Answers to kid’s tough questions about evil and suffering

Editor’s Note: This is the fourth 

installment in a series. 

christianmomthoughts.com

Let me introduce you to Dr. Clay Jones, a Biola University apologetics professor who just had a book come out called “Why Does God Allow Evil? Compelling Answers for Life’s Toughest Questions.” I asked Dr. Jones if he would be willing to answer eight tough questions that kids often ask on this subject. He graciously agreed and provided his answers below.

Q. My daughter once saw a billboard for a Children’s Cancer Hospital and asked why God lets kids die. In other words, why doesn’t He at least let everyone live to a certain age?

A. Questions like why didn’t God prevent a particular child from being hurt or killed in an accident involve several different issues.

First, parents should ask their child whether God should ever let any child die in an accident. My experience is that everyone will reply no, God should never let any child, ever, die in an accident. Then ask how God would keep that from happening. In other words, how would God keep all children safe from accidents, at all times, unless God were to create a cartoon world? For example, Wile E. Coyote, while chasing the Road Runner, falls off cliffs, has giant boulders fall on him, is blown up by dynamite, and so on…but a few moments later Wile E. is fine. But that’s not a real world—that’s a cartoon world! In a real world natural laws must work in regular ways if our actions are going to mean anything at all.

Second, by allowing children to be injured or die, God is teaching parents and children that they aren’t safe from harm and so they need to be careful. If it was never ever in our experience that children were injured or killed, that would drastically change child raising. You could let your seven-year-old go free climbing, tease rattlesnakes, or play marbles in the freeway—they’d just bounce around a lot—because children would never get hurt. But if God is to teach us cause and effect, if God is going to teach us to be responsible, then He cannot allow us to live in a cartoon world.

Third, although no Scripture unequivocally assures us that children will be saved, there is Scripture which suggests that children will be saved. A majority of Christian theologians agree that children who die before the age of accountability (they differ on when that might be) will be saved. Children who die then end up in a better place even if their parents and friends miss them. But we will all be reunited in Heaven!

Finally, if, say, God didn’t let a child die until twelve years old, would we not question God’s fairness for letting a child die at thirteen, etc.? Is there really any age that wouldn’t upset us when one of our children died?

I cannot emphasize too much that Christian parents need to look to eternity, and begin to teach their kids to look to eternity, where, as it says in Revelation 21:4, “There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” That’s the Christian hope and we should not put our hope in this world.

(To be continued in February.)

Reprinted with 

permission

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