Murals (2008) by PHANTAST - Graffiti - Cultural Music & Art Association inc. - 98 Milne St. Benleigh
A man born blind : Pain and human suffering.
The law of karma in Hinduism says that all the actions of life today are the result of the actions of a previous life : blindness, poverty, hunger, physical deformity and other social agonies ar the punishment for evil deeds in a previous existence. But if a child dying of leukaemia is suffering because of a previous evil-doing, he would not know of it, nor would he be able to learn from it in his condition.
The disciples apparently adhered to the direct retribution theory of suffering. One day they saw a man who had been blind from birth.
But Jesus made it clear that neither the man or his parents were responsible for his condition : "This happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life" ( John 9 : 3).
Pain and misery is not the way of God.
Any attempt to alleviate pain and misery would not be an iterference with the just ways of God.
God's pledge is not that suffering will never afflict us but that it will never separate us from His love.