For the past week and a half I have been dealing with a stray puppy about 12 weeks old, now 15 weeks old and covered in mange. Unfortunately I missed the early signs and exposed my indoor pets and am now treating 3 dogs, mine are not severe but the stray is. She scratches her self into a frenzy, mutilating her skin.

It's horrible to watch. I curb the itching with 4 hour doses of Benadryl and am treating her with medication and dips.

Why did I post this here? Because when I watch even an animal suffer like this, there can be no God who created all this suffering. For what? What has a 12 week old puppy to prove? What has a 5 year old child with cancer to prove? It makes no sense...

So God created everything including horrible diseases and parasites to ravage helpless animals? What kind of God is this?

If I don't care for this animal it will die. Some might say that her suffering is a test of my character, so therefore the reason god created such things.. I say Bulls#it!!!!

Why not test me with something that doesn't cause the suffering of another living being...

I could go and on with instances where it makes absolutely no sense that a God would create such a place where such things happen so regularly. Oh ya but when we die, we will go to heaven and it will be all better. Sounds sadistic to me...

And please don't give me any bible verses unless they can cure this poor animal over night.

NO, there is not bloody God. We must rely on eachother to make whatever sense of this world we can and do our best not to cause harm to eachother for the short time we live on this beautiful yet dangerous globe.

What amazes me is the amount of time we waste with religion, while we ignore the daily opportunities to do something simple for those around us, and yet those that are most involved with religion over history have been the most violent and even today those indoctrinated with it are still violent and in many cases uncaring.

Sorry for the Rant, argh!!!

It's not God whom has made the puppy suffer and It's not God who's trying to heal it, you are. Don't think for a second though that that has anything to do with whether or not God exists.

These are trying times, everyone suffers in their own way and we all are witness to atrocities and horrors made not by God but by man.

You ask why God does not save us then? Why doesn't God just fix all of this suffering, stop all of this war? How is our hatred and malice a product of God or even of the Devil?

I attest to your kindness and love that you have shared with these animals but do not simply blame other's(even God) for the troubles you fall under, it is YOUR responsibility to become stronger for this.

Inner strength comes from within, Faith comes from within and it is within that we heal one another and those who suffer.

I am an Atheist not because I don't believe in God but because I know that it doesn't matter whether God exists or not, what matters is that we do what we can to make ourselves better and stronger people.

Not sure you actually read what I said. I would have to believe in god to blame god. I certainly don't blame man, man is here with the mites, both cause suffering of others. So if there is a God, he/she sure wasn't much of a creator...

I am saying there is not god because no God in my eyes would have such conditions to cause such suffering.

I am no saint, there are many animals in my area suffering horribly right now that i can't help.

If you are an atheist then what is up with the faith comes from within thing? How is our hatred and malice a product of God? Huh?

I must be tired cuz you lost me, but thanks for responding anyway.

If god has to be all knowing, all loving, all caring, blablabla then you are right? But the book of Job shows him to be something else, also the story of Jonah and the Whale. I'm not a Christian and don't believe in the Christian "version" of what a supreme deity is but I believe in something, and it doesn't give a crap about your puppy.

Mortals suffer while they are mortal because it makes us better people if we learn from it. If we don't learn anything then that's our fault.

Just my two cents.

"I could go and on with instances where it makes absolutely no sense that a God would create such a place where such things happen so regularly. Oh ya but when we die, we will go to heaven and it will be all better. Sounds sadistic to me..."



You are right.GOD did not create such a place of suffering.Humans did.You are right.We do not go to any "heaven" when we die.Humans made that up because humans lie and make up stories all the time.You are right. Humans are sadistic.

Nice Gecko.. What? Don't like puppies?

One for you boo and one for your puppy

I understand what you are saying and completely agree. What kind of parent would allow their child to suffer if they had it in their power to prevent it? It is far easier for me to believe we are all on our own than to believe their is such a malevolent creator.

Puppies EAT geckos!!!!

You are right, we are on our own. GOD has no control over this world

You said it better and with a lot less words..

We don’t need belief in a higher power to learn that morals come from a sense of the interconnectedness of the natural world. We form relationships out of an intrinsic social need, we build our morals through the concern and caring we develop within the communities of these relationships. If we learn from this that all humans are equally entitled to basic needs and certain legitimate expectation, we are learning and developing, without benefit of religion, and without the judgments of religions, our own morals.

