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CHAPTER ELEVEN Why Does God Allow Suffering? Has God caused the suffering in the world? What issue was raised in the garden of Eden? How will God undo the effects of human suffering? What kind of suffering do people face today, leading many to ask what questions? AFTER a terrible battle in one war-torn land, the thousands of civilian women and children who had been killed were buried in a mass grave surrounded by markers. Each marker bore this inscription: “Why?” Sometimes that is the most painful question of all. People ask it sadly when war, disaster, disease, or crime takes their innocent loved ones, destroys their home, or brings them untold suffering in other ways. They want to know why such tragedies befall them. 2 Why does God allow suffering? If Jehovah God is all-powerful, loving, wise, and just, why is the world so full of hatred and injustice? Have you ever wondered about these things yourself? (a) What shows that it is not wrong to ask why God allows suffering? (b) How does Jehovah feel about wickedness and suffering? 3 Is it wrong to ask why God allows suffering? Some worry that asking such a question means that they do not have enough faith or that they are showing disrespect for God. When reading the Bible, however, you will find that faithful, God-fearing people had similar questions. For example, the prophet Habakkuk asked Jehovah: “Why do you make me witness wrongdoing? And why do you tolerate oppression? Why are destruction and violence before me? And why do quarreling and conflict abound?” 4 Did Jehovah scold the faithful prophet Habakkuk for asking such questions? Instead, God included Habakkuk’s sincere words in the inspired Bible record. God also helped him to get a clearer understanding of matters and to gain greater faith. Jehovah wants to do the same for you. Remember, the Bible teaches that “he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) God hates wickedness and the suffering it causes far more than any human does. (Isaiah 55:8, 9) Why, then, is there so much suffering in the world? WHY SO MUCH SUFFERING? What reasons are sometimes offered to explain human suffering, but what does the Bible teach? 5 People of various religions have gone to their religious leaders and teachers to ask why there is so much suffering. Often, the response is that suffering is God’s will and that he long ago determined everything that would ever happen, including tragic events. Many are told that God’s ways are mysterious or that he brings death upon people Why do many people make the mistake of blaming God for the suffering in the world? 6 Do you know why people make the mistake of blaming God for all the suffering in the world? In many cases, they blame Almighty God because they think that he is the real ruler of this world. They do not know a simple but important truth that the Bible teaches. You learned that truth in Chapter 3 of this book. The real ruler of this world is Satan the Devil. (a) How does the world reflect the personality of its ruler? (b) How have human imperfection and “time and unexpected events” contributed to suffering? 7 The Bible clearly states: “The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.” (1 John 5:19) When you think about it, does that not make sense? This world reflects the personality of the invisible spirit creature who is “misleading the entire inhabited earth.” (Revelation 12:9) Satan is hateful, deceptive, and cruel. So the world, under his influence, is full of hatred, deceit, and cruelty. That is one reason why there is so much suffering. 8 A second reason why there is so much suffering is that, as discussed in Chapter 3, mankind has been imperfect and sinful ever since the rebellion in the garden of Eden. Sinful humans tend to struggle for dominance, and this results in wars, oppression, and suffering. (Ecclesiastes 4:1; 8:9) A third reason for suffering is “time and unexpected events.” (Read Ecclesiastes 9:11.) In a world without Jehovah as a protective Ruler, people may suffer because they happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Why can we be sure that Jehovah has a good reason for allowing suffering to continue? 