Four Succinct Statements on Suffering

It is fascinating to note that atheists claim that God cannot exist because suffering exists. However, it is a tenet of their belief in evolution to believe that it is suffering, termed as "struggle," that is the driving force behind evolution, behind a better humanity, behind a better world.

Charles Darwin entitled his major work,

"On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life."

Darwin also wrote:

"Man, like every other animal, has no doubt advanced to his present high condition through a struggle for existence consequent on his rapid multiplication; and if he is to advance still higher he must remain subject to a severe struggle. Otherwise he would soon sink into indolence, and the more highly-gifted men would not be more successful in the battle of life than the less gifted."1

Edward Grant Conklin; Professor of biology at Princeton University,

"the lesson of past evolution teaches that there can be no progress of any kind without struggle."2

Sir Grafton Elliot Smith made reference to the "glorious unrest" evolutionary engine and made it clear that what separated man from ape is that we have benefited from suffering:

"While man was evolved amidst the strife with adverse conditions, the ancestors of the Gorilla and Chimpanzee gave up the struggle for mental supremacy because they were satisfied with their circumstances."3

Misia Landau, "Human Evolution as Narrative," American Scientist, 72:262-268, 1984

"Another important though rarely stated premise is that history can be seen as a series of critical moments and transitions. Once they are organized into narrative form, individual events that had been conceived of as merely successive often gain additional significance, as 'turning points,' 'crises,' or 'transitions.' This is especially true of Darwinian narratives, which, owing to their emphasis on natural selection, are often cast in terms of transformation through struggle."

Despite of his constant protestations against suffering and evil caused by "religion," Prof. Richard Dawkins assures us:

"nature is not cruel, only pitilessly indifferent. This is one of the hardest lessons for humans to learn. We cannot admit that things might be neither good nor evil, neither cruel nor kind, but simply callous-indifferent to all suffering, lacking all purpose."4

Prof. Richard Dawkins succinctly wrote:

"In nature, the usual selecting agent is direct, stark and simple. It is the grim reaper."5
These are mere examples of this tenet. Why can random chance use struggle/suffering to bring about betterment but God cannot do the same?

Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?
Atheists make an argument that states "Why do bad things happen to good people?" This simple sentence carries along with it a variety of presuppositions and undefined terms.

For instance, what is "bad"? What is "good"? Why is it that no bad things are supposed to happen to good people? There is certainly nothing in the Bible nor in orthodox Christian doctrine that would lead one to conclude that no "bad" things are supposed to happen to "good" people (see Oh, My Goodness!!! and "Love" and "Hate"-Defining Terminology).

It is therefore a faulty argument to make against Christianity. The argument is based on atheism's theistic concepts. They presuppose what God would be like if God existed, then they lay some ground rules, and if God breaks their rules they define God out of existence.

Hence their argument goes: if God existed and God were good then no bad things would happen to good people. This argument is incumbent upon their subjective definition of what good and bad are. Another presupposition is that a good person is always good. What if a good person did something bad and they are being punished? What if we think that a person is good based on merely partial information (such as only knowing someone at work)? What if the atheist's definition of good is faulty?

Perhaps the simplest response to this argument is another question-why do good things happen to bad people? If God cannot exist because bad things happen to good people then God must exist because good things happen to bad people. If God's character would be malevolent if God allowed good people to suffer bad things then God's character must be benevolent (or at least balanced out) since God allows bad people to enjoy good things.

Four Sufferings
There are, perhaps, four basic sorts of suffering in the world:

1 - "Coincidental" personal suffering.
2- Self-imposed personal suffering.
3- "Coincidental" environment related suffering.
4 - Self-imposed environment related suffering.

1 - "Coincidental" personal suffering.
You are walking down the street and someone who is lifting a piano into a house's window accidentally lets go of the rope and it falls on you.

2 - Self-imposed personal suffering.
You consistently behave in an antisocial manner and therefore, reap the negativity with which people respond to you.

3 - "Coincidental" environment related suffering.
You are walking along when a rain fall begins and you are struck by lightning.

4 - Self-imposed environment related suffering.
What if I found great deal on the purchase price of a house in "Tornado Alley"? It is thus named for the frequency and likelihood of tornado strikes. What if I purchase the house in Tornado Alley? What if I moved my family into the house in Tornado Alley? What if a tornado strikes Tornado Alley? What if the house in Tornado Alley is destroyed? What if members of my family are killed due to the tornado that struck Tornado Alley? Would I then yell out, "How could a good God let something like this happen?!"

In our essay Our Much Learning Has Made Us Mad we discuss why suffering may be very beneficial to us even if we cannot understand why?

"And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected_" (Mark 8:31).

The Bible does not claim that we will have no troubles in this life. In fact, the Bible assures us that we will have trouble. It tells us that there is a higher purpose for it. It also tells us that God can take what we perceive as evil and turn it into good.

"I have spoken these things to you so that you might have peace in Me. In the world you shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer. I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

"confirming the souls of the disciples, calling on them to continue in the faith and that through much tribulation we must enter into the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22).

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).

"But as for you, you thought evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save a great many people alive" (Genesis 50:20).

"My boldness of speech is great toward you; my glorying on your behalf is much. I have been filled with comfort, I am overflowing with joy on all our trouble" (2nd Corinthians 7:4).

On God's Love and Our Suffering
Atheists argue that they are way ahead of Christianity, they are way down the road and we are still on the station platform. But they have gotten of the wrong train. They jump to conclusions without establishing a premise for a viable argument first.

