Disease/suffering

[S.L.I.G]

I'm watching the Tudors, and the part im at there all running around screaming about a disease. Constantly its mentioned that disease is brought down on man as punishment for sin, etc. Anyways, so what are your religious perspectives on the reality of disease, suffering, death etc? In regards to God of course, I'm not looking for secular thoughts.

[Prodigal]

It depends. We must keep in mind that many extremely harmful diseases are brought about by sin. If you know what I mean...
Things like HIV/AIDS. It cans till happen without sin, but in certain instances, like having sex before marriage as well as homosexual sex are often the cause for most of the diseases.

[Boer]

Personally I don't see disease striking an individual as the wrath of God. It could be argued that God creating the diseases to begin with was vengeful. Now that the diseases are out there people get them more or less randomly, although preventions do help. But if I go cancer I'd go to the hospital, I would not simply pray for forgiveness--the natural course of action if the cancer were merely God punishing me.

Even when we look in the bible, (ignoring the mass plagues sent by God) most of the time an individual was stuck with a disease it was not a punishment from God.

It depends. We must keep in mind that many extremely harmful diseases are brought about by sin. If you know what I mean...
Things like HIV/AIDS.

I'd like to know your definition of many and, assuming it is more than one, know of many other diseases brought on by sin (I suppose it is too off topic to try and get a definition for sin as well).

[Copperknickers II]

It depends. We must keep in mind that many extremely harmful diseases are brought about by sin. If you know what I mean...
Things like HIV/AIDS. It cans till happen without sin, but in certain instances, like having sex before marriage as well as homosexual sex are often the cause for most of the diseases.

Indeed. Y'know another deadly disease? Intolerance. It causes rather nasty ones called Nazitis, and Holocaust flu, and Lynchoid. Its mostly brought about by ignorant Christians, so i hear.

[Prodigal]

Indeed. Y'know another deadly disease? Intolerance. It causes rather nasty ones called Nazitis, and Holocaust flu, and Lynchoid. Its mostly brought about by ignorant Christians, so i hear.

Every group has their ignorant. Especially large ones.

I'd like to know your definition of many and, assuming it is more than one, know of many other diseases brought on by sin (I suppose it is too off topic to try and get a definition for sin as well).

I need to go, I'll answer later.

[Copperknickers II]

Every group has their ignorant. Especially large ones.

Sorry. Islam as well. And also Jews, and just plain racists and such scum. I am a little behind the times.

[Desperado †]

It depends. We must keep in mind that many extremely harmful diseases are brought about by sin. If you know what I mean...
Things like HIV/AIDS. It cans till happen without sin, but in certain instances, like having sex before marriage as well as homosexual sex are often the cause for most of the diseases.

Um, no. It's spread by having sex with more than one person (without a condom), not sex before marriage or homosexuality. Oh, and I suggest you look up how much AIDS is actually spread by gays before making absurd assumptions and trying to correlate a disease with 'sin'.

[Morkonan]

I'm watching the Tudors, and the part im at there all running around screaming about a disease. Constantly its mentioned that disease is brought down on man as punishment for sin, etc. Anyways, so what are your religious perspectives on the reality of disease, suffering, death etc? In regards to God of course, I'm not looking for secular thoughts.

This is Earth, not Heaven.

The mind of God is God's, I'm not about to attribute every natural occurrence to his will. Diseases, suffering, death, etc can all be attributed to natural causes. In some cases, they can even be attributable to human causes.

If Earthly, physical life was full of roses and happy-happy-joy-joy moments, what would be a divine purpose for instructing humanity behind it? Earthly existence is "Earthly." It is of the Earth. It only makes sense that natural things will happen due to natural causes.

This is not paradise nor was it meant to be. Of what value is compassion if none suffer? What use is telling the truth if none lie? How significant is love if all love? What use is self-sacrifice if there is no reason for it?

What value is Faith if it is never tested?

[blackwatersix]

This is not paradise nor was it meant to be. Of what value is compassion if none suffer?
What value is Faith if it is never tested?

Well. There goes my answer.

Diseases and suffering exist not because God is absent or vengeful or whatnot, but war, disease, poverty exist to give us a chance to show our love for one another and our trust in God. If all were rich and healthy then what is the point of aspiring to Heaven? If all were rich and healthy then how would we show our compassion and love for God in our neighbor?

[Helm]

If God exists then it amounts to a negative byproduct of freewill as nature itself has the freewill to evolve down it's own path, much the same way as God left humans and life in general to evolve without any direct input on his part. Unless you believe in Creationism in which case it's a punishment from God for original sin.

[Nazgûl Killer]

I don't think diseases have any relation towards religion or religious retribution in any way. Why?
Well, think about it, what about the Plague? You seriously want to tell me that 3/4ths of the world deserved to die and 'God' decided to annihilate them all?

Every disease has a very reasonable physical, biological and chemical explanations.

[Arch-hereticK]

Everyone deserves to die.

[Morkonan]

Everyone deserves to die.

Well, we've all been dying since the day we were born so, as the man say's

"Deserve's got nuthin' to do with it."

[Yosemite]

Everyone deserves to die.

why so emo

[Arch-hereticK]

why so emo

Cause the bible says so.

[Justinian]

It depends. We must keep in mind that many extremely harmful diseases are brought about by sin. If you know what I mean...
Things like HIV/AIDS. It cans till happen without sin, but in certain instances, like having sex before marriage as well as homosexual sex are often the cause for most of the diseases.

Yeah, because only sinners get cancer, right? Only sinners get genetic diseases. Only sinners get non-sexual infections. This completely falls apart.

If by "many", you mean "an extremely small number", then yes, I suppose you could say that. You won't get an STD if you are monogamous and only have sex after being married and never get divorced. But the overwhelming majority of diseases cannot be prevented by the person's "moral actions".

PS. I'll tell the next rape victim infected with AIDS by their rapist that they're a sinner. And I'll tell her baby, born with AIDS, that he's a sinner too.

Most diseases happen for no reason at all. Thanks, God!

[Miracles]

Suffering in general could be a way to make the soul healthy.

You could find the most irrational and unreasonable people in those who never tasted suffering.

[cfmonkey45]

The Book of Job deals with this issue. Ultimately, it postulates that suffering (and blessings) are the work of God allowing it to happen or causing it to happen at certain instances for yet unseen purposes. Within it, God argues firstly that humanity and all of creation are his creation, and that he can do with it as he wishes because he is God. Secondly, it is argued that God innately has prescience, and thus knows the full extent of any action at any time.

[Adhamh Ashashi]

Disease has nothing to do with God. I believe in God, but Justy just summed it up. Cancer is probably the worst disease to suffer from, slow, painful to recover from, and if you do recover, you are still likely to get cancer again.

People just blame God when something goes wrong, when there is a reason and why science can help. This is coming from apious Muslaman too :O

[Arch-hereticK]

Disease has nothing to do with God. I believe in God, but Justy just summed it up. Cancer is probably the worst disease to suffer from, slow, painful to recover from, and if you do recover, you are still likely to get cancer again.

People just blame God when something goes wrong, when there is a reason and why science can help. This is coming from apious Muslaman too :O

I'd imagine the problem with this opinion is it would mean that god is either unwilling to help or unable.