I have always thought Christian values provide good guidance on how to live. Who can argue with being kind, honest and generous with your time and money? As part of being a good Christian I've done a lot of voluntary work. I really like helping others and have helped disadvantaged children with their reading, have accompanied patients in hospital to Sunday mass, have done various 3 week stints in Lourdes, have worked in orphanages in Naples and Cambodia. Having had breast cancer, 2 operations. chemo, radiotheraphy and now a pill for 2 years, another for 5 years and constant adhesions pain makes me wonder why this punishment?
My Mum has always been a devout Catholic. Old school Irish who go to daily mass, not just on a Sunday. She has always donated to charities, has helped out family and friends financially as well as with her time. Visiting eldery neighbours, visiting sick friends and family in hospital. Six weeks ago she was diagnosed with vascular dementia. She had mania for 2 weeks straight during which time she barely slept, talked non-stop while awake, was restless and was in and out of bed while in hospital and going into other wards, taking other patients property. She became violent and hit anyone near her including me and her swearing would make a sailor blush! It's like she has died and a near stranger has taken over her body. Very cruel.
I watch the horrors taking place in Gaza, Lebanon and Ukraine (not forgetting the other places in the world with wars either) and ask myself how can God let this happen? There is so much destruction and suffering in the world and God just lets it deteriorate on a daily basis.
My Auntie had stomach cancer but was well for 4 years. She has just been diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer. My Uncle has blood cancer and has been given 10 years to live, he's down for five now. My Dad died of stomach cancer a few months after retiring. The list of good, decent people being struck down with illnesses is endless.
I'm questionning my faith. Can God really exist? Would he allow the world to get into such a bad way? What kind of an entity is he? Maybe it's more logical to admit that God doesn't exist, it's all a nonsense because hw wouldn't allow such suffering.
Just needed to get that off my chest. My husband is an athiest. We've been together for nearly 30 years. I was a Sunday church goer until the paedophile priests scandal came to light in 2008. I continued to pray and ask God for guidance, help and forgiveness. I think I was wasting my time and was foolishly believing in something which can't exist.
Over and out.
