Welcome to Gaia! ::

Well, a few things I can say. Men by their nature will find anything to justify their sin so they can live in it. Whether it be, "I don't believe in God because I lived with Christian parents that were very mean." or anything else. There's always an idol in the way of that person, and it's something that they want from it, that they would say that God is not real. We can put many excuses out that "Oh because of that, I don't believe in God." when the root issue here is just pride.

One thing we can learn from this Christian, is that the way you live out for Christ shows the Gentiles (people who don't believe in God), what being a Christian really means. It's not some religion where you perform rules and rituals, but it's being reconciled from sin, and being closer to God.

Watch 16:18-19:41
Your Life, Witness, and Testimony as a Christian - Tim Conway

Romans 1:19-21
For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,[g] in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Psalms 14:1
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds, there is none who does good.

If you and I went to Paris and we looked at the Eiffel tower, and then you said to me, "Wonder how that came to be, someone didn't design it though." I would think you're crazy! By the sheer mass and design of that building I already knew a group of people made that. How much more can we say to a person who says there is no God? The vast universe, and just as something small as DNA, just proves there is a God. My biology textbook says that DNA has enough information for 1,000 textbooks. Where did that come from? Where did it all began? And as we go back to Romans 1, men have no excuse.

Adam and Eve first sinned when they were ungrateful. Ungratefulness to God. That is the first sin ever committed, which is why Satan's trickery worked and why Eve changed what God said when she replied to Satan. Everyone, even Christians, are often ungrateful.

People rebel ultimately because they are ungrateful, for whatever reason. They thank themselves for all the good things that happen and blame God for all the bad.

The answer to the question of suffering is much simpler than you all seem to think. When somebody asks me why God allows suffering, I tell him the truth.

God doesn't allow it. We do. He gave us this Earth, and everything on it. The resources, the intellect, everything we need to make a great world for ourselves. We plunder the resources, we use our intellect for wars, for domination, for exploitation. Instead of cooperation there is only competition.

The problem of suffering comes from human beings, not from God. We've taken what we were given and misused it. God isn't punishing us, nor is Satan trying to trick us.