Apologetics & Illness

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Paul of Tarsus
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Apologetics & Illness

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Post by Paul of Tarsus »

Unless you live under a rock, then you're all aware that illness is a big factor in our lives. Even if you're very lucky and live free of illness, you probably know somebody who struggles with sickness. How can illness be explained within the context of Christianity? Why would a God allow sickness?

As far as I know, neither Jesus nor any of his apostles were ever said to be sick. None of them are described as blind, deaf, or lame. They did believe that various infirmities are caused by demons, and the cure was to cast the demons out. According to the gospel, these healing activities attracted great multitudes of people seeking delivery from their afflictions. So obviously illness was a major factor in the lives of those who were contemporaneous with Jesus.

One thing I've noticed about sickness is that it does not discriminate based on faith. It doesn't care what your beliefs are. That's why, for example, people gathering to worship is strongly discouraged due to the risk of Covid 19.

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Re: Apologetics & Illness

Post #171

Post by Paul of Tarsus »

Boulevard wrote: Tue May 04, 2021 3:51 pm Perhaps God is just sending us trials?
My late Dad used to say that this world is God's "proving grounds." What God needed to prove with us my Dad never specified. In my Dad's last years he was confined to a nursing home, and he was unhappy there complaining a lot about it. He wasn't so philosophical when he was going through trials rather than somebody else. So the moral of the story is that it's easy to come up with shallow reasons for suffering when others suffer, but when we are suffering, it is more difficult to explain why God allows suffering.

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Re: Apologetics & Illness

Post #172

Post by RJG »

If god exists it seems to get its kicks from all the human suffering throughout the centuries. :shock:

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Re: Apologetics & Illness

Post #173

Post by Paul of Tarsus »

RJG wrote: Wed May 05, 2021 5:26 am If god exists it seems to get its kicks from all the human suffering throughout the centuries. :shock:
I would agree if God is deliberately causing the suffering while he could choose to do differently. Another possibility is that God would choose to end the suffering but cannot.

I think a very important and relevant fact to keep in mind is that life is mostly good most of the time. If we want to blame God for the bad, then it's only fair to credit him for the good.

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Re: Apologetics & Illness

Post #174

Post by RJG »

Paul of Tarsus wrote: Wed May 05, 2021 9:13 am
RJG wrote: Wed May 05, 2021 5:26 am If god exists it seems to get its kicks from all the human suffering throughout the centuries. :shock:
I would agree if God is deliberately causing the suffering while he could choose to do differently. Another possibility is that God would choose to end the suffering but cannot.

I think a very important and relevant fact to keep in mind is that life is mostly good most of the time. If we want to blame God for the bad, then it's only fair to credit him for the good.
I don't see anything good about the Biblical god character.

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Re: Apologetics & Illness

Post #175

Post by Tcg »

Paul of Tarsus wrote: Wed May 05, 2021 9:13 am
RJG wrote: Wed May 05, 2021 5:26 am If god exists it seems to get its kicks from all the human suffering throughout the centuries. :shock:
I would agree if God is deliberately causing the suffering while he could choose to do differently. Another possibility is that God would choose to end the suffering but cannot.
Sure, but it makes one wonder why he'd deserve the title "God" then.

I think a very important and relevant fact to keep in mind is that life is mostly good most of the time. If we want to blame God for the bad, then it's only fair to credit him for the good.
Why? If as you've surmised above he has no ability to control the bad, why should we think he has anything to do with the good? You've painted a picture of a god whose actions, or rather lack thereof, mirror a god that doesn't exist.


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Re: Apologetics & Illness

Post #176

Post by JehovahsWitness »

Boulevard wrote: Tue May 04, 2021 3:51 pm Perhaps God is just sending us trials?
The bible says : "When under trial, let no one say: “I am being tried by God.” For with evil things God cannot be tried, nor does he himself try anyone." - James 1:13.



JEHOVAH'S WITNESS

To learn more please go to other posts related to...

SICKNESS , HUMAN SUFFERING and .... THE ISSUE OF UNIVERSAL SOVEREIGNTY
INDEX: More bible based ANSWERS
http://debatingchristianity.com/forum/v ... 81#p826681


"For if we live, we live to Jehovah, and if we die, we die to Jehovah. So both if we live and if we die, we belong to Jehovah" -
Romans 14:8

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Re: Apologetics & Illness

Post #177

Post by JoeyKnothead »

From the OP:
OP wrote: ...
How can illness be explained within the context of Christianity? Why would a God allow sickness?
Unless this section of the site now assumes the Bible to be accurate, I challenge anyone to show a god / God allows anything.
OP wrote: ...
As far as I know, neither Jesus nor any of his apostles were ever said to be sick.
I consider such to be a plot device. Not many folks fancyem a sickly hero.

The Bible also says you can change the colors or patterns of critters by poking sticks in the ground, among other sense-assaulting claims.
OP wrote: ...
They did believe that various infirmities are caused by demons, and the cure was to cast the demons out.
...
Heck, there's some that believe it now.

Doesn't make it true.
I might be Teddy Roosevelt, but I ain't.
-Punkinhead Martin

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Re: Apologetics & Illness

Post #178

Post by Paul of Tarsus »

Tcg wrote: Wed May 05, 2021 1:39 pm
Paul of Tarsus wrote: Wed May 05, 2021 9:13 am I think a very important and relevant fact to keep in mind is that life is mostly good most of the time. If we want to blame God for the bad, then it's only fair to credit him for the good.
Why? If as you've surmised above he has no ability to control the bad, why should we think he has anything to do with the good?
I said if we blame God for the bad, then we should credit God for the good. That's a conditional statement. Blaming God for the bad assumes he can do something about the bad. On the condition that we assume he can do something about the bad, we logically should assume he can grant the good. There's good in the world. Based on our assumptions, God gets the credit for the good along with blame for the bad.
You've painted a picture of a god whose actions, or rather lack thereof, mirror a god that doesn't exist.
I'm not exactly sure how you've arrived at that conclusion, but I assume for now that you are saying that if there was no God, then we would have the same amount of good and bad in the world as we do now. Yes, that mixture of good and bad may be consistent with no God existing, but it's also consistent with a God who exists but who cannot do any better than what we experience. So saying that the good and bad in the world makes the world look like a world where there's no God doesn't prove much. As Woody Allen quipped:
I wouldn't really say that God is evil. Let's just say he's an underachiever.

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