Why Bad Things Happen

"For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" Romans 3:10

      Destruction, death, violence, and war can be put under the subject or debate of why bad things happen. As a demonstration of the law of cause and effect, and a result of Adam and Eve's rebellion, sin came into the world and began to spread. Sin brought with it death, destruction, decay, and anything else that wasn't of God. Sin had become a spiritual tendency or "bad habit" for all of mankind, except Jesus, of course. Since sin was permanently in humans (and effected all living things in the world), it began to affect and show itself through their actions immediately. Throughout the history of our existence, violence, war, hatred, lust, rebellion, death, destruction, etc. have been a part of our home (Earth). Sin's destructive effects are recorded within our history books.

      Because of these things, people have begun to question God's being. From a human perspective (note that I've said human), it seems God permits evil to run wild. Many have been kept from accepting Christianity because sin and evil mocks our deepest human longings for love, justice, and security. Any philosophy or theology that would command a hearing, including Christianity, must address the question of why God allows evil.

      God is God. He's the Creator of the universe, and has been proven to exist (see some of my other articles). He can do whatever He wants when He wills it. But God is also both just and loving. He has His reasons for allowing evil, and plan a to abolish it. But because He is God, we have no basis to demand that He play by our rules and understanding. God gave us these two things: freedom or free will. Freedom was created by God. Humans perform the acts of freedom. We execute our God-given freedom and are responsible, therefore, for the consequences of our choices. This is demonstrated when Adam and Eve disobeyed God after He specifically told them what they could and couldn't eat, and what would happen if they did. Then they suffered the consequences of their choice, as a result.

  

      We're humans, and we have a limited understanding. Our failure to perceive legitimate reasons for evil's presence doesn't mean God is angry or legitimate reasons don't exist. Evidence from God, and the Bible, shows that He's not capricious or vengeful. Until God wills it, the reason for why God allows evil and bad things to happen may not be known specifically, but through reading the Bible, we know it's all for good. Even, and especially, when we don't see it.

     Haiku

Sources: Answers to the World's Toughest Questions Passport by Charles R. Swindoll and Insight for Living, The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, and the Bible.