9 It is comforting for us to know that God does not cause suffering. He is not responsible for the wars, the crimes, the oppression, or even the natural disasters that cause people to suffer. Still, we need to know, Why does Jehovah allow all this suffering? If he is the Almighty, he has the power to stop it. Why, then, does he hold back? The loving God that we have come to know must have a good reason. A VITAL ISSUE IS RAISED What did Satan call into question, and how? 10 To find out why God allows suffering, we need to think back to the time when suffering began. When Satan led Adam and Eve into disobeying Jehovah, an important question was raised. Satan did not call into question Jehovah’s power. Even Satan knows that there is no limit to Jehovah’s power. Rather, Satan questioned Jehovah’s right to rule. By calling God a liar who withholds good from his subjects, Satan charged that Jehovah is a bad ruler. (Read Genesis 3:2-5.) Satan implied that mankind would be better off without God’s rulership. This was an attack on Jehovah’s sovereignty, his right to rule. Why did Jehovah not just destroy the rebels in Eden? 11 Adam and Eve rebelled against Jehovah. In effect, they said: ‘We do not need Jehovah as our Ruler. We can decide for ourselves what is right and what is wrong.’ How could Jehovah settle that issue? How could he teach all intelligent creatures that the rebels were wrong and that his way truly is best? Someone might say that God should simply have destroyed the rebels and made a fresh start. But Jehovah had stated his purpose to fill the earth with the offspring of Adam and Eve, and he wanted them to live in an earthly paradise. (Genesis 1:28) Jehovah always fulfills his purposes. (Isaiah 55:10, 11) Besides that, getting rid of the rebels in Eden would not have answered the question that had been raised regarding Jehovah’s right to rule. Illustrate why Jehovah has allowed Satan to become the ruler of this world and why God has permitted humans to govern themselves. 12 Let us consider an illustration. Imagine that a teacher is telling his students how to solve a difficult problem. A clever but rebellious student claims that the teacher’s way of solving the problem is wrong. Implying that the teacher is not capable, this rebel insists that he knows a much better way to solve the problem. Some students think that he is right, and they also become rebellious. What should the teacher do? If he throws the rebels out of the class, what will be the effect on the other students? Will they not believe that their fellow student and those who joined him are right? All the other students in the class might lose respect for the teacher, thinking that he is afraid of being proved wrong. But suppose that the teacher allows the rebel to show the class how he would solve the problem. 13 Jehovah has done something similar to what the teacher does. Remember that the rebels in Eden were not the only ones involved. Millions of angels were watching. (Job 38:7; Daniel 7:10) How Jehovah handled the rebellion would greatly affect all those angels and eventually all intelligent creation. So, what has Jehovah done? He has allowed Satan to show how he would rule mankind. God has also allowed humans to govern themselves under Satan’s guidance. What benefit will come from Jehovah’s decision to allow humans to govern themselves? 14 The teacher in our illustration knows that the rebel and the students on his side are wrong. But he also knows that allowing them the opportunity to try to prove their point will benefit the whole class. When the rebels fail, all honest students will see that the teacher is the only one qualified to lead the class. They will understand why the teacher thereafter removes any rebels from the class. Similarly, Jehovah knows that all honesthearted humans and angels will benefit from seeing that Satan and his fellow rebels have failed and that humans cannot govern themselves. Like Jeremiah of old, they will learn this vital truth: “I well know, O Jehovah, that man’s way does not belong to him. It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step.” WHY SO LONG? (a) Why has Jehovah allowed suffering to continue for so long? (b) Why has Jehovah not prevented such things as horrible crimes? 