A Christian View of Suffering Essay -- The Value of Suffering

The concept of piteous plays an important role in Christianity, regarding such matters as virtuous conduct, spiritual advancement and ultimate destiny. Indeed an emphasis on suffering pervades the Gospel of Mark where, it can be argued, we are shown how to journey through suffering (Ditzel 2001) in the image of the Suffering Son of Man (Mark 832), Jesus Christ. Although theologians have suggested that Mark was written to strengthen the resolve of the early Christian friendship (Halpern 2002, Mayerfeld 2005), the underlying moral is not lost on a modern reader grappling with multifarious challenges regarding faith in the face of suffering. In his name A Christian Response to Suffering, William Marravee (1987) describes suffering as an experience over which we men and women continue to stumble and fall. The way we gain divinity is crucial to the way we view suffering according to Marravee, who delineates the disparity between a view of beau ideal as an outsider and the biblic al image of God where God is an insider who suffers with us in our struggle. This essay seeks to explain the Christian view of suffering and the purpose suffering can have in our lives.Suffering is an individuals elemental affective experience of pain or distress, often as a result of champions physical, emotional or spiritual circumstance (Stanford cyclopaedia of Philosophy 2006). Suffering can be classified as physical for example pain caused by a dislocated knee, emotional for example ones grief over the death of a loved one, or spiritual which is described as the state of being separated from the blissful temper of your divine self (soul). To suffer physically or emotionally is often unavoidable however it can be argued that spiritual liberation... ...s distributed in Theology hundred and one at the University of Notre Dame, Fremantle on 22 April 2008.Marravee. W, 1987, A Christian Response to Suffering, Review for Religious, no. 46, pp. 256-260.Mayerfeld. J, 2005, Sufferi ng and Moral Responsibility. New York Oxford University Press.Pope John capital of Minnesota II (1984), Apostolic Letter SALVIFICI DOLORIS, Online, Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Available at http//www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jpapl_11021984_salvifici-doloris_en.html 27 April 2008.Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy (2006), Suffering Online, Metaphysics Research Lab, Available at http//plato.stanford.edu/entries/pleasure/ 3 May 2008.Trip, D. (1999), The Christian view of suffering Online, Exploring Christianity. Available from http//www.christianity.co.nz/suffer4.htm Accessed 18 April 2008.