For example, they argue that God cannot exist because there is suffering. They jump to this conclusion without first establishing why suffering and the existence of God are mutually exclusive. They must first be asked to prove that if God existed suffering would not.

At this point, instead of establishing why they posit mutual exclusivity, they will simply jump to the conclusion that if God exists God would be loving. This is fair enough since this is what theists generally claim. Yet, then they will jump to the conclusion that to being loving means that no suffering would occur. They do this without defining the term "love" and without establishing why being loving and allowing suffering would be mutually exclusive. They must be asked to define "love" and prove that allowing suffering would be inconsistent with "love." As with any argument is it of the utmost important to define terminology.

Let us note that in this world both atheism and Christianity believe in and offer some comfort to the suffering in the form of medical care of many kinds. However, this medical care is not available to all who suffer and not effective for all to whom it is available. Both Christianity and atheism must admit this limitation in this world. Atheism believes that this world is all that there is. Christianity believes that there is a world, a life, beyond this one. Christianity offers ultimate and permanent relief from suffering. Atheism offers suffering followed by annihilation, when you do not even exist in order to enjoy your cessation of suffering. Christianity offers momentary suffering and eternal bliss. Atheism offers momentary bliss and eternal annihilation.

Looking to death as an acceptable answer to the problem of pain is somewhat like curing a headache by decapitation. Yes, your headache is gone but so are you and you cannot even enjoy the cessation of pain.

The Fact of Suffering in the World is One
of the Best Reasons for Rejecting Atheism
Within this essay we will be discussing suffering. We will define suffering as a state of physical, emotional, and or mental, unpleasantness brought about by any of the four sufferings.

Within the Judeo-Christian world view, suffering exists.
Within the atheist world view, suffering exists.
Both world views accept suffering as an absolute truth.

Let us take a moment to point out a contradiction within atheism. Some atheists reject absolute truth, hence absolute morals, while at the same time accepting suffering as an absolute and utilizing suffering as an argument against God's existence.

Within the Judeo-Christian world view there is a reason for the existence of suffering.
Within the atheist world view there is no reason for the existence of suffering.
Like it or not, believe it or not, prefer it or not, the Bible has explained for millennia that suffering was not part of God's original creation but due to choices to rebel against God. Atheists keep on besmirching God due to suffering in the world. They keep asking theists to explain why there is suffering in the world if God exists. They ask this as if it is a new and enlightened argument. Yet, what this argument ends up demonstrating is not atheism's eruditeness but their ignorance. The fact that the answer to their argument has been available for millennia upon millennia aught to be an embarrassment to whomever still poses the question.

What if our parents told us to look both ways before crossing the street but we chose to ignore them? What if we walked out into the middle of a very busy street without looking both ways and got run over by a car? Would we define our parents out of existence? Would we claim that their "look both ways" law was not a perfect plan? Or would we blame ourselves for choosing to break their law and thus, bringing suffering upon ourselves? Now, what if instead of getting so angry at our parents that we disown them we told them that they were right in the first place? When we tell them that we are sorry for breaking their law, they tell us that they forgive us. Also, that they will also take the suffering upon themselves and ultimately grant us a life free of suffering.

Ultimately, within the Judeo-Christian world view there is something to be gained from suffering.
Within the atheist world view there is nothing to be gained from suffering.
Within the Judeo-Christian world view suffering will be done away with.
Within the atheist world view suffering will not be done away with.

Atheism has no answer to the problem of evil. They explain it just as they explain the entire universe and everything in it: it just is. They can only respond by providing physical goods such as medicines (which theists likewise do). They have no concept of an ultimate doing away with evil. They have no concept of ultimate justice for evil.

Life's suffering is better explained, as well as dealt with, within the Judeo-Christian world view. Suffering does not simply vanish upon denying God's existence. Therefore, atheism must also explain why there is suffering and provide ways to deal with it.
Atheism's answer to why there is suffering is the same answer they offer for why there exists something instead of nothing i.e., the same answer to give to virtually all questions: it just is, it just happened.

"For this is a grace, if for conscience toward God anyone endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what glory is it if you patiently endure while sinning and being buffeted? But if you suffer while doing good, and patiently endure, this is a grace from God. For you were not called to this? For Christ also suffered on our behalf, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps, He who did no sin, nor was guile found in His mouth, who when He was reviled did not revile in return. When He suffered, He did not threaten, but gave Himself up to Him who judges righteously. He Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that dying to sins, we might live to righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed. For you were as sheep going astray, but now you are turned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls" (1st Peter 2:19-25).

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through Him we also have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice on the hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we glory in afflictions also, knowing that afflictions work out patience, and patience works out experience, and experience works out hope. And hope does not make us ashamed, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit given to us. For we yet being without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly" (Romans 5:1-6).

1. 1. Charles Darwin, The Descent of Man and Selection in Relation to Sex (Princeton reprint of the 1st edition), p. 2:403
   
2. 2. Roger Lewin, Bones of Contention (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1987), p. 35 quoting "The Trend of Evolution," in The Evolution of Man, published by Yale University Press, 1922, pp. 152-84
   
3. 3. Roger Lewin, Bones of Contention (New York, NY: A Touchstone Book published by Simon & Schuster Inc., 1987), p. 35 quoting Essays on the Evolution of Man, published by Oxford University Press, 1924, p. 79
   
4. 4. Richard Dawkins, River Out of Eden - A Darwinian View of Life (New York, NY: Basic Books, 1995), p. 96
   
5. 5. Richard Dawkins, The Blind Watchmaker-Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design (New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1986), p. 62