Suffering

Answer (14 - 18 year olds)

When we learn about the world around us, we learn about all sorts of amazing things, from wonderful creatures, to life-saving medical treatments. But we also learn about things that are really sad and difficult. We can learn about diseases like cancer, natural disasters like hurricanes and forest fires, and the ways that humans have chosen to use scientific discoveries to hurt or scare other people. So, when we explore science and scientific discoveries, we often also end up with questions about the horrible and frightening things that happen.

Sometimes we, or people we love, might have had to struggle through these difficult things personally. That can be really hard. We might feel angry or upset, and may not want to talk about it. But there are lots of people who can help you when you’re struggling, from friends and family members to teachers and medical professionals, and lots of different things that can help. Sometimes asking big questions and learning more about these difficult things can help us to understand more about our own experiences and can even help us to protect other people in the future.

The Bible (the holy book that Christians read) also talks a lot about sad and difficult things. It doesn’t offer a simple answer about why suffering happens, but Christians believe that it teaches that God understands and is with people in our suffering, helping them through it. Thinking about that idea can lead to more questions, like ‘why would an all-loving God let bad things happen?’ These questions are important to ask and they can ultimately help people explore ideas about God and how we can live well in a world where there is suffering.

That’s why we have a whole section for exploring questions about suffering.

We’ll be adding more big questions on this topic, so keep checking this page!

Answer (14 - 18 year olds)

We’ll be adding more big questions on this topic, so keep checking this page!

Answer (14 - 18 year olds)

We’ll be adding more big questions on this topic, so keep checking this page!

Answer (14 - 18 year olds)

We’ll be adding more big questions on this topic, so keep checking this page!