innocent suffering

When children are murdered, as they were by the militant Islamists in Beslan, Russia, the question of suffering and the existence of God comes up once again. How can there be a God who allowed such an evil event to happen? This dilemma is sometimes called, “The Problem of Evil.”

Here are some basic observations.

By God’s design, in order for him to be in personal relationship with humans, we have to be able to sin. We have to be able to say, No,” to God. If we are forced to love and forced to do good then we are robots. So, because humans have the freedom to reject God, they have the freedom to choose evil.

Now, if the evidence of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is historically reliable, then the question of “how can there be a God” isn’t meaningful. If the evidence is reliable, Jesus is God. “What kind of God would allow this innocent suffering” is a better question. Then we can examine what Jesus actually said about life and suffering, what Jesus did, and what Jesus does.