Guided Analysis: Suffering Worksheet

Guided Analysis: Suffering Worksheet

Megan Berlongieri

CWV-101

10/30/2018

Jeffrey Fullam

Address the following questions, responding to each one directly below the question. Your total word count (including all questions and answers combined) should be between 900-1150 words. Include a reference page.

1. Describe a time when you experienced a significant period of suffering. How did you deal with that experience? How did you find comfort in the midst of suffering?

          A time I dealt with a great deal of suffering is when my daughter’s biological father walked out on us when she was ten months old. I was a wreck, my life seemed like it was falling apart and as though my heart had been shattered into a million pieces.  She is now eight years old, and has not heard from him since he left. How I dealt with this experience was in time I told myself I need to be strong for her, since I was now both parents. I worked a lot to give her everything she could want, and to see her happy. In the midst of the suffering my comfort came when all of my anger and hatred calmed down. But in reality it has never really subsided there is a part of me waiting to cross paths with him.

1. Briefly summarize the problem of evil and suffering. Cite and reference the lecture and/or Chapter 9 in the textbook.

Whether we are believers or non believers of Christ we will all deal with pain and suffering throughout our lifetime. The problem of evil and suffering was caused due to the lack of resistance to temptation from Adam and Eve. Job is used in the lecture and a strong example as to how God was there for him even after Satan put him through a great deal of suffering. Job lost his life stick, his children, and he and his wife were unable to conceive a child. Job spoke to God telling him everything that he had endured, and God lead Job to do what he had to, to fix the situation. As far as being able to conceive a child God did bless Job and his wife and she became pregnant. (Lecture 6, GCU 2017).

1. Briefly summarize the Christian worldview’s response to the problem of evil and suffering. Cite and reference the lecture and/or Chapter 9 in the textbook.

          The worldview response of Christian’s is following the problem of suffering and evil. This is explained best throughout the example of Job.  Similar to Job, regardless of a persons social or righteous status there will be suffering to come, but God loves and cares about every living beings suffering. Next, it is fine to ask God questions there is nothing wrong with that. The only thing is though that we can not blame God for the evil and suffering that we each will endure, or question his love for us. It should be enough for us all to know that God knows all of his children, he listens to us, he loves us all, and is with us throughout our journeys every day. Finally, the Christian  worldview explains that even though  we are in pain and are suffering right now, in time everything will settle down and we will join God, and be free from all pain and suffering (Sharpe,  2014)

1. Imagine that a close friend has just suffered through a great personal loss (death of a loved one, natural disaster, disease, job loss, divorce, or a broken relationship) and your friend asks you why God would let such a terrible thing happen. How would you respond to your friend?

         In the situation of a friend losing a loved one, I would be there for my friend to lean on and explain to them that God needed another angel to help him in Heaven, but for them not to look at it as good bye. Their loved one will be with them in spirit. Their body is not needed here for them to still feel them close.

1. According to Chapter 7 in the textbook, how might the problem of evil and suffering lead one to the conclusion that moral absolutes exist?

      In chapter 7 of our textbook, is states that the problem of suffering and evil can lead a person to the conclusion that our moral attributes do in fact exist, and that the truth is a fact, where our absolute facts and truths  create a reality that we seem to carry with us through every day life. In an situation when a person is a full fledge Christian or a nonbeliever  we all will endure some sort of suffering throughout our lifetime. The person can endure the suffering themselves  or watch evil happening through the eyes of another person. Regardless, of whichever happens our life will change. Depending on where we are at when this happens we may be around to help them and if we are unable to help we can ask God for help. The universe as we know it was made in God's image and with free will we have all seemed to screw this up. Mind you God is still in full control, but he allows us to experience different things in Hope’s of teaching us a lesson from our sins. There is a huge variance  of pain bad suffering we experience on our accounts and the accounts of others on Earth. The differences  vary based on who the person is and what God feels the person needs to know from this lesson. If we speak to God, he will be able to provide us with an answer to our suffering.