One of the main reasons why people develop an interest in philosophy and religion is because they want to understand the reason, or reasons, why we suffer. A major line of attack directed at people of faith is in relation to the problem of trying to reconcile the existence of a good God with the amount of suffering that we see on the News and that we experience personally.
Both the Bible and the Qur’an provide answers to the problem of why we suffer, though the perspectives they present are different in some ways. The Bible presents the view that sin and suffering are closely linked to the fallen nature of man, and in the Qur’an God says that man was created for toil and trial. Both religions point to the resurrection of the dead and a Day of Judgement, and fear of the existence of hell is perhaps the main reason why people reject religion altogether.
But should we walk away from God because we hate suffering, or should we draw close to Him and try to understand His will?
One of the main reasons why I wrote my book God’s Grand Game: Divine Sovereignty and the Cosmic Playground was to try to make sense of the suffering I have experienced personally, and the suffering of all sentient beings. Thankfully, God has enlightened me in various ways as I have prayerfully tried to make sense of the problem of suffering, and I have been equipped to use the gift of writing to share my insights with others. Therefore, I warmly offer everyone reading this an invitation to explore the key issues surrounding the problem of suffering by reading God’s Grand Game, which can be purchased here.
If we fervently seek after God, we can rest assured that He will be gracious and merciful to us and answer the questions we have surrounding the reasons why we suffer with love and compassion. Please, take a step in that direction today.
Perfect Chaos 