Bad Things for Good People?
July 26th, 2009
Why do bad things happen to good/covenant people? Doesn’t God love His children?
Yes, of course God loves His children. The Lord reminds us in D&C 121, 122, and 123 why afflictions are allowed on good people by our loving and devoted God. From these sections, I can conclude at least six main reasons for them.
- Sin — Transgressing God’s law will bring negative consequences.
- Experience — Trials bring to our spirits vital experiences through which we learn new things.
- Agency — Man has the freedom to choose, and God must allow it, and He cannot forbid it. It was decided upon in the Counsel of Heaven before the world was.
- Covenants — The righteous are rewarded for keeping them, and those who falter are offered the way to make it right through trials.
- Trust — Trials build a relationship between the Godhead (our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost) and an individual.
- To condemn the wicked — Tribulation caused by wicked men who persecute the righteous dominion can then be judged accordingly.
Items 2, 5, and 6 are particularly interesting. Many non-members, or those who are unfamiliar with the Gospel are frustrated or mad at a god that could send destruction and other bad things to righteous or innocent people. The Gospel of Jesus Christ, as proclaimed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, answers these types of questions.
What other questions have the teachings, doctrine, and scriptures of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints answered for you? Or, if you are not a member, what questions might you have?