One misconception on suffering is that people suffer because of our sins. Take the religion of Hinduism for an example they have a belief called Karma. Karma is the result of actions and thoughts if they are selfish thoughts or actions it’s negative and if it's selfless it’s positive. Jacob Kinnard …show more content…
compares karma to spiritual baggage and deposits in a spiritual bank account, because when someone dies, all of the karma is added up. (Kinnard “Suffering and the problem of Evil”). The idea is that throughout your life you collect karma for your actions and thoughts. When you die your karma is added up and your fate for the next life will reflect your karma. “Thus, underlying the Hindu law of karma is the idea that a person’s behavior leads to an appropriate reward or punishment.” (Wangu 103) What someone does doesn’t determine if they suffer or even how much they suffer. That’s not what suffering is, you don’t suffer for your actions.
In Hinduism Suffering can be referred to as dukkha. “In Hinduism suffering or dukkha, means the physical, mental and emotional instability and afflictions (kleshas) that arise from the dualities and modifications of the mind and body.” (V. “Hinduism on Suffering”). The idea is that suffering and karma come from are actions but also thoughts. Jayaram V. is stating that thoughts and actions can be blamed as the reason someone experiences suffering. Although in a sense this could be logical it’ not suffering isn’t cause by anything.
Hindus also believe in Reincarnation which is a cycle of life and death repeatedly until they reach the end of samsara.
Samsara is the physical world and our physical existence “Everything in samsara has a soul or essence that is spiritual in nature but trapped in physical form... Desire is the trap, attaching the atman to a continuous cycle of life, death, and rebirth, or reincarnation.” (Kraft. “Hinduism's Beliefs About Suffering”). In Reincarnation, karma is what determines someone’s fortune in their next life, whether they live a happy life or a sad one. Once one’s soul is reborn their fate for that life has been sealed. In order to have a better life, someone would need to do all that they can to avoid karma. Then in the next life they should have a happier life. The cycle continues on like that until they reach the end of the cycle (samsara). Hindu’s believe that desires and sin are what starts the cycle of reincarnation. In order to stop suffering a person would need to be free from all worldly possessions including material goods and …show more content…
reputations.
You shouldn’t take the Hinduist belief in reincarnation as a true fact. You only have one life on earth. You are free to live it the way you want it. It’s up to you if you choose it to be a happy one or sad. Sins don’t decided the life you live they don’t control fate. The idea that someone should be free from possessions and reputations is right though. What you have this world won’t matter in the next. Reputations should rest in the fact that you are children of God created in his image and likeness not on what society thinks. If suffering isn’t because of sins then why do we suffer? There is no easy way to explain this other then there is no reason people suffer. God doesn’t instead for people suffer, he didn’t create the darkness. People created the darkness that brought suffering into the world. Innocent people can suffer meaning that people suffer innocently with no rhyme or reason. It’s not due to sins it just happens.
A good example of someone who suffered innocently is the story of Job. Job was a wealth man who did his best to avoid sinning, whom for unknown reasons suffered. Throughout the book of Job, Job questions why God would make him suffer when he had done nothing wrong. In Jobs town those who experienced suffering had sinned and where being punished for those sins. Job’s life was far from easy all within in a day he lost his livestock, servants and all of his children. Following that he was plagued with skin sores. Everyone in towns believes Jobs sins are to be blamed and that Job should curse God for his suffering. Job stays faithful he never curses God. Job instead continues to praise the lord. In the end God gave him twice as much as he lost.
Author Robert Schroeder writes “The problem for Job is that unlike the readers of his story, who know God is testing them, he is incapable of seeing the cause of anguish.”(Schroeder, 93). All those who have suffered can relate to Job. At the time it’s so hard to look past the suffering to see the big picture. God doesn’t want people to suffer. Whatever God takes he will give back something that exceeds what you lost. One reason people lose their faith is because of suffering. They ask the question “Why this, why me?”. They ask the question that can’t be answered. “Our experiences of evil and suffering, injustice and death, seem to contradict the Good News; they can shake our faith and become a temptation against it” (Catholic Church 63). One of the effects of suffering can be someone questioning their faith. Even someone with a seemingly solid faith can be shaken to the core.
