“If God is a loving God, then why does he let sin and suffering happen?”
By: Banna Maxfield 11 Silver
In the Catholic tradition there is a belief in a loving God. In order to understand the catholic view’s on whether God is a loving God or not, an examination of the unique and loving relationship between God and humanity is required. God demonstrates his love by giving humanity the gift of the soul as well as free will to establish a loving relationship with humanity. As a consequence of free will, humanity commits sins and therefore inflicts suffering. However sometimes suffering isn’t preventable by human action, this is known as natural evils. God however continues to show his love through the act of forgiveness, seeking to re-establish the loving relationship.
To fully understand the concept of whether God is a loving God or not, a close look at the belief of the soul must be acknowledged, as it is because of the soul that humanity is able to have a unique and loving relationship with God. It is believed that the soul is the “breath of life” (Gen 2:7) and what sets humanity apart from the rest of God’s creation, since “the term soul often refers to human life or the entire human person.” (CCC363). “Every spiritual soul is immediately created by God,” (CCC366) which is referred to as the gift from God as it is not “produced by the parents.” (CCC366) The soul is believed to be “immortal” and that it “does not perish” (CCC366) but will seek God until it can be united with him in heaven. This acknowledges the fact that God is a loving God as he gave humanity the gift of the soul which constantly seeks him out to maintain the loving relationship.
As well as the gift of the soul, God gave humanity the gift of free will. It is because of the soul that humanity has free will. Free will is considered to be the loving act from God, as it allows man to “initiate and control his own actions.” (CCC1730). It is an act of rationalization and reasoning, “to act...