Why do the world's religions disagree about suffering?

Because they diagnose the human problem differently: Buddhism sees craving, Hinduism karma, atheism no cosmic cause, Islam a test, and Christianity a broken relationship with God answered by the Cross. They are not saying the same thing.

What is the Christian answer to suffering?

Not a tidy explanation but a Person: a God who entered suffering in Jesus, redeemed it through the Cross and resurrection, and promises to end all suffering (Revelation 21:4).

Worldviews

What Do the World's Religions Say About Suffering?

Every worldview must reckon with suffering, and they answer very differently. Buddhism traces it to craving and seeks release; Hinduism reads it through karma across many lives; atheism sees no cosmic meaning in it; Judaism laments and trusts; Islam frames it as a test under God's will. Christianity gives a distinctive answer: a God who does not stay above suffering but enters it himself on the Cross, and promises finally to end it.

How the traditions answer

Buddhism. The First Noble Truth is that life is marked by suffering (dukkha); its cause is craving, and freedom comes by releasing it. Explore →

Hindu traditions. Suffering is bound up with karma and the cycle of rebirth; liberation (moksha) is release from that cycle. Explore →

Atheism. There is no cosmic purpose in suffering; and its scale is, for many, the strongest argument against God (the problem of evil). Explore →

Judaism. The Hebrew Scriptures neither explain suffering away nor deny it, they lament honestly (the Psalms, Job) and hold onto trust in God. Explore →

Islam. Suffering is often understood as a test permitted under the sovereign will of God, to be met with patience and submission. Explore →

The Christian answer

Christianity refuses to explain suffering away, and answers it with a Person. It traces suffering to a good world broken by sin, but its centre is a God who entered the suffering himself: Jesus wept, agonized in Gethsemane, and died on the Cross, and rose, promising a day when God will wipe away every tear (Revelation 21:4). Not a tidy theory, but God with us in the dark, and the pledge to end it.

Frequently asked questions

Why do the world's religions disagree about suffering?: Because they diagnose the human problem differently: Buddhism sees craving, Hinduism karma, atheism no cosmic cause, Islam a test, and Christianity a broken relationship with God answered by the Cross. They are not saying the same thing.
What is the Christian answer to suffering?: Not a tidy explanation but a Person: a God who entered suffering in Jesus, redeemed it through the Cross and resurrection, and promises to end all suffering (Revelation 21:4).

Come and see: Why did Jesus die? → The problem of evil → Verses for hope →