15 Why, though, has Jehovah allowed suffering to go on for so long? And why does he not prevent bad things from happening? Well, consider two things that the teacher in our illustration would not do. First, he would not stop the rebel student from presenting his case. Second, the teacher would not help the rebel to make his case. Similarly, consider two things that Jehovah has determined not to do. First, he has not stopped Satan and those who side with him from trying to prove that they are right. Allowing time to pass has thus been necessary. In the thousands of years of human history, mankind has been able to try every form of self-rule, or human government. Mankind has made some advances in science and other fields, but injustice, poverty, crime, and war have grown ever worse. Human rule has now been shown to be a failure. 16 Second, Jehovah has not helped Satan to rule this world. If God were to prevent horrible crimes, for instance, would he not, in effect, be supporting the case of the rebels? Would God not be making people think that perhaps humans can govern themselves without disastrous results? If Jehovah were to act in that way, he would become party to a lie. However, “it is impossible for God to lie.” What will Jehovah do about all the harm that has resulted from the rule of humans and the influence of Satan? 17 What, though, about all the harm that has been done during the long rebellion against God? We do well to remember that Jehovah is almighty. Therefore, he can and will undo the effects of mankind’s suffering. As we have already learned, the ruining of our planet will be undone by the turning of the earth into Paradise. The effects of sin will be removed through faith in Jesus’ ransom sacrifice, and the effects of death will be reversed by means of the resurrection. God will thus use Jesus “to break up the works of the Devil.” (1 John 3:8) Jehovah will bring all of this about at just the right time. We can be glad that he has not acted sooner, for his patience has given us the opportunity to learn the truth and to serve him. (Read 2 Peter 3:9, 10.) Meanwhile, God has been actively seeking sincere worshippers and helping them to endure any suffering that may come upon them in this troubled world. 18 Some might wonder, ‘Could all this suffering have been prevented if God had created Adam and Eve in such a way that they could not rebel?’ To answer that question, you need to remember a precious gift that Jehovah has given you. HOW WILL YOU USE THE GIFT FROM GOD? What precious gift has Jehovah given us, and why should we value it? 19 As was noted in Chapter 5, humans were created with free will. Do you realize what a precious gift that is? God has made countless animals, and these are driven largely by instinct. (Proverbs 30:24) Man has made some robots that can be programmed to follow every command. Would we be happy if God had made us like that? No, we are glad to have the freedom to make choices about what kind of person to become, what course of life to pursue, what friendships to form, and so on. We love to have a measure of freedom, and that is what God wants us to enjoy. How may we use the gift of free will in the best possible way, and why should we want to do so? 20 Jehovah is not interested in service performed under compulsion. (2 Corinthians 9:7) To illustrate: What would please a parent more 21 You have the opportunity to put the marvelous gift of free will to the best possible use. You can join the millions who have taken a stand on Jehovah’s side. They make God rejoice because they take an active part in proving Satan a liar and a miserable failure as a ruler. (Proverbs 27:11) You too can do that by choosing the right course of life. This will be explained in the next chapter.
