First of all, there's a few groups that need to be addressed on answering this question. Those are the religious, the agnostic, and the atheists. Depending on which group you fall into will depend on which answer you agree with in this blog, if any. For me and for your information, I am a Christian. I'm not a Bible thumping walking door-to-door religious fanatic. I am what I call a consiberal Christian. Part conservative, part liberal, and I believe in Jesus. If you've gotten to this part and it's turned you off, don't let it. I actually have something for all three groups. Part pertains to the atheist, part to the religious (perhaps mostly Christian), and a little of everything goes to the agnostic and other groups.
My first answer to "Why do bad things happen to good people?" is simply they just do. Let's face it. A lot of things are out of our control. The people that run around the world trying to control everything are the extreme Type A's that tend to stay stressed out and drive everyone else crazy. But let's face it. Sometimes people are just in the wrong place and the wrong time. Call it karma, call it nature, call it whatever you want; but sometimes bad things happen to good people. Now, on the flip side of that, you have to accept that bad things happen to all people. So, the "they just do" pertains to everyone. It just depends on who's around when a bad thing happens. That leaves us with the conclusion that bad things just happen in general. Not just to good people. Bad things happen regardless of who, what, how, when, and where the bad event occurs.
In addition to that, we all have to accept that the world is full of different types of people. Some people are good, some are bad, and some are along the wide spectrum between those two ends. It's easy to pick out the good and the bad. It's the one's that run the gamut are much more different to identify. That means that where ever that fall on the gamut must be in correlation to the when, where, and how of the bad situation they're involved in. That makes it dependent upon the many variables occurring at any bad situation and the people involved. That leads us back to the conclusion that sometimes bad things sometimes just happen to good people. So, that should take care of the atheists and some of the agnostics and other groups out there.
As far as the Christian group, there are a few things we need to remember and understand about our world to get to a satisfactory answer. First of all, we have to understand that this is not heaven. It is earth. Good things happen to everyone in heaven. There will be no disease, no problems, no bad situations, etc. That's the reason it's called a paradise. Now since it's not heaven and it's earth, that leaves all the variables of nature at work during any point of the day. So, as those variables change and the various types of people interact, inevitably bad things are going to happen to good people. Along with that leaves the possibilities that good things happen to good people, good things happen to bad people, and bad things happen to bad to bad people. Any given good or bad thing can happen to any good or bad person.
Next, we have to understand that since this is not heaven it is the devil's domain. That's right. The devil runs around on Earth (or the Universe or whatever you deem to define this non-heaven world). What does it mean that the earth is "the devil's domain?" If you recall from Sunday School or any Bible readings, lessons, etc. you've had, the devil, or Satan, was cast out of heaven and to earth. Satan was one of the most beloved angels in heaven but he feel victim to one of the emotions that continues to haunt humans: envy. Satan became envious of humans because he felt God was more favorable to humans than angels. He devised a coup and God eventually cast him and his followers out of heaven. Now he and his followers (or demons if you prefer) are on the loose trying to convert as many humans away from God; again due to his jealousy. Because of that, I believe that Satan and his followers intervene to cause bad things. That ultimately leads to bad things to good people. Some are perhaps intentional. Some are perhaps because a person is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Either way, Satan is not bound and has not been cast in the "lake of fire" proclaimed in Revelations; leaving him free to roam and do what he wants in this world.
Along with the question of "Why do bad things happen to good people" I usually get the "Why doesn't God intervene to protect good people." Re-read the above, and then understand that God is hoping someone learns from the bad thing. This part always reminds me of a story I heard long ago about God and his creation of man. I do not know who the author is or if it's just one of those stories that get pasted down, but it goes like this:
"When God created everything and the earth, he realized he needed someone to rule over everything to keep the world in order. So, he decided to create man (men and women eventually) to do the job. As he thought of how to do this, he ran into a question of how much knowledge to give man. 'If I give man all knowledge, then he will eventually understand that there's nothing he can not learn or understand and eventually become bored and lazy. On the other hand, if I give him no knowledge he will eventually understand that he can not learn anything, eventually become bored with trying, and lazy once he stops. Therefore, I give him knowledge of some things, the ability to learn about some things he doesn't understand, and keep other things beyond his abilities. That way he will remain motivated by learning new things and continually strive to understand as much as he can and apply his knowledge for good.' So God did just that."
I believe that story explains why in a lot of situations God does not intervene. He wants us to learn on our own. Again, this isn't heaven. It's earth. And it's up to us to learn and behave in the proper way.
My final thought on this question comes to the gifts God has given mankind over time. Most Christians will say that the greatest gift God gave may was Jesus. I don't disagree with that, but I do think there is a very close second great gift God gave us: free will. With free will, we have the choice to believe, not believe, act good, act badly, do whatever we want. And because of that he doesn't intervene as much as people think. Does that mean God never intervenes? I don't believe so. Like a parent, I believe God chooses the appropriate times to intervene, but he also chooses not to intervene in every single situation. Like smart people, God picks his battles; and God wants us to experience and see bad things so we learn what's right and what's wrong.
Well, that's my thoughts on "Why bad things happen to good people." Just remember, whether or not you agree with all of the above, some of it, or none of it, the next time you see or hear something bad happening to a good person, learn from it. Peace comes from the individual. It doesn't come from war. There have been too many wars that may have stopped conflict, but they didn't bring peace. When we act peaceful and kind to others it makes the world a better place if not only just for that small one particular part of time we do it. And over time, small good parts of time add up. Hopefully one day there will be enough good times that add together to make the world a better place. (It's the Pay It Forward mentality that can spread this.)
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