The Church believes there is meaning behind all suffering. Author Carlo Carretto writes that “It is impossible for all this not to have a meaning. It is impossible that he who made heaven and the Earth has not also given a reason for darkness swallowing me up in the heavy cloak of suffering” (Carretto 20). What Carretto means by this is that when someone is suffering they can offer their suffering up. This embodies the Catholic Church's belief that there is meaning behind all suffering.
There are a couple of things to remember when going through suffering. One that suffering is not a punishment for sins that you can choose to grow from suffering. The other thing to remember is that you can offer up our suffering in order to grow closer to God. “...“The Cross is the gift God gives to his friends”, says St. Philip Neri” (Kreeft 142). What St. Philip Neri means is that suffering can be a door that takes us closer to God. When St. Philip Neri refers to the Cross he is talking about suffering. God sent his only son down to earth to save us from our sins, in order to do this Christ had to suffer, die and then rise again. What God would send his only son to suffer if there wasn’t more to it? He sent Christ down in order to save us, through Christ’s suffering grow closer to God.
To look at suffering as a gift is to use it to grow closer to God. Thibaut states that “It will be the destruction of self-love, and when you come forth from this trial you will be a thousand times dearer to the sacred heart than before” (Thibaut 219). What this teaches is that if you endure suffering then you will become more loved by Christ because you endured suffering. The Lord already loves you; you don’t need to endure suffering to be loved. Another way we grow closer to God is through weakness. “It is in weakness that we are more apt to trust in Christ because we realize that what we accomplish is not of our own doing, but the grace of Christ is working in us.” (Pizzalato ” St. Paul explains the meaning of suffering.”) Pizzalato is saying that in your failings you can see Christ. You can see Christ because it is his strength that gets you through the suffering. The book of Jeremiah states “For I know well the plans I have in mind for you,” says The Lord, “Plans for your welfare, not your woe! Plans to give you a future full of hope” ( Bible Jer. 29:11). Like the quote says, the Lord doesn’t want you to suffer and be sad. When you suffer, it’s a chance to grow closer to God, whatever is making us suffer won’t last forever. God made plans for us to be happy with him; the road to him isn’t easy. You will suffer but in the end, you will be happy. In times of suffering, it’s important to remember to look at the whole picture no matter how hard. There is a meaning behind it and that’s to grow closer to God. Although there is meaning in suffering there is no harm in asking God to alleviate it. God doesn’t want people to suffer if you ask him to alleviate your suffering he will. He will always give you help and strength when you ask.
Suffering is a part of being human, it happens every day all around you. You have the opportunity to grow closer to God in our suffering. If you suffer it will only make God love you more. In times of suffering, it’s important to remember that suffering can bring someone closer to God and that it has meaning behind it. You can ask to have it alleviate it and it will not hurt the meaning behind suffering. You can’t stop suffering but you can choose to embrace it.
Suffering is something that I have experience especially in the last through months. It sometimes feels like as soon as We stop suffering something else comes along and brings us down. I don’t think that it’s because of our sins and I do believe that people suffer innocently. I believe that more often than not the innocent are those that suffer.
I believe that suffering is a part of life that it is unavoidable no matter how hard we try to avoid it.
I believe that we can cause suffering whether or not we realize it. We can cause others to suffer by the things we say or do. We can’t control spiritual evil in certain circumstance. We can choose not to gossip or to lie.
I believe that the worse kind of suffering comes from Physical evil. It’s often easy to understand when you see where it comes from. It’s easy to see when it comes from your actions. Often times it can be explained what’s happening and what caused it not why it’s happening. As someone who has had a (severely ill) brother in the hospital it’s impossible to make sense of it. You can try but sometimes there is no answer, but you can always choose to find the good in the suffering.
After he got better I thought it was over we would be “normal” for a while. That’s until my Aunt’s custody battle and my grandfather’s sudden loss of health. It was like one hit after another. That’s thing about suffering its unpredictable and its life. Suffering shapes us as much as joy does. Its apart of our memories and personality. It can make us stronger or it can break
us.
I believe that suffering has meaning, that there has to be a bigger picture. Right now my family is suffering and I have faith that when I look back to now I will see how God has blessed us. Look at Quinn’s sickness the good I can find from that is now he wants to become a doctor. I see that it brought our family closer together. Suffering to me is a gift that I hope will bring me closer to God.