Why does God give people cancer??

b12mearse

Why does god give people cancer? Is the world not hard enough already? Is it some kind of sick joke?

Fanny Cradock

b12mearse wrote: »

Why does god give people cancer? Is the world not hard enough already? Is it some kind of sick joke?

I don't believe that God gives anyone cancer.

O'Coonassa

b12mearse wrote: »

Why does god give people cancer? Is the world not hard enough already? Is it some kind of sick joke?

What makes you think that God gives a stuff about some barely evolved bi-pedal primates on a tiny planet in the Orion spiral arm of the local galaxy?

Besides people usually give cancer to themselves AFAIK.

PDN

I certainly don't believe God gives people cancer.

homer911

b12mearse - where are you coming from with this question? While I agree that God does not give people cancer, have you suffered a recent bereavement or been diagnosed yourself? Whats your view?

MrPudding

He does not perhaps give cancer directly, I mean whay kind of sadistic animal would do that, but he certainly seems to do nothing to stop it.

MrP

liamw

God doesn't exist. Here you go: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer#Causes

liamw

PDN wrote: »

I certainly don't believe God gives people cancer.

Right, becuase God is only responsible for good things right?

Splendour

b12mearse wrote: »

Why does god give people cancer? Is the world not hard enough already? Is it some kind of sick joke?

I don't believe God actually gives anyone cancer or any other misfortunes, but I do believe he allows these things to happen. I wish he wouldn't though, but we live in a fallen world and we have to accept that...

Zombrex

yeah i give this thread about 15 minutes before it is locked

there are plenty of legitimate questions about possible flaws or inconsitencies with Christian belief over the nature of God, but anyone who spends 5 minutes on this forum should know the Christian answer to the OP's question, "He doesn't"

If someone wants to challenge that idea (such as with the idea that God chooses the universe where I get cancer) then they need to do it in a slightly more convincing fashion.

Right off to watch Lost

Fanny Cradock

Splendour wrote: »

I don't believe God actually gives anyone cancer or any other misfortunes, but I do believe he allows these things to happen. I wish he wouldn't though, but we live in a fallen world and we have to accept that...

You might be interested in reading Surprised By Hope by N.T. Wright. I'm currently half-way through it, and while it doesn't directly tackle the problem of evil or nasty things like cancer (it is outside the scope of the book), it expands on the the hope that the earliest Christians had in new creation that was free of these type of things. Somehow this message has been lost along the way!

jhegarty

Cancer is the result of the long lives we live now , compared to 1000 years ago.

If you are going to be dead by 40 anyway cancer isn't a big worry.

Do you credit God or doctors with our expanded lifespan ? but you also need to blame the same source for cancer.

Overblood

Have a look at this thread "Why did god create cancer?":

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055304479&highlight=cancer

Response:

As punishment for Adam, and our, disobedience.

Now.

Seaneh

jhegarty wrote: »

Cancer is the result of the long lives we live now , compared to 1000 years ago.

Well that's just not true.

I am a cancer survivor, I have umpteen friends who are cancer survivors, we are all under 25, I also have lost about 6-7 friends to verious forms of cnacer, two to stomach cancer, a few to leukemia, one to verious tumors that randomly spread around his body at an insanely fast rate.

I also believe tha God doesn't give us cancer, it's just one of the down sides of living in a fallen world as anther posters said already.

Seaneh

Overblood wrote: »

Have a look at this thread "Why did god create cancer?":

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055304479&highlight=cancer

Response:



Now.

God removes his grace from man in justifiable punishment shocker!


:rolleyes:

marco_polo

Seaneh wrote: »

Well that's just not true.

I am a cancer survivor, I have umpteen friends who are cancer survivors, we are all under 25, I also have lost about 6-7 friends to verious forms of cnacer, two to stomach cancer, a few to leukemia, one to verious tumors that randomly spread around his body at an insanely fast rate.

I also believe tha God doesn't give us cancer, it's just one of the down sides of living in a fallen world as anther posters said already.

He is correct in that the increases in cancer levels are at least partially a result of increased life expectancy, as often cancerous cells develop as a direct result of the gradual accumulation of genetic errors over a long period of time. Also cancers with a tendancy to develop later in life 40 + would never in the past have been selected against by evolution.

Of course there are many forms of cancer with many different causes soin many cases the above does not apply.

Zombrex

Seaneh wrote: »

I am a cancer survivor, I have umpteen friends who are cancer survivors, we are all under 25, I also have lost about 6-7 friends to verious forms of cnacer, two to stomach cancer, a few to leukemia, one to verious tumors that randomly spread around his body at an insanely fast rate.

Given the huge statistical improbability of that you might want to contact the HSE.

MatthewVII

Righto, just so we're straight

Causes of cancer-

Genetics (blame your parents)
Radiation (blame your desire to acquire superpowers or treatment for other cancer or the fact that you're a radiologist)
Bad Diet (blame yourself)
Smoking (blame yourself)
Infections (blame the organisms or the Will that created them)
Oestrogen pills (blame yourself for not wanting to get pregnant)
Obesity (blame yourself for being unable to say no to chocolate ever)
Not having children (blame yourself for not multiplying and populating the earth)
Idiopathic/no identifiable cause-vast majority of cancer (blame your local deity)

Lots of things to blame!

The Mad Hatter

MatthewVII wrote: »

Not having children (blame yourself for not multiplying and populating the earth)

What, seriously?!

MatthewVII

The Mad Hatter wrote: »

What, seriously?!

For gynaecological cancers (in the various womanparts), yes.