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JEDANAESTO POGLAVLJE Zašto Bog dopušta patnje? Da li Bog uzrokuje patnje u svijetu? Koje je sporno pitanje otvoreno u edenskom vrtu? Kako će Bog okončati ljudske patnje? Koje patnje danas pogađaju ljude, i koja si pitanja zbog toga mnogi postavljaju? NAKON strahovite borbe u jednoj ratom pogođenoj zemlji tisuće poginulih civila, i to žena i djece, pokopano je u masovnoj grobnici oko koje su stavljeni križevi. Na svakom je pisalo: “Zašto?” Ponekad je to najbolnije pitanje koje postoji. Ljudi ga tužno postavljaju kad rat, prirodna katastrofa, bolest ili zločin oduzmu život njihovim nedužnim najmilijima, unište njihov dom ili im na neki drugi način prouzroče neopisive patnje. Oni žele znati zašto ih pogađaju takve tragedije. 2 Zašto Bog dopušta patnje? Ako je Jehova Bog svemoćan, pun ljubavi, mudar i pravedan, zašto u svijetu ima toliko mržnje i nepravde? Jesi li si ikada postavio ta pitanja? (a) Što pokazuje da nije neispravno pitati se zašto Bog dopušta patnje? (b) Kako Jehova gleda na zloću i patnje? 3 Je li neispravno pitati se zašto Bog dopušta patnje? Neke zabrinjava pomisao da bi postavljajući takvo pitanje pokazali da nemaju dovoljno vjere ili da ne poštuju Boga. Međutim, čitajući Bibliju vidjet ćeš da su vjerne, bogobojazne ljude mučila slična pitanja. Naprimjer, prorok Habakuk upitao je Jehovu: “Zašto puštaš da vidim zlo i zašto gledaš nevolju? Zašto su pljačka i nasilje preda mnom, zašto nastaju prepirke i zašto izbijaju svađe?” (Habakuk 1:3). 4 Je li Jehova prekorio vjernog proroka Habakuka zato što je postavio ta pitanja? Nije. Umjesto toga, Bog je njegove iskrene riječi uvrstio u nadahnuti biblijski zapis. Također mu je pomogao da bolje razumije čitavu situaciju i stekne veću vjeru. Jehova isto želi učiniti za tebe. Sjeti se da Biblija kaže da se on ‘brine za tebe’ (1. Petrova 5:7). Bog mrzi zloću i patnje koje ona uzrokuje daleko više nego bilo koji čovjek (Izaija 55:8, 9). Zašto onda u svijetu ima toliko patnje? ZAŠTO IMA TOLIKO PATNJE? Koje se razloge ponekad navodi kao objašnjenje za ljudske patnje, no što Biblija uči? 5 Ljudi različitih religija pitaju svoje vjerske vođe i učitelje zašto ima toliko patnje. Često dobiju odgovor da je patnja Božja volja i da je on davno prije odredio sve što će se dogoditi, uključujući i tragične događaje. Mnogima je rečeno da su Božji putevi tajna ili da on uzrokuje smrt ljudi — čak i djece — kako bi bili s njim na nebu. No kao što si saznao, Jehova Bog nikada ne uzrokuje zlo. Biblija kaže: “Daleko od toga da bi pravi Bog zlo činio, da bi Svemogući nepravedno postupao!” (Job 34:10). Zašto mnogi ljudi griješe kad okrivljuju Boga za patnje u svijetu? 6 Znaš li zašto ljudi griješe kad okrivljuju Boga za sve patnje u svijetu? U mnogo slučajeva oni krive Svemogućeg Boga jer misle da je on pravi vladar ovog svijeta. Oni ne znaju jednostavnu, ali važnu istinu koju uči Biblija. Nju si saznao u trećem poglavlju ove knjige. Pravi vladar ovog svijeta je Sotona Đavo. (a) Kako svijet odražava osobnost svog vladara? (b) Kako nesavršenost ljudi te “vrijeme nevolje i nepredviđeni događaji” vode do patnji? 7 Biblija jasno kaže: “Cijeli je svijet pod vlašću Zloga” (1. Ivanova 5:19). Kad malo bolje razmisliš o tome, zar ti to ne zvuči logično? Ovaj svijet odražava osobnost nevidljivog duhovnog stvorenja koje “zavodi sav svijet” (Otkrivenje 12:9). Sotona je pun mržnje, prijevare i okrutnosti. Zato je i svijet koji je pod njegovim utjecajem pun mržnje, prijevare i okrutnosti. To je jedan od razloga zašto ima toliko patnji. 8 Daljnji razlog zašto ima toliko patnji saznali smo u trećem poglavlju, gdje smo naučili da su ljudi postali nesavršeni i grešni prilikom pobune u edenskom vrtu. Grešni ljudi bore se za vlast, a to vodi do ratova, ugnjetavanja i patnji (Propovjednik 4:1; 8:9). “Vrijeme nevolje i nepredviđeni događaji” još su jedan razlog zašto ima toliko patnji (Propovjednik 9:11). U svijetu koji Jehova ne vodi niti ga štiti ljudi pate jer se možda nađu na krivom mjestu u krivo vrijeme. Zašto možemo biti sigurni da Jehova ima dobar razlog zašto dopušta patnje? 