WHY DOES GOD ALLOW SUFFERING? (4 OF 30)
by Scott Maze
Scripture: 1 Peter 1:6-7
This content is part of a series.
Why Does God Allow Suffering? (4 of 30)
Series: Navigating Home
Scott Maze
1 Peter 1:6-7
This evening, I want to speak with you on this topic, “Why Does God Allow Suffering?” It’s important different religions answer this question in vary different ways. N. S. R. K. Ravi was born in 1953 in India into a family of wealth as they were in the second-highest caste, lower only than the priests. Destined for comfort and great opportunities, he was a devout Hindu. The village rejoiced with the family at his birth, especially since male children were seen as a treasure by the Indian culture. But at the age of three, Ravi was stricken with polio. His parents were devastated. They spent a fortune giving Ravi the best of medical treatment. At one point the young boy spent nine months in a total body cast. But his condition did not improve. Abandoning medical solutions, his parents turned to the village gods. His father had two expensive temples built for the gods. Yet, Ravi did not improve. Ravi’s parents began to see him as a burden. He had to have two two people to look after his needs, including 1 person who was responsible for carrying him wherever he needed to go. None of the Hindu gods heard the prayers of Ravi and his parents. His condition worsened and he became completely disabled. After all of the work, sacrifices, and money spent on their son, his parents concluded that Ravi would not walk the rest of his life because he had bad karma in a previous life. Karma is a Hindu fatalistic concept that necessitates reincarnation. The conditions of each successive life are determined by one’s bad or good deeds in past lives. It is kind of a universal law of cause and effect that determines fate or destiny. Each person must suffer for his own deeds of the past life. Ravi suffered as a young boy and was crippled because of the bad deeds he had committed in a previous life. Ravi described his childhood disease this way: “My father screamed at me on time: ‘What kind of ...
Series: Navigating Home
Scott Maze
1 Peter 1:6-7
This evening, I want to speak with you on this topic, “Why Does God Allow Suffering?” It’s important different religions answer this question in vary different ways. N. S. R. K. Ravi was born in 1953 in India into a family of wealth as they were in the second-highest caste, lower only than the priests. Destined for comfort and great opportunities, he was a devout Hindu. The village rejoiced with the family at his birth, especially since male children were seen as a treasure by the Indian culture. But at the age of three, Ravi was stricken with polio. His parents were devastated. They spent a fortune giving Ravi the best of medical treatment. At one point the young boy spent nine months in a total body cast. But his condition did not improve. Abandoning medical solutions, his parents turned to the village gods. His father had two expensive temples built for the gods. Yet, Ravi did not improve. Ravi’s parents began to see him as a burden. He had to have two two people to look after his needs, including 1 person who was responsible for carrying him wherever he needed to go. None of the Hindu gods heard the prayers of Ravi and his parents. His condition worsened and he became completely disabled. After all of the work, sacrifices, and money spent on their son, his parents concluded that Ravi would not walk the rest of his life because he had bad karma in a previous life. Karma is a Hindu fatalistic concept that necessitates reincarnation. The conditions of each successive life are determined by one’s bad or good deeds in past lives. It is kind of a universal law of cause and effect that determines fate or destiny. Each person must suffer for his own deeds of the past life. Ravi suffered as a young boy and was crippled because of the bad deeds he had committed in a previous life. Ravi described his childhood disease this way: “My father screamed at me on time: ‘What kind of ...
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