CRT-ANITY:

Amid the pandemic and its 5.2 million reported deaths, the Pew Research Center surveyed 6,485 American adults--including 1,421 evangelicals--in September 2021 about how they philosophically "make sense of suffering and bad things happening to people."

The most common explanation: It happens.

"Americans largely blame random chance--along with people's own actions and the way society is structured--for human suffering, while relatively few believers blame God or voice doubts about the existence of God for this reason," concluded Pew researchers in a new study released today. [...]

Among the survey's main findings:

7 in 10 American adults agree that suffering is "mostly a consequence of people's own actions." Yet also 7 in 10 agree that suffering is "mostly a result of the way society is structured."

8 in 10 are believers--either in "God as described in the Bible" (58%) or in "a higher power or spiritual force" (32%)--yet say most suffering "comes from the actions of people, not from God."

7 in 10 believe human beings are "free to act in ways that go against the plans of God or a higher power."

5 in 10 believe God allows suffering because it is "part of a larger plan."

4 in 10 believe Satan is responsible for most of the world's suffering.

Less than 2 in 10 say they have doubted God's omnipotence, goodness, or existence because of suffering.

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