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Suffering & Belief
These points should be read & understood. They can form the basis to answer any question.
1. There is a great deal of physical & mental suffering in the world. No one is going to deny it.
2. There is suffering caused by people who commit evil acts.
3. There is suffering that is just mental. We could call this abuse.
4. There is also suffering that was not chosen. Some disease is not caused by it being anyone’s fault.
5. There is no easy explanation why some suffer & others do not. Life does not seem fair.
6. We need to look at religion to help us explain suffering.
7. In Christianity they have the concept of free will. This helps explain how the faithful should respond.
8. God gave us free will to love one another.
9. If I loved my fellow man I would serve him. I would help without asking for a reward.
10. In Christianity the example to follow is Jesus.
11. Jesus served & loved people. He even dies on the cross for them.
12. Jesus’ example of giving & helping others is a model for all Christians.
13.Some will criticise & say how can a God of love allow suffering. In Christianity God became a man in his Son Jesus. This was so he could experience suffering.
15.Mother Teresa said God is everywhere in the distressing disguise of the poor.
16. Jesus said if you love & care for one person you love & care for me.
17. We are changed in some way ,profoundly by suffering.
18. You cannot know what love is until you have lost it. ( How much did I love that person was not known till they died.)
19. We can be more caring or less compassionate after experiencing suffering.
20. It is a question of degree of love & empathy.
21. Can we turn away from suffering?
22. Many do ignore it. Yet God demands we love our fellow brother & not ignore him.
.Some say if God existed there would be no suffering.
24. If there was no suffering in the world it would not be our world.
25. In our world creatures die. Animals & people suffer from disease & decisions which have consequences.
26. We all live with those choices. Either I love you or I hate you that is my free will .
27. In Buddhism there is the concept of karma. What I do will affect what happens to me in the next life. So if I am kind then it will help me to be a better person in the next life.
28. Many faithful believe in heaven. There pain will be taken away. So things will be better after we have died.
29. Most religions teach compassion & empathy.
30. We should love & serve and be less selfish. If we do this with a good heart we will learn to be like God.
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