for the people next door
Doubt and hard days

Why does God allow suffering?

2 min read Answered by the Neighbor Radio team Neighbor review in progress Updated

People have asked this for thousands of years, and no faith claims a neat answer. Christians often point to a God who doesn’t explain suffering but enters it, in Jesus. The Bible’s Book of Job shows a grieving man arguing with God. Muslims may see it as a test, Buddhists as part of life to be freed from. Some decide there’s no God.

1 · MindWhat people believe, and how they know

Philosophers call this “the problem of evil”: if God is all-good and all-powerful, why is there suffering? People have argued about it since ancient Greece.

Believers have given several answers. Free will: real love requires real choice, and choices can hurt. Growth: some suffering shapes people into who they become. Mystery: God’s reasons are beyond us, as God tells Job “out of the whirlwind” (Job 38). Dozens of Psalms are complaints to God, and they’re in the Bible on purpose.

None of these answers makes pain hurt less. Most traditions agree on that.

What each tradition or community says

We're Christians, so we list what Christians believe first. Every other section is checked by someone from that faith or community.

Christian tradition

God doesn’t stand far away from pain. In Jesus, God suffered too. At his friend’s tomb, “Jesus wept” (John 11:35), even though he was about to raise him.

Jewish tradition

Job demands an answer and God shows up. Arguing with God is an old Jewish practice, not a lack of faith.

Islamic tradition

Hardship is a test, and patience is rewarded. The grieving say, “To God we belong, and to Him we return” (Qur’an 2:156).

Buddhist tradition

Suffering is part of life. Much of it comes from clinging and craving, and there is a path to freedom from it.

Many atheists

Suffering is one of the main reasons they don’t believe in a good God. They focus on easing it here and now.

2 · HeartWhat it feels like

If you’re asking this because something terrible is happening right now, you don’t need to solve it first. You need people around you.

Being angry at God is allowed. Many people of faith have been there. So is being too tired to ask anything at all.

When someone we love is hurting, the theory can wait. Sit down. Bring soup. The big question will still be there tomorrow, and so will you.Neighbor Radio

3 · HandsHow to be a good neighbor

When someone is grieving, skip “Everything happens for a reason.” Say “I’m so sorry. I’m here.” Then show up again next week. If you’re the one hurting and it feels like too much, call or text 988, any time.

This weekRead Psalm 13. It’s six verses long, and it starts with “How long?”

SourcesWhere it is in the scriptures

Hebrew Bible (the Christian Old Testament)

  • Psalm 13 Read it in the World English Bible on Free Scripture

New Testament

  • John 11:35 Read it in the World English Bible on Free Scripture

Qur’an

  • Qur'an 2:156

Bible passages are quoted from the World English Bible. Other sacred texts are summarized, with references so you can find them.

Plain wordsWhat do these words mean?

Qur’an
The holy book of Islam. Muslims believe God revealed it to the Prophet Muhammad through the angel Gabriel.

All the words →

Four questions to take with you

From Jesus' story of the Good Samaritan, about the stranger who stopped to help. We call it the Samaritan Test.

  1. Did they see? Or look right past?
  2. Did they stop? Even when it was inconvenient?
  3. Did it cost them? Time, money, comfort, reputation?
  4. Did they treat the person like a person? Not like a label?

Try it on: when a neighbor is suffering, do you reach for an explanation, or for a chair?

Quick questions

Is it wrong to ask this question?

No. People in the Bible, the Qur’an and every tradition ask it. See our answer on being angry at God.

Do I have to have an answer before I can believe?

Many believers live with this question their whole lives. Faith and unanswered questions often travel together.

Sources and research
  1. Job 38-42; Psalm 13; John 11:35 (World English Bible)
  2. Qur'an 2:155-156
  3. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: The Problem of Evil
  4. 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
How this answer was made

Written in plain words by the Neighbor Radio team. Each faith's and community's section is checked by someone from that faith or community. Until then, this page says so. Spot something wrong? Tell us. We read every note and fix mistakes.

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