9 Utješno je znati da Bog ne uzrokuje patnje. On nije odgovoran za ratove, zločin, ugnjetavanje, pa čak ni za prirodne katastrofe zbog kojih ljudi pate. Pa ipak, trebamo saznati zašto Jehova dopušta svu tu patnju. Ako je Svemoguć, znači da ima moć okončati je. Zašto onda to ne učini? Bog pun ljubavi kojeg upoznajemo sigurno ima dobar razlog za to (1. Ivanova 4:8). VAŽNO SPORNO PITANJE Što je Sotona osporio, i kako? Da bismo saznali zašto Bog dopušta patnje, trebamo se vratiti u vrijeme kada su one započele. Sotona je naveo Adama i Evu na to da budu neposlušni Jehovi i tada se otvorilo jedno važno sporno pitanje. Sotona nije osporio Jehovinu moć. Čak i on zna da Jehova ima neograničenu moć. Umjesto toga, osporio je Jehovino pravo vladanja. Kad je Jehovu Boga prikazao kao lašca koji uskraćuje dobro svojim podanicima, Sotona ga je optužio da je loš vladar (1. Mojsijeva 3:2-5). Time je htio reći da će ljudima biti bolje bez Božje vlasti. To je bio napad na Jehovino pravo vladanja. Zašto Jehova naprosto nije uništio buntovnike u Edenu? Adam i Eva pobunili su se protiv Jehove. U neku ruku, rekli su: “Ne trebamo Jehovu za Vladara. Možemo sami odlučivati što je ispravno, a što neispravno.” Kako će Jehova riješiti taj problem? Kako će naučiti sva razumom obdarena stvorenja da ti buntovnici nisu u pravu i da je njegov način postupanja doista najbolji? Neki će možda reći da je Bog naprosto trebao uništiti te buntovnike i sve početi ispočetka. No Jehova je već bio rekao koji je njegov naum, naime da se Zemlja napuni potomcima Adama i Eve koji će na njoj živjeti u raju (1. Mojsijeva 1:28). Jehova uvijek ispuni svoje naume (Izaija 55:10, 11). Osim toga, da je uništio buntovnike u Edenu, ne bi se odgovorilo na sporno pitanje o tome ima li Jehova pravo biti vladar nad svime. Navedi primjer koji pokazuje zašto je Jehova Bog dozvolio Sotoni da bude vladar ovog svijeta i dopustio ljudima da vladaju jedni nad drugima. Obrati pažnju na jedan primjer. Zamisli da učitelj pokazuje učenicima kako riješiti neki težak zadatak. Jedan pametan, ali buntovan učenik tvrdi da ga učitelj krivo rješava. Da bi dokazao da učitelj nije sposoban, taj buntovnik tvrdi da on zna puno bolji način kako riješiti zadatak. Neki učenici misle da je u pravu, pa se i oni pobune. Što će učitelj učiniti? Ako ih izbaci iz razreda, kako će to djelovati na ostale učenike? Zar neće povjerovati da taj učenik i oni koji su stali na njegovu stranu imaju pravo? Svi drugi učenici u razredu mogli bi izgubiti poštovanje prema učitelju, misleći da se boji kako će se dokazati da je u krivu. No što ako učitelj dozvoli buntovniku da pokaže razredu kako bi on riješio zadatak? Jehova je učinio nešto slično što i taj učitelj. Sjeti se da buntovnici u Edenu nisu jedini koji su bili uključeni u cijeli događaj. Sve su to promatrali i milijuni anđela (Job 38:7; Danijel 7:10). Način na koji bi Jehova reagirao na pobunu uvelike bi utjecao na sve te anđele, a na koncu i na sva ostala razumom obdarena stvorenja. Što je Jehova uradio? Dozvolio je Sotoni da pokaže kako bi on vladao nad ljudima. Bog je također dozvolio ljudima da vladaju jedni nad drugima pod Sotoninim utjecajem. Zašto je dobro što je Jehova dopustio ljudima da vladaju jedni nad drugima? Učitelj iz našeg primjera zna da buntovnik i učenici koji su na njegovoj strani nisu u pravu. No on također zna da će, ako im pruži priliku da pokušaju dokazati svoje tvrdnje, cijeli razred od toga imati koristi. Kad buntovnici ne uspiju, svi iskreni učenici uvjerit će se da jedino učitelj zna najbolje voditi razred. Ako učitelj nakon toga izbaci iz razreda svakoga tko se pobuni, razumjet će zašto to čini. Slično tome, Jehova zna da će svim iskrenim ljudima i anđelima koristiti kad vide da Sotona i njegovi buntovnici nisu u pravu te da ljudi ne mogu vladati jedni