Bliss,
I am sorry about what you had to go through. When I was a young teenager my Mom and I watched my Grandma die slowly of colon cancer, over a 2 year period. It was completely horrible, and at the end my Mom had lost all her faith in God and I wasn't far behind, becoming an Athiest and eventually an Agnostic. Two years after my Grandma died my most beloved Grandpa also died of cancer, although more quickly and with a lot less suffering. It is so hard to believe in a benevolent God who would let such terrible things happen to such good people. My Grandpa is my hero to this day, 24 years after I lost him. I am an Agnostic now, rather than an Athiest, only because some optimistic part of me wants to believe that the world is too complex to be completely sure of what is and what isn't.
Susie
oh boy. i say this only because i have a different view and i'm affraid to post it because it's a very biblical view of these very issues. i don't wish to argue, debate, prove the existence of god, or lack there of, nor do i wish to defend my own beliefs, so please, please.....if you disagree with what i'm about to say, that's totally okay... i completely respect that, but i beg you not to come at me with arrows.
first off, i am a christian, but i struggle with my faith at times, and i'm not perfect in any way, shape or form. i am only giving this view because it's appropriate for this thread, and it's what i've come to believe. i used to hate god. i was a complete athiest, but the angrier i got, the more i wanted to know how 'god' could allow such shitty things to happen, and that's what got me asking questions. i guess, deep down, i didn't want to 'write god off', but rather seek the idea out even more, and now, i feel like i have a lot more answers.......or at least, answers that work for me.
basically, from a christian stance, we are living in a sinful world, and we are sinfull people...some worse than others, but sinners nonetheless. due to this, the world is full of suffering, pain, and death, among other injustices, and this was never god's will. am i saying that these dear grandparents deserve the suffering? no, but i'm saying there is a reason for the world being the way it is, and as difficult as it is to fathom, the bible fills in the rest of the story, and god's plan to help heal the world of this so that manind recieve everything god first intended us to have.
personally, i don't think anyone grieves about our pain and suffering as much as god does, and although it seems like HE DID IT, or HE allowed it, the bible teaches something much different, and for me, it's comforting. i used to blame god for everything wrong in the world, but now i see it much differently, and to me, this biblical version makes much more sense.
i do NOT wish to insult or critsize anyone who believes differently, and i'm not saying that my way is the way it is. it's just another point of view.
i'd be happy to post more about the bible or anything else regarding this, but i don't want to preach, or turn people away from this thread. i'm very open to any and all belief systems...and i want people to feel safe here to ask questions, post their beliefs, and explain themselves to any extent.
thanks for all your thoughts on this, and my heart goes ou
t to all those who have watched their loved ones suffer unimaginable pain. right now my neice has cancer, and i too am watching her fight for her life everyday. she's only a child, and so, i know how cruel cancer is.
please keep posting you guys, 'cause i think this thread is important, and it's good to know what people really believe in.