To Christians: In your religion, why does god let so many starving children die?
368711
The world has the same starving children regardless of what religion you practice.  Why pick on the Christians?
954739
No, no, NO!\n\nWe hear about some poor person who died horribly after being tortured, or after suffering painfully from disease such as cancer or AIDS, or a baby who dies painfully, and any decent human being says "They didn't deserve that..."  But God, according to the Scriptures of various religions, thinks they did.  According to the scriptures and Christian/Jewish/Muslim belief, He knew about it, He could have prevented it, but He chose not to.  Disagreeing with God might be evil, but speaking for myself, I would have if I could have.  If that's evil, so be it.\n\nSo it seems that God is not as caring about humans as we were led to believe - assuming you accept a literal interpretation of the Bible.  So perhaps that is why He (and some of his followers) are so insensitive to the suffering of humanity, and would condemn even good people to eternity in hell.  In His viewpoint, apparently, they do deserve hell.\n\nI do not believe that anyone, let alone loving, charitable people who have not followed a particular religion's doctrine (such as saying the "sinner's prayer") deserves an eternity of torment.  That is one of the reasons that while I remain a spiritual person, I no longer identify myself with organized religion, including Christianity.
557902
The curious as well as the critics of Christianity ask this question. If God is all-powerful and all loving, then why does He permit evil and suffering in the world? Various answers have been given but permanently settling the issue is impossible because so many of our answers raise further questions. Nevertheless, our lack of ability to answer the question perfectly does not mean that we cannot offer solutions. Of course, I do not assume to be able to answer these questions definitively, but I can offer some solutions.\n     First of all, it is possible that God has reasons for allowing evil to exist that we simply cannot understand. In this the Christian can have confidence in God knowing that His ways are above our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). As the Bible says, the just shall live by faith (Hab. 2:4).\n     Second, God may be letting evil run its course in order to prove that evil is evil and that suffering, which is the unfortunate product of evil, is further proof that anything contrary to God’s will is bad, harmful, painful, and leads to death. \n     God gave Adam dominion over the world (Gen. 1:28). When he rebelled against God, he set in motion an entire series of events and changed the very nature of man and creation. Both were affected by sin. Creation was no longer a paradise, but bore thorns and thistles (Gen. 3:17-18; Rom. 8:22). People became sinful (Rom. 5:12; Eph. 2:3), who were haters of God (Rom. 3:19-12), etc. The only conclusion to such a situation is death. Jesus said, "And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened" (Matt. 24:22). \n     Sin is rebellion against God and His created order. But God has not left us alone in this fallen world. He continued to enter this world, pointing us to Himself, to truth, to morality, purity, and love. He used the evil of the world (liars, perjurers, the envious, etc), to bring His Son to the cross so that we might have the opportunity of eternal life. In this, God has not stepped away from fallen creation, but has stepped into it by becoming Jesus. God works within the fallen world to affect change and He uses fallen people to accomplish His will. In this, He is proving His sovereignty over evil, suffering, and rebellious people, proving that sin and evil are utterly futile, and that He is worthy of honor and glory.\n     A third possible reason that God is letting evil occur is so that on the day of judgment, the condemned will have no right to say that their sentence is unjust. God is not stopping people from exercising their free will. Think about this: If someone said that God should stop evil and suffering, then should God then stop all evil and suffering? If God only stopped some of it, then we would still be asking the same question of why it exists. So, if we want God to stop evil and suffering, then He must stop all of it. We have no problem with this when it means stopping a catastrophe, or a murder, or a rape. But what about when someone thinks of something evil? Evil is evil whether it is acted out or not. Hatred and bigotry in someone’s heart is wrong. If it is wrong, and if God is to stop all evil, then He must stop that person from thinking his own thoughts. To do that, God must remove his freedom of thought. Furthermore, which person on the earth has not thought something evil? God would be required, then, to stop all people from exercising their free will. This is something God has chosen not to do. Therefore, we could say that one of the reasons that God permits evil and suffering is because of man’s free will.\n     Fourth, it is quite possible that God uses the suffering to do good. In other words, He produces patience through tribulation (Rom. 5:3). Or He may desire to save someone through it. Take for example, the account of Joseph who was sold into slavery by His brothers. What they did was wrong and Joseph suffered greatly for it. But, later, God raise
1031950
