Evil and Suffering.

Believers within religions battle and challenge the concept of faith of a higher, supreme being, due to the presence of evil. The question arises; If God the creator of the ordered and good world, cares, loves and wants the best for all His creatures, then why does those he loves have to face evil and suffering? Confronting such a force rekindles repeatedly this dilemma in the minds or people. The Christian Tradition deals with this obstacle, evil, that is forever a part of our lives. Christianity does not get rid of evil, sin and death responds with meaning, purpose and cause, and explains its existence in relation to its mystery, a relationship with God, and importantly ourselves, humankind.

Evil is a mystery yet a reality; breathing within our world, walking amongst humanity. Evil exists in many forms. Natural occurring disasters, known as cosmic evil are uncontrolled by man, whereas physical evil relates to harm of the human body, including sickness, disability, deformity to death.

Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Ch...

English: Resurrection of Christ

English: Icon of Jesus Christ

Yet incommensurable to physical related evil, is the evil caused from the origins of the human heart and conscience, where intentions of evil is inflicted upon others. This is called moral evil. It is primarily the soul that is suffering (John Paul II). The greatest potential of evil, although hard to believe, lies in the nature of the human spirit, as there is a multitude of possibilities of disaster the human mind, conscience, heart, intelligence and freedom can concoct.

Suffering is a direct consequence in either of the three evils, where one undergoes, feels and experiences physical, mental, emotional and spiritual pain.

God is not the cause of evil and suffering. God, the creator, choose not to create a flawless world. However, 'willed the world to be in a state of journeying toward this perfection' (CC310).