Why does God ......

Why would you think God "allows" it? It's people that do that. Do you really expect thunderbolts?

I agree (faint!) - it is people who do this dreadful thing to children.

I guess it's one of an enormous plethora of mankind's actions that, for me, makes me question whether there is a God, or is His name used as a sort of scapegoat?
I am, I guess, a christian with a small 'c', and increasingly becoming a doubter.

Yes, it is people who do these terrible things to children but why does god not intervene?

He is believed to be omnipotent and the creator - surely he has some say?

When things go well he is praised and thanked, but what about when innocent children become prostitutes?

I don't know.

The question was asked by a a 12 year old girl.

The Pope's response was, according The Independent, there is no answer

why

Well if the Pope doesn't know the answer I'm not sure if any GN will!

The answer is "God doesn't*.

Indeed.

If the child who asked the question believes in God she deserves an answer other than that (some people believe) God doesn't exist.

She 'deserves' to hear what people think. That's what I think. Someone who thinks something else can say so.

If she has been taught that god is all-powerful, then it was reasonable for her to ask the pope her question.

One could ask all sorts of questions along the same line, for example "why the holocaust?"

Difficult question.
Yes, it is that free will answer.

God doesnt intervine all the time. That takes away free will.
God sometimes intervenes when someone has prayed. Sometimes, but not always.

Isn't this thread just going over the same ground the Stephen Fry one covered?

Soontobe clearly feels she has a responsibility to defend the "God corner" and while I totally disagree with the sentiments or what I see as banal Biblical justification, I respect you soontobe for attempting to meet the challenge and answer an unanswerable question!

Unlike the Pope, apparently...

God uses the freewill cop out all the time.

I agree Vampirequeen although it is people who believe in God that use this excuse when they don't have any other answer.

True !

Do people want free will?
I appreciate that this is a hypothetical question. And I dont really know the answer myself.

Thank you Soutra.

It is not just that people want free will, it is that most people believe that we have it.

Whether we were made by a supremely all-powerful being or we evolved to be what we are from a single-celled organism in the primeval swamps, we have analytical brains which take in information and process it to work out the best way to proceed, within the limits of our environment and the moral and/or social mores we have absorbed.

If God made us "in his own image" then he must have programmed in that ability, and chosen it from his own characteristics as something which we should have. You don't design a robot with qualities that it is not at liberty to use. Not to use it would be waste and ingratitude.

If we are the descendants of a tiny green blob, that is pretty good going, and we should not squander our progress by abandoning ourselves to the vagaries of chance, or the coding of a master programmer.

(I am proud of my upwardly mobile green-blob ancestors, BTW)

(Hello, cousin green-blob)