Our sense of security is not strictly tied to the human community; we must at some point learn to extend our morals to the natural world by understanding our interconnectedness with all of nature.

When we feel secure, cared for and understood, when we are shown and give respect we find joy and happiness. This brings with it the responsibility of caring for all of natures components, like your sad puppy. It is not a test of character and not always a reference to our lack of morals. It is a responsibility we accept because the natural world is, as you say, Boo, a dangerous place in which all of nature finds a need to be supported by every other natural component.

Do we not find fulfillment and joy in all our relationships, even those where the reciprocation is something as simple as helping to balance our self-needs with the needs of others?

We cannot curse nature, we can only learn to respect all of it, we do not need to have a concept of a higher power for this, and without the concept there is nowhere to lay blame, there is only our acceptance and understanding of the responsibility we take for our own happiness which is so completely intertwined with the interconnectedness of nature itself.

You are doing a noble thing and you are doing it for the right reasons, not out of a sense of guilt but out of a sense of obligation to help others achieve a balance for a sustained and happy existence.

So redirect your anger into the efforts of caring because the good intention, without regards to the minimal effect you see, will have reprocussions beyond your limited vision of the events at hand.

YES! So the god as creator of all that we see explanation makes no sense.

What about the natural evolutionary explanation?
Well in that case mange makes perfect sense.

So does cancer. So does disease.


Not at all. Suffering does not exist to teach us . . . it exists as a byproduct of the evolution of a central nervous system which is required for higher ordered stability and reproduction.

And in and of itself, mange is the lesser of any evils.

What gets me are the people who truly abuse torture and kill animals purposely for their own kicks. There was a story recently of a shih-tzu dog that was stolen out of the peoples backyard, and they found it later, beaten to a pulp, stabbed many, many times, and partially scalped.

And if they ever catch the person.people who did it, nothing will really be done, because after all, it's only an animal.

Interesting how you've never considered the possibility of some humans' sinful neglect of this poor animal, and the wisdom of God to direct it to your care. No - you assume the the care of this anmal was entrusted to God.

What amazes me even more is your expectation that people follow your idiotic logic as though it somehow makes sense. I suppose I should blame God that you are incapable of using any of the common sense he gave you.

Said logic may lead you to the creator of said man and creator of said man's actions.

Nicely put Eljay.

Perhaps the God that more then half of the world believes in is actually the devil enjoying everyones slow suffering

Ancient Egyptians believed that the God of Ra was good and of the light or sun and the God of Set was of darkness and of death and suffering.

There are so many possiblities! Whatever the case we must make the best out of our situations.

I am sorry for the problems you are enduring with your dogs

Yes. There is a God of Heaven and a God of the Earth

I believe there is a purpose and reason for suffering in life, but I may never find out the meaning for it all in this life. I can look back on my life experiences, though, and find that going thru the trials and tribulations in my life have helped me develop into who I am today. Some good came out of the suffering (whether that was learning about the kindness of other people, learning that I can get thru it and be stronger/more knowledgeable for it). I choose to believe there is an unconditional loving energy, everywhere, in everything (call it God). When I see people reach out and care for others who have suffered great destruction and catastrophes from Tsunamis, weather, mange, etc, I see this loving energy in action. And, I believe, and my faith grows. Maybe God does not exist, but it sure does make it easier to go thru life believing I am unconditionally loved, and that all the suffering in the world is for the greater good...and I can see God in the beauty of creation, and the wonder and the magic, and sometimes, I can feel like I am in heaven on earth...and, maybe I am deluding myself, but it makes it easier to pass the time. So be it.

Your answer is.. nothing in life was ever said to be completely easy, (cept for hookers)

ANYway... Look, this life is not all about physical.. Your questioning a spiritual belief which requires faith about this?

Ok.. Its about the imprint, and strength it leaves on and in, your spirit, and soul.

What happens in the physical, affects the spiritual.

Its about a souls, or spirits journey, where THAT takes you. It makes your INNERSELF stronger, to move onto bigger, and better, and inspiring, and helping others, and yourself after the pain ceases.

Noone got a "life is nirvana" handbook when they were born, cos it aint gonna happen in the physical.

Every soul, and spirit, has its own journey. We would have no good, without the presence of bad. It just is life happening. Your life was never painless, neither is anyone elses.

This would make you more of a stronger soldier for God.

(just my 2 cents)