Hi, I don't know if this will help, or aggravate you. I don't think anyone on this planet understands why there's god AND there's evil and suffering. Plenty of people will tell you their opinion on it, but no one really knows. My take on it is that god ISN'T all powerful, not here on earth. I don't think god 'allows' evil, or plans for babies to be born into severely abusive homes. I don't know how there can be a god, and yet all this terrible stuff happens. I just figure the terrible stuff is not 'of god', that god's something else.
All the best.

I gave up trying to figure this one out. So I get where you're coming from heretic. When I've said similar I've been struck by how quiet it gets in my head - the memories of others' ideas about Hashem just shuts the f**k up. It's almost blissful. And n that quiet, there's just me seeing me. And there's an emptiness which isn't sad, but it's all cleaned out space. And I'm fully present. What happens next happens in real time. I leave God to God and me to me. It's a big God, making universes and all. If It wants me It knows where to find me. I can ask and ask and never get an answer why It gave me or why It watched/watches and doesn't do what I think needs to happen. I get frustrated and lament and there's the quiet again and then move on.

Rabbi Kuhsner (Why Bad Things Happen to Good People, and Who Needs God) proposes that God is what helps us face the bad stuff. I'd rather God just not put me in the path of danger (on one event in particular when I was seven). Or not sit idly by when I go through life not knowing what's going to happen and I'm smack dab in the middle of danger. I don't know how to make peace with this. I don't know how to tell others how to make this peace. I'm only offering you my story to let you know that I get it. I agree.

Maybe when we get mad at God we're getting mad at an idea of God? If we let go of that idea, we can enjoy certain realities? God as hero doesn't work. God as sustainer might work. If you or anyone knows where God is or how It fits into our lives, I'd sure like to know.

The best to us all!

I look at the God and Goddess like this. They did not put us here. They are here to support and help us if we let them and listen for their signs. Evil resides in the hearts of humans. It is a struggle for each of us to resist the pull of this evil. Some are better at it than others. Even if you think you have no evil, you do. Have you ever told a lie to get out trouble or to avoid disappointing someone? That is a small evil. We all do them from time to time. What determines if we are mostly good or evil is which we allow to rule our life. Here's a good Native American explanation :

Two Wolves

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.

“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”

He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

The God and Goddess shows us how to not feed the evil, they try to guide us along the path of goodness. Sometimes their message is not straight forward, you have to listen carefully. Also when asking them for things, be careful, you might not get what you are expecting. The best is to ask them for guidance in making decisions, not for them to just give you things. The God and Goddess expect you to take a forward step then they will guide you down the path. Ask them questions and listen careful for their answers. Remember they do not want to see anything of the Earth suffer, but they are not able to stop all evil, only guide people away or give them the strength to stand up against it and banish it.

RR

I think 'evil' needs to be reframed as much as 'God' (girl or boy) does.

It's one thing to feel victimized by them or negative about them. What I find frustrating is that the relation ship with them just stays that way; it never grows. And if it never grows, chances are nothing is growing in life. I also don't believe in humans being inherently 'evil'; I think that's self hatred borne the abusive dynamic that's the foundation of relationships with God. In fact, I'm of the opinion that since we know everything we know about God from humans, it explains why the relationship with God is so problematic, abusive even. We walk on egg shells around God the same way we walk around the abuser in the house.

I don't know who God is. I know the comfort I feel in synagogue. But one thing I've learned recently is to find out for myself who I think God is because if I ask others I'm just asking for their agenda.

I also felt this way in that I was never helped either. Why babies or anyone is abused is a question that I never think will be answered. All I know is that I get guidance from my HP. I don't go to Church. But I feel there is something powerful.
Like enoughalready, I use to not know God; so I asked others. That got me all confused. I needed to find out my own vision or the presence of my Higher Power, whom I choose to call GOD. ( I learned thru 12 step- programs ) and I find my HP comforting to me. I use to growing up from seven years old on, thinking/believe that God was punishing me. I have met Lots of people who have felt this way.

I also believe that my HP I need for guidance, Understanding,. and love. And yes there is evil in everyone. Just some do not act on it. There's a little bit of bad in every person along with a little bit of good too.

