Lighthouse Catholic Talks Suffering & The Love of God with Fr. Robert Spitzer, SJ
Jul 8, 2025
Fr. Robert Spitzer, a Jesuit priest and philosopher, tackles the profound question of why an all-loving God allows suffering. He argues that unsatisfactory answers to this dilemma often lead to atheism. Blending spirituality with scientific insights, he discusses how enduring suffering can prepare us for eternal love. Spitzer also emphasizes the transformative power of spontaneous prayer, the necessity of virtues in personal growth, and the limits of science in grasping divine existence, encouraging listeners to approach challenges with hope and love.
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Suffering Drives Atheism Today
- The main reason for atheism today is the inability to explain suffering in a meaningful way.
- Understanding suffering properly is essential for effective evangelization.
Near-Death Experiences Prove Afterlife
- Near-death experiences provide strong evidence for consciousness after death.
- They help bridge the gap from skepticism to belief in eternal life and God's unconditional love.
Free Will Necessitates Suffering
- Genuine human love requires freedom to choose unlove, which allows real love to be our own.
- God permits suffering caused by free will because it enables authentic love to flourish eternally.
