Why Do Children Suffer? A Comparative Religious Perspective

Jewish scripture doesn't shy away from the anguish of suffering, including the suffering of the young. The book of Jeremiah captures a raw, existential cry that resonates with anyone who's witnessed innocent pain: "Why did I ever issue from the womb, to see misery and woe, to spend all my days in shame!" Jeremiah 20:18 This kind of lament — addressed directly to God — is a recognized and even honored mode of Jewish theological discourse. Suffering isn't quietly accepted; it's argued over.

The Hebrew Bible does, at times, link the suffering of children to the sins of their parents or community. Ezekiel records God's anger directed at children who "rebelled" and "profaned My sabbaths," suggesting a covenantal framework where communal faithfulness shapes communal fate Ezekiel 20:21. Job 5:4 similarly invokes the misfortune of a wicked man's children as a consequence of his failures Job 5:4. These passages reflect an older retributive theology — one that later Jewish thinkers, including the rabbis of the Talmudic era, found deeply uncomfortable and increasingly challenged.

Medieval philosopher Maimonides (12th century) argued in Guide for the Perplexed that much suffering stems from human choices and the natural order, not divine punishment. Modern Jewish thinkers like Eliezer Berkovits and Emmanuel Levinas, writing after the Holocaust, pushed further — insisting that the suffering of innocent children demands moral outrage, not theological rationalization. The tradition ultimately holds the tension open rather than resolving it neatly.

Christianity's approach to child suffering is shaped by a deep paradox: Jesus explicitly elevated children as models of kingdom belonging, yet the New Testament also unflinchingly acknowledges the brutal realities children face in a broken world. In Matthew 19:14, Jesus says, "Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven" Matthew 19:14 — a statement that places children at the very center of divine grace, not at its margins. Mark's parallel account adds that Jesus was "much displeased" when children were turned away Mark 10:14, signaling that their dignity is not a minor concern.

Yet Matthew 24:19 records Jesus lamenting, "Woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!" Matthew 24:19 — a stark acknowledgment that children and mothers face particular vulnerability during times of tribulation. This isn't a theological explanation for suffering; it's an expression of grief over it.

Christian theology has historically addressed child suffering through several frameworks. Augustine (5th century) developed the doctrine of original sin, arguing that all humans — including children — are born into a fallen condition that makes suffering part of the human inheritance. Theologians like Alvin Plantinga (20th century) developed the "free will defense," arguing that God permits suffering because genuine freedom requires it. Others, like Jürgen Moltmann in The Crucified God (1972), argue that God doesn't stand apart from child suffering but enters into it through the suffering of Christ. There's real disagreement here — and it's honest to say so.

Islam approaches the question of child suffering partly through the lens of divine provision and the absolute prohibition against harming children. The Quran is explicit: "And do not kill your children for fear of poverty. We provide for them and for you. Indeed, their killing is ever a great sin." Quran 17:31 This verse, revealed in a context where female infanticide was practiced in pre-Islamic Arabia, establishes a foundational principle — God is the provider, and human fear or selfishness doesn't justify inflicting harm on the young.

The broader question of why innocent children suffer within God's creation is addressed in Islamic theology through the concept of qadar (divine decree) and the understanding that this world is a place of trial (dunya). Classical scholars like Al-Ghazali (11th century) and Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (14th century) argued that suffering, even for the innocent, can carry hidden divine wisdom — and that children who die young are considered to be in paradise, a view supported by hadith literature. This doesn't eliminate the grief, but it reframes it eschatologically.

It's worth noting that Quran 17:31 is cited in two translations in the retrieved passages, both conveying the same core message: God provides, and the slaying of children is a "great sin" Quran 17:31 Quran 17:31. Islamic ethics, then, places enormous moral weight on protecting children — their suffering caused by human action is among the gravest of wrongs. Suffering caused by the natural order is entrusted to God's wisdom and mercy.

Hebrew Scripture voices raw lament at life’s pain, including the cry, “Why did I ever issue from the womb, to see misery and woe,” acknowledging suffering that feels undeserved and overwhelming. Jeremiah 20:18

At the same time, wisdom and prophetic passages can frame suffering within covenantal and moral causality, as when a voice in Job declares that children may face oppression, reflecting retributive logic debated within the book. Job 5:4

Prophetic tradition also ties communal disobedience to divine anger, presenting a moral order in which rebellion has consequences for later generations, even as the prophets call for repentance and life by God’s statutes. Ezekiel 20:21

Jesus publicly welcomes children as exemplars of the kingdom, signaling their dignity and God’s care, even as his call does not deny the reality of their vulnerability. Matthew 19:14

The Gospels also acknowledge historical crises that weigh heavily on families, with Jesus saying, “woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days,” recognizing that tumultuous times intensify the suffering of the smallest and those who care for them. Matthew 24:19

In parallel passages, Jesus repeats the welcome of children, reinforcing that they should not be hindered from approaching him, which the church has taken as a charge to protect and honor the young amid hardship. Mark 10:14

The Qur’an forbids killing children out of fear of poverty, grounding their protection in God’s provision and naming their killing a great sin, which directly rejects economic rationales for harming the young. Quran 17:31

It also recalls divine censure upon a community for rebellion and transgression, presenting a moral backdrop in which wrongdoing brings consequences, a frame many readers apply to social suffering while still affirming the innocence of children. Quran 5:78

Together these verses uphold the worth of children and insist on communal responsibility to shield them from preventable harm, especially when driven by scarcity anxieties. Quran 17:31