Sin and Suffering Essay -- essays research papers

Sin and Suffering Is there a reason for sin and suffering? It is obvious the two are directly related in the Bible. In the Old Testament we see Saul/Paul feeling the wrath of God when he killed innocent people, as a king. Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden of Eden when they took fruit from a tree which God told them not to do. Today though, the relationship between sin and suffering is not so clear. We see poor, starving people in Africa. They suffer terribly, but there is no evidence that they haved sinned to the extent of being starved to death. Sin and suffering have been interpreted in different ways by different aspects of Christianity. Conservative Christians believe the Adam and Eve story to be literal history, and suffering is a direct consequence of their breaking of the covenant that Adam had with God. The Old Testament gives us an overall understanding of sin. Some beliefs include turning away from God and putting yourself before him. Not fufilling God's will or goals or rebellion or disobedience towards God. A classic view of sin is highlighted in Jeremiah (17.9) : 'Sin is that which sets up in place of God. It is an inner attitude of going against what is right, with it's basis in the heart.'; Is sin free will? Or is it something we are born with; something we have inherited from Adam? The Westminister Larger Catectism summarises the Biblical teaching of sin itself. It takes Paul's argument : 'The wages of sin is death'; in Romans.(6.23) Like this ve...