Thank you very much for asking this question as it allows us to see the true natiure of the Christian believer. Look at these cold-hearted answers:\n\n"Most sat on their ass when they should have gotten out of there": here we have a person who has presumably never lived anywhere near a natural catastrophe blindly passing judgement on those who tragically lost their lives. The implication here is that nobody was caught or stranded and that, in a sense, they had it coming. This is human compassion.\n\n"God didn't send the hurricane; Satan did": here we have the classic argument: that which is good is the work of God, that which is bad is the work of the Devil. God, who the Bible repeatedly states can control the world however he wants, chose this time to sit back and allow the Devil to do his thing. Even more amazing, those who did survive were saved by God. Those who didn't, for reasons I guess we cannot know, thus weren't.\n\n"Not all of the people are dead, so obviously He helped them": again, here we have a God arbitrarily picking-and-choosing. One wonders if he just threw darts at a dartboard to decide who should perish, leaving their loved ones to mourn, and who should be saved. One might be reminded at this time that innocent babies were among the dead.\n\n"God gave them brains and feet to run with": again, apparently those who died were not using their God-given brains. I dearly truly hope that none of the people who have answered here are met with a natural catastrophe. I, for my part, would never dare to blame their demise on their own lack of thinking...\n\n"He was with those people but maybe they did something wrong": arrogance! Do you know anything of the minds of those people who died? How many of them had been good citizens, maybe even good Christians? How many of them were innocent babies with no way to protect themselves?\n\n"If one prays, God can easily divert or stop the hurricane": natural disasters are caused because people don't pray. or, alternately, God could have stopped the hurricane, but just decided not to because not enough people were praying... Divine justice and mercy...\n\n"Do you also blame the police for not stopping every crime?": well, or course not, for we can recognise that the police are fallible and not all-powerful. The analogy does not fit at all because the God that many of those people believed in is all-powerful... but sometimes chooses not to use that power.\n\n"God never strikes a place without warning its people first": this wins hands-down for most arrogant and crude response yet. The number of people who die tragically in natural disasters is all but incalculable. The suggestion here is that God is repeating his Sodom-and-Gomorrah trick countless times a year and people are just too deaf to hear. Additionally, the people who died in New Orleans were the ones who "embraced witchcraft and celebrated lewdness" - or perhaps this person believes that _all_ people in New Orleans were/are lewd witches. The tragedy of this lack of compassion is that it implies, somehow, that the writer's good luck never to have been hit by a natural disaster somehow makes him more righteous than other people.\n\nNote that all of the above is from a 'Christian' point of view... It's enough to make you cry.
219809
If someone kills in the name of God, they have been duped.  They fell victim to irrational thinking.  The god they serve is not God the creator (the giver of LIFE), but rather the god of death (Satin).  God promotes life. "Be fruitful and multiply."  God promises everlasting life, sent Jesus to overcome death.  Why would God go through all the trouble of creating life only to have others destroy it?  Makes no sense.
825826
A good question indeed. Why do children die? While asking, why are people born with major disabilities? Why do people constantly suffer in this planet? Why do bad things continue to happen, even though there is suppose to be a loving God? \nThis all depends on your faith. Biblically, God created Adam and Eve in perfection. No diseases, no suffering, etc. They lived in a paradise, with no worries about food and drink. They were told to multiply. So all the newborns afterwards should have enjoyed this fantastic way of life. Unfortunately, because of Satans lies, they disobeyed God, got kicked out of paradaise, would have to toil hard for their fruits, Eve's childbearing pains would increase a hundred fold, and they would "die."  This all came to be true for them. Sure they lived to about 900 years, but they did eventually die. From that point, all their offspring would be imperfect, and be subjected to all forms of misery. \nHere we are today, far from perfect. Our world system is flawed causing great hunger and suffering. Most accidents can be avoided with proper education and direction, but since this is sometimes not practiced, accidents do happen. We still die. \nThe Bible though shows that death is the price we pay for our great sin. Death is also a deep sleep with no memories, no feelings, no concept of time. It's not some netherworld of suffering or delight. In Revelations, God promises a great resurrection of pretty much all those who have died. This resurrection will be in much better conditions, and with new healthy bodies. We will then have 1000 years to reach that state of perfection that God wants. Then we will be tempted by Satan again. Some will follow Satan, even in the best of conditions, and will have to be destroyed for good. The rest will then live in eternity as God had wanted it to begin with. \nSo why go through all this trouble. Supposedly it's to prove to all the angels and people that God's way is the only way. Are we at the last days, I can't really say. Time will tell.\nAnother theory is reincarnation. We came to these bodies to experience life in different ways. We die, then come back later, born again in a new life. Over and over again. Kind of like the movie "the Matrix," were life is like a dream. If you have an accident, get a disease, or are killed, you die and go back to home base, take a break, then come back again when you're ready. Who's to say what's right.
87970
Christianity is all about the love of God and how Christ died for you personally on the cross. He died for you because He loved you so much that He chose to die for all of your sins and all of those times you lied or said something nasty or even something more serious. He loves you so much, and unconditionally no matter what you have done or who you are. He loves you and wants you to honor Him and preech His word. My favorite Bible verse is "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you a hope and a future" ~ Jeremiah 29:11. Also i really like "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord ~Romans 6:23. God loves you so much, just turn to Him and accept him into your life.
528706
I think christianity is a stupid religion but just killing them is wrong. But then, how many people did God slaughter in the Old Testament?
