I have questions. We keep on saying that God is kind. Is this really true or it this wishful thinking?. It does not bear to think otherwise; we would quickly get very worried. Yet, even when completely ignoring what people do to each other, how can you really think that God is kind when natural disasters, often not caused by humanity, keep on happening. God did not exactly create a very safe place for humans. - Frits

Frits, Your questions are quite logical. However in the New Testament Jesus performs numerous acts of kindness when he heals the sick, lame, blind, when he changes water to wine at a wedding banquet to save the host from embarrassment, when he saved the woman from being stoned, etc. Jesus said if you know him then you know the Father. Therefore God is kind. We are created in His image and in times of natural disaster and calamity when we are at our best we are helping our neighbors with their desparate needs. There were no natural disasters in the Garden of Eden as God originally created the world but when sin entered in so did all sorts of evil happenings. God allows Satan to have his way in the world for now at times but God wins in the end and He still works acts of kindness to comfort us through the times of disaster. This is my understanding. I hope it helps you see past the darkness of evil to the true nature of God. - Janice

Janice - I second your great answer. - Austin

Dear Frits,
I understand your feelings, and Janice is very correct in what she said. We have a "freewill conscience" and that is the reason that we have the problems we have today. The first sin however did not start in the garden of eden but it started in heaven when satan persuaded one third of the angels to rebel against God and they were cast down. Satan is said to be the prince of the air and he is still causing people not to be kind or considerate to others, and to sin. If you and I are kind to others this will set an example for others to follow. Remember, it starts with one person deciding to be different. Have a good day and may God bless all. - Jerry Barrett

God is not only kind, he is infinitely good. We cannot know all of his purposes, or why he allows certain things to happen. Certainly, much of the suffering in the world is do to man's own sinfulness, which is a result of the free will that God grants us.

Why natural disasters? Scripture says all of creation is groaning due to our fallen world (Romans 8:17-25). Also, while God could prevent such things, we do not know how his purposes might be furthered through suffering in this world. His ultimate purpose is that all come to a relationship with Him through is son Jesus Christ. Perhaps fewer people would actually come to know God if he did not permit these things to occur. In the words of Steven Curtis Chapman: God is God and I am not; I can only see a part of the picture He’s painting; God is God and I am man; So I’ll never understand it all; For only God is God. - Rick Y

Rick,
What you wrote is great, yes he is God and he can do as he sees fit. We all experience grief and tragedy and we wonder how this could be allowed. This past sat my nephew had a bad wreck, he lost his wife and he is clinging to life only by the grace of God, his two daughters are in the hospital also. One of my sister in laws asked why did God do this? Well in realtly God didnt do it, he allowed it but he didn't do it. But we know all things work for good to them that love the Lord, I don't know why it happened but God does. God is good - Jerry Barrett

Janice, Jerry, Austin, Rick,
Thank you for your comments. When I pose these types of questions, I mean them to be genuine and not confrontational. Earthquakes are caused, inter alia, by the movement of tectonic plates, which can release stress along fault lines. This has nothing to do with a "fallen earth" and everything to do with physical laws and/or design.
I agree with Jerry that we simply do not understand why God has created earth in this way. Oh boy, talking about making life complicated! - Frits

Frits, respectfully, I think you are missing the point. The earth, the tectonic plates, etc. are the way they are because of the fall of man. BTW - the whole physics and tectonic plates stuff describes a process and not a cause. Physics can answer "how" by observing actions already put into action. Science and physics have never been able to tell anybody "why." There is a big difference between the two. You want to stump a world renown scientist - ask him/her questions that a first grader asks. Why are we here? What is the point? What is the difference between good and evil? How did the universe get here? - Austin

Austin, in the end it becomes a matter of what you believe. This is very hard to debate. I don't believe that the fall of man has anything to do with the way tectonic plates behave. If this were the case, the next question bubbles up automatically: How can a good and benevolent God punish many generations of people because of the fall of man? I believe in God, but there are many individual ways of interpreting this belief. - Frits

I admit that it is hard to believe that the behavior of tectonic plates is directly cause by an apple getting eaten who-knows how long ago. I just wanted to make the point that the world we live in isn't the world God wanted us to live in. The questions you ask have excellent Bible-based answers, try looking on Christian Apologetics web pages if you are interested. - Austin

Thank you Austin. I intend to have a look at the Christian Apologetics websites. - Frits