Suffering from natural causes

[Robin]

Theists have a habit of automatically invoking free will when faced with the question of human suffering.

However it is obvious that there is a large amount of suffering that has natural causes and is not due to the abuse of free will. For example earthquakes, cyclones, disease etc.

Now to paraphrase Daryl Van Horne, were these mistakes, or did God do it to us on purpose?

What I am looking for is what mainstream theologists from the major churches might answer to this, rather than minority viewpoints which simply alter the definition of God.

 

[Ducky]

I wasn't aware cancer was a result of free will. At least not *most* cancers.

I would love to see the free will choices that caused a little boy to get Leukemia. Or me to get Multiple Myeloma.

However to answer your question, there's always Rabbi Kushner's "When Bad Things Happen to Good People."

Though i won't say if it's good or bad. I read it as part of a college course in 1996 and don't remember much.

I would imagine the new arguments are the same as the old ones in this topic...



ETA:

Maybe it's not that bad. Reading the reviews listed "lowest first" the folks slamming it seem to be very offended Kushner suggests the bible is myths and God is not in control. Interesting reading just in the reviews!