1123468
Some of those 'Poor' might surprise you by saying THEY are the lucky ones. \nHaving nothing, gives one everything to gain...\n\n:)\n\nA note for those that are blinded by faith(ie:threebluespiders):\n According to the bible when the Israelites wandered in the desert for forty years, god fed them by making food fall regularly from the sky (Ex16:4). During the 1980's, several million Ethiopian Christians died slowly and painfully from starvation due to a prolonged drought. god had then the opportunity to make food fall from the sky, as the bible claims he did in the past, so why did he not do that again?\n\nSome will try to free god from responsibility for evil by saying that it was not god but the devil. This may be true but if god is so loving why didn't he simply prevent the devil from doing this? In any case, who created the devil in the first place? Surely it was god.
752543
God only put us here to be toys of amusement for him. He enjoys watching people suffer. Just think about it for a minute...supposedly he is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-...whatever. Yet he allows this world to be infested with disease, famine, war, death, and horrors beyond imagination. Now, how can you call a god who does all these things loving and expect him to do anything for you. People who always turn to god to help them in their struggles are just trying to find someone else to fix their mistakes. They can't handle the fact that their god probably doesn't like them. God allows all these atrocities on earth to occur and doesn't lift a finger. The question you should really be asking is "Why do I worship a god that does not care?" God did not give us free will. And as far as free will in the respect to god goes, if it had not been for Satan, we would all be wandering around in complete servitude without even realizing we were slaves. By tempting Eve to eat that apple, if you believe the story, he gave us the ability to realize our slavery. Furthermore, anyone who says that we have free will given by god should examine their religion further. How can it be free will when he says that to disobey him will result in a tormenting eternity of fire and brimstone? Are these really choices...slavery or fire? I will thank God for nothing. My thanks go to the god of the underworld for giving me the knowledge to know these lies as they are.
798337
I am a Christian in the sense that I try to live like Christ did.  He was kind and loving to all people and forgiving of those who did not act appropriately.  He made no judgements, just offered his teachings and suggestions.  GOD did not create religion.  PEOPLE did. Mix in the human need to compete, and you now have many different religions. RELIGION doesn't matter to god. IT's what is in your heart.\nI can not believe that God would create millions of people just to let them "go to hell" \nSO YES, God works through all people.
422317
Christian governments up until relatively recently CAUSED lots of genocide.  The inquisition, witch hunts, the crusades, the wiping out of South American and African people?  All Christianity.  Don't get me wrong, I'm a Christian and I think Christians are great, I just don't think government should be run in terms of religion.  They don't mix.  Especially a religion that is essentially evangelical like Christianity.  As a Christian, I suppose I'd be happy if everyone else were Christian, but as a secular person I don't think it's fair of me to compell others to do so.  Christians belong in aid organizations where aid is voluntary and they can do good work, not in government where, with the best of intentions, they tend to force or coerce others into following their faith.
826302
Some things you need to think practically about. Why would God need to have a billion son's if one son could do the job of redeeming all of us? Besides, you've missed the point. The one Son made it possible for all of us to be the Father's adopted children. So, in one very real sense God does have billions upon billions of children.\n   May the Lord bless and keep you. May He let the light of His face shine upon you.\n                                 God's and your beast of burden\n                                                   Fr. john
1067688
It's because they ate the forbidden fruit that we have death. But through Jesus and accepting Him as our savior, we once again have another chance at eternal life. IF you are lost and living without Christ, Invite Jesus into your heart and life today.\nJohn 3:16.-18\n\n16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. \n \n \n17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.\n \n18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
503035
Christians know the truth and we are commanded to tell the truth to others.\n\nIllustration: If you were among a people who were suffering from dehydration and famine, then you found an unlimited amount of food and water, wouldn't you tell others about it?
1082783
God loved the world so much that He sent his son to die for you.  Jesus died so the world could be saved.  Jesus then proved His divinity when He rose from the dead.
1108967
I think the reason is two-fold:\n1) Christians are obsessed with death. Christianity has to be one of the most morbid religions ever. Think about it - their symbol is the torture device their founder was murdered upon. Doesn't that seem a bit bizarre? There is also the question of cannibalism as to Jesus' command that they eat his body and drink his blood. I think catholics are probably the most morbid of the christian sects. (Though it is debatable.) Search the net and check out pictures of Catholic relics. See link below to see St. Catherine's mummy.\n2) Christians are obsessed with the idea that their belief system is correct and that everyone else is completely wrong. If there were a rapture this would justify their flawed belief system. They hate this world because not everyone thinks the way they do. (And just see how many people try to convince you to think their way when they answer this.) The only option they see is a) make everyone convert (which even they know isn't going to happen) or b) have god kill off all the non-believers and leave all the 'just and righteous' types to rule the world (or heaven, which ever their little fantasy involves.)\nThere is something seriously wrong with a belief system that hates all other belief systems and wants to bring about the end the world. By my definition, I would say that it's a cult.