nad drugima. Poput proroka Jeremije, uvjerit će se u sljedeću važnu istinu: “Dobro znam, Jehova, da put čovjeka zemaljskog nije u njegovoj vlasti. Čovjek koji hoda ne može upravljati koracima svojim” (Jeremija 10:23). ZAŠTO TAKO DUGO? (a) Zašto je Jehova dozvolio da patnje traju tako dugo? (b) Zašto Jehova nije spriječio stravične zločine i slične patnje? No zašto je Jehova dozvolio da patnje traju tako dugo? Zašto ne spriječi loše stvari? Obrati pažnju na dvije stvari koje učitelj iz naše usporedbe nije uradio. Kao prvo, nije spriječio buntovnog učenika da objasni svoje rješenje. Kao drugo, učitelj nije pomogao buntovniku u iznošenju obrazloženja. Slično tome, Jehova nije učinio dvije stvari. Prvo, nije spriječio Sotonu i njegove pristaše da pokušaju dokazati da su u pravu. No za to je trebalo vremena. Kroz nekoliko tisuća godina ljudske povijesti ljudi su isprobali svaki oblik vlasti. Postigli su određeni napredak u znanosti i na drugim područjima, ali nepravde, siromaštva, zločina i ratova sve je više. Sada imamo dokaz da je ljudska vlast neuspješna. Drugo, Jehova nije pomogao Sotoni da vlada ovim svijetom. Naprimjer, da je Bog spriječio stravične zločine, zar ne bi u neku ruku potvrdio da su buntovnici u pravu? Zar ne bi naveo ljude da pomisle da možda ipak mogu vladati sami nad sobom bez loših posljedica? Da je Jehova tako postupio, sudjelovao bi u laži. Međutim, “nije moguće da bi Bog lagao” (Hebrejima 6:18). Što će Jehova učiniti s obzirom na loše posljedice do kojih je došlo zbog vladanja ljudi i Sotoninog utjecaja? No što je sa svim lošim posljedicama duge pobune protiv Boga? Trebamo imati na umu da je Jehova svemogući Bog. Stoga on može i hoće okončati ljudske patnje. Kao što smo već saznali, naš se planet više neće uništavati, nego će Zemlja biti pretvorena u raj. Posljedice grijeha nestat će zahvaljujući vjeri u Isusovu otkupnu žrtvu, a zahvaljujući uskrsnuću smrt više neće zadavati bol. Bog će na taj način preko Isusa ‘uništiti djela Đavlova’ (1. Ivanova 3:8). Jehova će sve to učiniti u pravo vrijeme. Možemo biti sretni što to nije ranije učinio jer nam je njegovo strpljenje omogućilo da saznamo istinu i služimo mu (2. U međuvremenu, Bog traži osobe koje će mu iskreno služiti i pomaže im da podnesu sve patnje koje mogu doživjeti u ovom nemirnom svijetu (Ivan 4:23; 1. Korinćanima 10:13). Neki se možda pitaju: Je li se sva ova patnja mogla izbjeći da je Bog stvorio Adama i Evu tako da se uopće nisu mogli pobuniti? Da bi dobio odgovor na to pitanje, sjeti se dragocjenog dara koji ti je Jehova dao. KAKO ĆEŠ KORISTITI BOŽJI DAR? Koji nam je dragocjeni dar dao Jehova, i zašto ga trebamo cijeniti? Kao što smo rekli u petom poglavlju, ljudi su stvoreni sa slobodnom voljom. Shvaćaš li koliko je dragocjen taj dar? Bog je stvorio bezbroj životinja i one su prvenstveno vođene instinktom (Mudre izreke 30:24). Čovjek je napravio robote koji mogu izvršiti svaku zapovijed. Da li bismo bili sretni da nas je Bog tako stvorio? Ne bismo. Drago nam je što sami možemo donositi odluke o tome kakve ćemo osobe postati, čemu ćemo posvetiti život, s kim ćemo se sprijateljiti i slično. Mi volimo imati određenu mjeru slobode, a Bog nam je upravo to dao. Kako možemo na najbolji način koristiti dar slobodne volje, i zašto bismo to trebali činiti? Jehova ne želi da mu služimo pod prisilom (2. Korinćanima 9:7). Prikazat ćemo to jednim primjerom: Što bi roditelju bilo draže — da dijete kaže da ga voli zato što mu je to netko drugi rekao da kaže ili zato što to stvarno osjeća? Dakle, važno je upitati se: Kako ću ja koristiti slobodnu volju koju mi je Jehova dao? Sotona, Adam i Eva slobodnu su volju iskoristili na najgori mogući način. Odbacili su Jehovu Boga. Što ćeš ti učiniti? Imaš priliku divan dar, slobodnu volju, koristiti na najbolji način. Možeš se pridružiti milijunima koji su odlučili služiti Jehovi. Oni raduju Boga jer dokazuju da je Sotona lažac i katastrofalan vladar (Mudre izreke 27:11). I ti to možeš ako u životu kreneš pravim putem. O tome će govoriti sljedeće poglavlje.