Theology on Human Suffering

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Theology on Human Suffering

Human Suffering can be explained as a point in life where human beings experience a version of unpleasantness, and it is characterized by a person feeling threatened. Humans can experience suffering in two forms, either physical suffering or mental suffering, and the way it affects vary from mild to unbearable. People’s attitudes towards human suffering will depend on who is going through grief or how society perceives that kind of suffering. One of our modern society’s problems is that human beings have not understood the nature of pain and suffering. Suffering happens to be a mixture of emotions and thoughts, which is more complex than suffering physically. Emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual concepts are the constructing aspects of a human being. Theology and Religion have got concepts on human suffering, and in this essay, these concepts and examples of offering service to people in need will be discussed.

Theological Concepts on Human Suffering

In our modern world, technologies and advancements in the medical field have been made to achieve positive patient outcomes by relieving patients from suffering. Psychology, palliative care, pharmacology, psychiatry, and anesthesia work towards ending suffering. The anguish can be mental, physical, emotional, or existential. Historically, vast literature bodies have raised concern on human suffering, and theology has not been exempted. Theology is the study of religious beliefs and the existence of a supreme being. Theology has studied various religions in the world and their perceptions of human suffering. Religion tends to explain to human beings about spiritual matters that science cannot define. The way the world comes to existence remains a puzzle that scientists have not been able to solve, making explanations of Religion more powerful. Around 93% of the world’s population is religious, meaning they believe in a supernatural being responsible for global things.

In different religions, suffering plays a vital role in various matters like bringing consolation to human beings, building human moral conduct like compassion and spiritual growth. According to human beings, suffering is senseless, and they do not understand why if there is a God who loves them, then why does allow them to go through all that suffering. In Buddhism, the four noble truths try to explain the concept of suffering. The truths outline the nature of human suffering, its cause, how to stop suffering, and how believers can follow to end this suffering. The path to ending suffering, according to Buddhism, is characterized by doing better than harm, meaning people should follow this path to end suffering.

Religion gets critics from a significant percentage of people in the world. An example of this critics is Karl Marx’s perception of Religion, where he thinks that Religion is a relief of a creature that is being oppressed in a ruthless world. In support of what Karl Marx perceives, in most cases, Religion gives hope to people when they feel like giving up. Christianity offers hope to people on suffering by showing how Jesus suffered for our sins, and it is through this suffering, we were set free. From the Bible’s teachings, some people went through suffering like Job, and because of their strong faith in God, they endured (McCarroll, 2019). Jobs suffering is proof that Religion tends to give people hope to keep pushing even when they are at difficult moments.

According to Hinduism and Judaism, human suffering can be because of someone’s harmful doings of the past or current life. These two religions teach those that believe in it that they should endure the suffering for spiritual growth. They think that a person who bears the suffering at the end achieves liberation from the suffering. From this Religion, it is evident that the aim at making people do less harm to others for them not to go through suffering. In Islam, those in despair should endure, ask no questions, accept and not resist, for this is a test from Allah on one’s faith. Muslims believe that suffering makes people remember God, thus reviving the connection (Rouzati, 2018). The Religion also teaches people to learn to take other people’s suffering as their own.

Service Examples

Relating to the theological concepts about human suffering, the lesson one can get from all religions is that human suffering happens and does not happen to make people feel hopeless. Still, it acts as a test of faith. Religion teaches human beings to be kind to one another and avoid doing evil deeds. All human beings are prone to sin, and everyone is at the risk of facing any suffering. Therefore, it is important to show concern to people facing any suffering, giving them hope to keep fighting. Churches are channels of installing hope to people, and they achieve this when they teach people that there is freedom at last after suffering. When people are suffering, they tend to lose hope and want their life to come to an end. Human beings should show love and care to suffering individuals for them to restore their faith. Various groups have been formed in all parts of the world where they carry out charity works like feeding the poor, visiting those in jail, and fighting for the oppressed.

References

Hill, B., Knitter, P. F., & Madges, W. (1997). Faith, Religion & Theology: A contemporary introduction. Twenty-Third Publications.

McCarroll, P. R. (2019). Keeping It Real: Decolonizing Christian Inter-Religious Practice as an Exercise in a Practical Theology of the Cross. Religions, 10(3), 203.

Rouzati, N. (2018). Evil and human suffering in Islamic thought—towards a mystical theodicy. Religions, 9(2), 47.