Heretic, I do understand how u feel. I am 54 years old and still regret not feeling loved and cherished by anyone on this earth, esp. my mom and my ex husband. I have seen terrible things done. I have seen my dad die slowly of cancer and I cried out to God, why???? I have cried alot of tears, but in my heart,even though there was a time after my dad died, that I walked away from the One true God of the Bible, and sought comfort with false gods of witchcraft and new age and things of that nature, in my heart of hearts, I knew God was always with me. Even with the mental abuse and later physical abuse, I know he lessened the blow. Heretic, it is not God (yahweh) that has brought evil into this world. It is our first parents Adam and Eve that did this by listening to the devil, in the guise of a serpent. I am sure u know the story,they disobeyed God and were cast out of the heavenly garden to work and toil in a fallen world -- a cursed world, that Satan was in control of. Diseases, death, and murders and wars are a result of people who chose evil over good. Abusive parents were probably from a dysfunctional family and abused themselves.

But as lonely as I am sometimes, I know that Father God,sent His only Son,Yeshua (Jesus) into this world as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the entire human race. If we accept and believe in Him we will have eternal life someday in heaven. There will be no wars,disease, or sadness. Only joy and everlasting love. God is pure love.....but he gives us foolish humans a choice and we usaully choose badly.

God does care heretic, if He did not He would not have sent Jesus into the world to die a violent and shameful death on the cross to redeem us. He knows every tear that falls from our eyes and they are precious to Him. Noone loves you more than God. He loves you more than you could ever love yourself. He loves you more than any human could ever love you. When and if you believe this and learn about Him in the Bible, then He will come into your spirit through His Holy Spirit and live within you. Your life will be better and you will never ever be alone again. His angels will also be all around you and you will have the joy of knowing that someday you will go to a place of pure beauty and love with our Heavenly Father, Jesus the Son and His most Holy Spirit. God bless you heretic. I pray that God will remove your sadness and doubt.

I have another comment to enough already: you say you feel some comfort in synagogue. From this I assume you are jewish, at least in your religious affilitiation.There is a wonderful book I just read, called The Everlasting Tradition(Jewish customs, holidays and historical events that reveal Biblical truth).Read this and you will know who God is. This was written by a Messianic Jew who believes in Yeshua (Jesus). Many westerners forget, that Christianity was basically a sect of Judaism. Most jews do not believe the messiah has come, but messianic Jews recognize Jesus as the Messiah they have been waiting for. Jews and Gentiles(non Jews) can now worship Jesus together as one Holy family of God. I encourage you to read this book if you are seeking to know the truth and let that truth set you free my friend. God bless you.

RR I like your story of the wolves. There is a real lesson there. thanks for sharing that. c;

Dear GG:

I respect your intention of your recommendation. But in my opinion, this topic that's been broached is a personal one and it's up to the individual to decide which avenue(s) to take to find healing. I leave it to people to individually pursue a relationship with Hashem on their own terms. I don't know that speaking from our respective faiths - myself included does much good. Am I back peddling? Probably. Thank Hashem that I'm NOT a rabbi! Like all of us I came here to heal and say what's really on my mind. I'm guessing that's what others are attempting.

I think that if I, for example, make the thread title's claim there's more than just doing something like following the guidance of a particular faith. We're speaking of the archetype of parent; a woman has to go through a TREMENDOUS amount of pain to bring a child into the world; while that's happening, she's not going to be thinking about college, work, bills, did I leave the stove on?, and so forth. She's in pain, she's bringing a life into the world. That's life right there in the time it takes to complete the birth. Perhaps when we have the doubts about God, it's a lot like giving birth? Some thing has happened; we're in a lot of pain; we're bringing forth something and we're so involved NECESSARILY SO in the immediate needs that everything else is put on the back burner until the birth is done. People say to women in labor: 'you're doing great', 'I'm with you', 'I love you'... They don't say: 'did you sign junior up for kindergarten?', 'you need to go to your account right now to check junior's college fund'... When birth is happening, that's all that's happening right then. I think it's the same with crises of faith.

There's a stereotype/joke about things that women say to the fathers of the children that they bear while the bearing is going on: 'YOU SHUT UP!!!!!!! YOU DID THIS TO ME!!!!!!!!!!' And, let's face it, they're right. Does the man walk away from the delivery room? If he's out of the picture, does he even know or care about the kid being born? Only after the birth do these things matter. All that counts is giving birth - a messy, agonizing for some, plain painful for others event. Crises of faith are like this, I think.

Religion can't do anything. Perhaps the 'father' or 'coach' - Hashem, Allah, Yaweh, Jesus, Vishnu, Asarte, Asherah, ... can? I like to think They're more concerned with supporting the birth-er, rather than following what tradition has to say. There'll be time enough for tradition later; let's get that baby out!

That's my two cents.

EAN