When Bad Things Happen to Good People

Why does God test Job’s loyalty, and how do they reconcile?

If a person suffers a sudden, terrible loss, does this mean they did something wrong to deserve it? Explain why or why not.

If God doesn’t answer our prayers for safety and happiness, what is the point of prayer, and how can we benefit from communing with God? 

Using Kushner’s theory of prayer, give one example each of the wrong way and the right way to pray. 

Your friend is severely injured in a traffic accident, and you visit her in the hospital. What advice, if any, would you offer her as she struggles with her sorrow?

Aaron Kushner, the author’s son, was a victim of progeria. Suggest two ways in which people might have mistreated Aaron because of his illness, and list three ways in which people expressed support for him. 

Kushner believes that God does not have unlimited power. Why might this idea draw criticism from other theologians? 

Research suggests that people who attend regular religious services live longer than people who don’t. Provide at least two reasons why this might be so.