point. 'Permanent' is relative when you compare days on earth to millennia in eternity.

 

You might think it's self-evident, but some people are so full of pain that they can't see anything but black and red.

 

Kindly don't assume what I think. I'm well aware that people suffer here on earth. It's not the point.

 

If one of my kids is pulling the hair of my other...I step in and do something about it. Why? Because the other kid is screaming in pain.

 

Not good enough. Too facile an example. What would you have God do to stop Bush from killing 30000 Iraqis? A great big finger and thumb come down and thwack him on the head?

 

You couldn't stop your kid from drinking and driving unless you attached a camera and electric probe to him. Two little tots in a playground don't count.

 

The agony ends when we die.

 

And, some of us think, then we exist in another form for eternity. So the few years we spent here aren't a big deal.

[Moai]

he does not "allow" evil. The devil or the "enemy" as it is called is just as real to me as God is. So there is good and evil on earth. He does not allow evil to happen. he helps us cope with the evil that happens. We all have free will so God also helps us deal with people's wrong choices...ie. murders, attacks, etc.

 

No offense, but God does allow evil. If God is omnipotent, then He has the power to do anything--including stopping evil. And He doesn't. Rationalize that however you want. No matter which answer you come up with suits me, as I don't believe in god, so I never ask the question of god allowing evil, or free-will, or any of it.

 

Someone asked where was god during the hurricane and why did it happen and why would God let it happen if he was so good. God WAS there and VERY present through all the people helping afterwards. God never promised a perfect life. He promises life after death if you believe.

 

Ok.

 

and ..to me, your comment about frosty is very condescending.

 

I was trying to illustrate my opinion on non-believers blaming god being frustrating, and I agree. To me, it makes no sense. I don't believe in god, so I don't blame god for anything. I don't give him credit for anything either.

 

You are free to believe whatever you want, as am I. I respect your right to believe as you will, but that doesn't mean by definition I respect what you believe, or treat your beliefs as seriously as you do.