Be afraid.

robindch

MatthewVII wrote: »

Radiation (blame your desire to acquire superpowers or treatment for other cancer or the fact that you're a radiologist)

Off-topic, but interesting:

The traditional means of figuring out damage to biological tissue from radiation assumes that low dosages are proportionately less damaging than high doses. A slightly unrepeatable study in Taiwan suggests that this linear model may not be accurate, and that low dosages of certain classes of radiation may actually be beneficial:

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2477708

The Mad Hatter

MatthewVII wrote: »

For gynaecological cancers (in the various womanparts), yes.

Be afraid.

Oh, ok. Not being a woman, I am suddenly relieved.

Seaneh

Wicknight wrote: »

Given the huge statistical improbability of that you might want to contact the HSE.

I fail to see how its such a statistical imporbabilty. When you spend the guts of two years in and out of a cancer spececialsed ward for chemo and radiation treatment along with routine tests and check ups for the following 2 years you meet a lot of people.

In the last 6 years I've know 5 people from my school life who have contracted verious forms of cancer, one died, 3 are cured and one is in remission at the monet from lukemia. these are people I know for outside my treatment.

Far more of the people I have encountered with cancer have been under tha age of 25 and over the age of 40.

[edit] Actually, A guy from my leaving cert year died of Lukemia aged 19 (so 3 years ago?), we weren't very close so I kinda forgot about him untill just now


I wasn't saying that the majority oif cancer cases are in people under 25, but the majority I have had contact with were/are. I was just pointing out that old age and the detoriation of health that comes with it is not the cause of cancer, but when we are aging and our bodies are less resistant to things then they can get a firmer hold.

CathyMoran

Am a 26 month oesophageal cancer survivor who was diagnosed at the age of 32 (though the symptoms were there for longer). I do not believe that God gave me cancer and believe that he gave me the strength to get through this tough ordeal. The life of my husband and I and our families have not been easy but I believe that God has given us the strength to get through it. As I read somewhere when I was really ill "sometimes miracles take a lot of work".

liamw

CathyMoran wrote: »

As I read somewhere when I was really ill "sometimes miracles take a lot of work".

Did you ever consider that it wasn't a miracle? Did you consider that all your willpower, hard work and determination could have resulted in the same ultimate outcome without the need to involve the supernatural?

Fanny Cradock

Overblood wrote: »

Have a look at this thread "Why did god create cancer?":

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055304479&highlight=cancer

Response:



Now.

Well done, you quoted an atheists view on the matter!

greendom

God gives us free will, so surely that means we have to live with the consequences of our choices, collectively and individually

CathyMoran

greendom wrote: »

God gives us free will, so surely that means we have to live with the consequences of our choices, collectively and individually

Sure, some cancers are not helped by people's actions but not all of them but they are not fully caused by that. I dont think that God intervenes in stopping people getting cancer but he does help them when they do get it, just my opinion.

JimiTime

IMO, an opinion which is is always liable to change in light of accurate knowledge, I think God is ultimately responsible for cancer and all other disease. That is not to say he is saying, 'Mr X, I am giving you cancer'. Rather, ultimately as our creator, he is the one who is responsible for what he has created. Even in the book of Revelation, it talks about God pouring out certain 'bowls' bringing pestilance etc.

Personally, I think alot of Christians have trouble with the concept. Yes they are products of the fall of man, but ultimately he created them no? Our births in this life are still accursed due to the fall. The flesh still bares the scars of mans betrayal, but we can be reborn in Christ and live. Thats my current understanding anyway.

greendom

CathyMoran wrote: »

Sure, some cancers are not helped by people's actions but not all of them but they are not fully caused by that. I dont think that God intervenes in stopping people getting cancer but he does help them when they do get it, just my opinion.

By that do you mean that He would give them the mental strength to cope with the illness or actually physically heal the cancer. Personally I could accept the former but not the latter..

Fighting Irish

Their faith level was probably low

CathyMoran

greendom wrote: »

By that do you mean that He would give them the mental strength to cope with the illness or actually physically heal the cancer. Personally I could accept the former but not the latter..

I dont know - personally I know that it took a lot of mental strength to get through the day to day of cancer life, I also had a LOT of support, especially from my wonderful husband but also from some amazng family and friends as well of course of the doctors and nurses. I still do not look far into the future. I do know that I was very, very ill but am still here, make of that what you will.

marco_polo

JimiTime wrote: »

IMO, an opinion which is is always liable to change in light of accurate knowledge, I think God is ultimately responsible for cancer and all other disease. That is not to say he is saying, 'Mr X, I am giving you cancer'. Rather, ultimately as our creator, he is the one who is responsible for what he has created. Even in the book of Revelation, it talks about God pouring out certain 'bowls' bringing pestilance etc.

Personally, I think alot of Christians have trouble with the concept. Yes they are products of the fall of man, but ultimately he created them no? Our births in this life are still accursed due to the fall. The flesh still bares the scars of mans betrayal, but we can be reborn in Christ and live. Thats my current understanding anyway.

Credit for a very honest and well thought out response there Jimitime. It puzzles me how many religious people either do not see, or are afraid to address, the double standard of crediting God for the good, while absolving him of any involvement in the bad.

Goduznt Xzst

marco_polo wrote: »

the double standard of crediting God for the good, while absolving him of any involvement in the bad.

In fairness though, and I'm not tarring JimiTime with this brush, I prefer the Christians with that double standard. The ones that accept that God causes bad as well as good are the ones that scare me the most as they think earthquakes and volcanoes and disease are Gods tools for punishing sinners. I know some Christians currently who see the likes of swine flu as just another punishment for this wicked world.

That being said, did anyone watch that program on people addicted to tanning the other night? There was one scene where this girl is smoking away billy-o while saying "nah, I don't use sun beds, they cause cancer"... ... the mind boggles.