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"The most overwhelming objection to belief that there is a wise and loving power behind the universe is the existence of so much pain and anguish in the world"— Richard Harries, author
We tend to be comfortable believing in God when all is going our way. But let tragedy strike and we can quickly begin to doubt His very existence.
Look at the spiritual condition of the world. Agnostics—people who declare their skepticism of the existence of a supreme, intelligent Creator who controls the universe—influence educational, scientific and governmental policies. The existence of suffering in the world is one of the most common justifications for agnostics' lack of belief and faith in God.
Not understanding the reasons that suffering abounds, they conclude that neither God nor religion offers answers to the world's problems. As British historian and author Paul Johnson observed: "I suspect that the problem of evil drives more thoughtful people away from religion than any other difficulty."
In Europe, for example, agnosticism is rampant. There the erosion of religious faith began in earnest when the enormity of the suffering and death of World War I hit home to the millions of surviving Europeans. More than 10 million had died and another 20 million had been wounded in that massive conflict.
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