My daughter is 14. She has not adjusted well to all of our moves after I got sick. From 2 different Asian countries and then the US now. She saw her dad try to serve God and almost die because of it and now is having trouble with the problem of evil (how can a good God allow evil. What sort of sick being ordains suffering for His own glory). She is finding the platitudes we use to "solve" the problem of evil to be cliched and offensive. God could have created a world with no evil and suffering and still have His Creation praise Him. She finds the idea of hell repulsive.
Any advice? Any resources for young adults? The John Piper line of explanation is not satisfying to her ("Don't waste your cancer" etc). Evil is....well, evil and the pains of the world are preventable by God and yet He not only allows it but all suffering is ordained by God.
First, pray for her, my Little Alethea. I would gladly die for her and I worry about her. Second, I also struggled with this same problem. Third, I need something that fully acknowledges the problem and does not treat it smugly or fault the person struggling with the problem of evil. It is a true problem...but it is only our problem for in atheism there is no moral good or evil but mere chance random meaningless suffering.
She asked a camp counselor and other pastors for explanations, but the answers were all surface-level and seemed to be a means to shut her up and not fully engage the problem. "Just have faith" drives her further from it and seems a cop out to her (and also me). I plan to eat sushi and ramen with her several times this coming week (daddy-daughter dates) and I hope she continues to talk to me (she talked 2 hours with me last week and seemed disappointed with me when I had to stop to pack for this latest trip for speaking.
God, please save my little Ali, my heart hurts for her and longs for her good. And I feel terrible that her worries about my own illness has helped her to question God's ways. I am still alive, after all, and God has not only delivered me from hell but also has allowed me the privilege to help others.
Any advice? Any resources for young adults? The John Piper line of explanation is not satisfying to her ("Don't waste your cancer" etc). Evil is....well, evil and the pains of the world are preventable by God and yet He not only allows it but all suffering is ordained by God.
First, pray for her, my Little Alethea. I would gladly die for her and I worry about her. Second, I also struggled with this same problem. Third, I need something that fully acknowledges the problem and does not treat it smugly or fault the person struggling with the problem of evil. It is a true problem...but it is only our problem for in atheism there is no moral good or evil but mere chance random meaningless suffering.
She asked a camp counselor and other pastors for explanations, but the answers were all surface-level and seemed to be a means to shut her up and not fully engage the problem. "Just have faith" drives her further from it and seems a cop out to her (and also me). I plan to eat sushi and ramen with her several times this coming week (daddy-daughter dates) and I hope she continues to talk to me (she talked 2 hours with me last week and seemed disappointed with me when I had to stop to pack for this latest trip for speaking.
God, please save my little Ali, my heart hurts for her and longs for her good. And I feel terrible that her worries about my own illness has helped her to question God's ways. I am still alive, after all, and God has not only delivered me from hell but also has allowed me the privilege to help others.