Why do things go wrong? - David Self

This work is aimed particularly at sceptics (such as Caroline Bone of "The Archers") who have difficulty accepting that God can allow suffering, as well as all who are trying to comprehend their own or others' suffering. The author talks about "free will" rather than Adam and Eve, evil rather than sin and Satan. He separates into different categories suffering caused by human cruelty, human negligence and natural disasters. He shows that there are various ways of answering the question, and that coping with suffering is central to Christianity, not a barrier to it. While being a Christian doesn't make everying "easy", it does offer real hope.;This book considers what a world without suffering would be like, and explores how people grow through their experience of suffering. It also discusses how God has shared our suffering on the cross. All this is told with a compassionate eye on those in pain, and relates the experience of some who have experienced suffering to illustrate the more abstract ideas, rooting the book in reality. The author has dealt with this subject in his role as chair of Anglia TV's discussion programme, "The Big Question". David Self is the author of "High Days and Holidays".