05/07/2026
When God Is Blamed for Human Problems
I have a client living in Europe who often questions the existence of God. His argument is simple: “If God exists, why does He allow bad things to happen?” Recently, he pointed to the kidnapping of innocent children in Oyo State and asked, “Why would God allow such suffering?”
My response is rooted in the principle of free will.
God created humanity with the ability to make choices. Throughout Scripture, He provides guidance, direction, and commandments, yet He does not force His will upon people. Even the Ten Commandments were given as instructions, not coercion.
Jesus summarized God’s commandments into two simple principles:
1. Love God with all your heart.
2. Love your neighbor as yourself.
If humanity consistently lived by these two commands, many of the problems we face today would not exist.
Nigeria provides a clear example. Our nation is richly blessed with abundant natural and human resources. Yet despite these blessings, many citizens struggle with poverty, insecurity, inadequate education, and limited opportunities. Countless children grow up neglected, abandoned, or deprived of the care and support they deserve.
When people are repeatedly failed by society, some lose faith in the system that abandoned them. Over time, some are drawn toward crime and other destructive paths as a means of survival or retaliation against the very society that neglected them.
In such situations, it is important to ask: Are these problems created by God, or are they the consequences of human decisions, failed leadership, corruption, neglect, and societal indifference?
While prayer remains important, prayer alone cannot replace responsibility. God has already given humanity the capacity to think, choose, lead, build, and create change. We cannot ignore our responsibilities and then blame God for the outcomes of our collective actions.
Too often, when solutions do not arrive in the way or time we expect, God becomes the target of our frustration. Yet many of the crises we face today are not the result of divine neglect but of human choices.
God has given us free will. The challenge is how we use it.
As the saying goes: Angels do not vote, humans do. The future of our communities and nations depends not only on what we pray for, but also on the choices we make and the actions we take.
