suffering and doubt

i've lost count of how many times i've heard agnostics or athiests mention that the main reason they have left religion is its inability to give a satisfactory answer to one question:

why does god allow people to suffer.

if He is all powerful
if He is loving

then why?

what is suffering
what is love
what is power
what is god

i think the problem happens when we limit our understanding of the nature of the divine force we call 'god'. our universe is dynamic and complex. things are more interconnected to each other then we percieve... action/reaction... cause/effect... I think god knows more than a human can ever know, and so it makes sense that god would do things a bit differently. maybe god's reason for making this universe with all its suffering is beyond our ability to understand. a universe that consists of powerful forces that scientists still try to make sense of. a universe with humans that have the ability to cause great harm or great good. maybe there is a reason I can't have joy ALL the time. We know of power, through experiences of powerlessness. and what we think we would do, if we had that power, we want god to do. no suffering for example.

the people who lose faith, really lose faith in the literal meanings of the bible or quran.
I think it was in one of Averroes' works where he describes different levels of understanding for different people. god has made his word universally applicable for all peoples and times. if the literal meaning does not make sense anymore then its time to look at deeper meanings. The literal stories are for those who cannot think beyond them. It is the starting point of understanding, not the end.

Now... I don't always understand the philosophical writings and interpretations of people who follow the mystical teachings of Ibn Arabi, and I don't always agree with literal interpretations of people who follow Ibn Taymiyyah. But, why should it be one OR the other? god has sent his word to guide me, and clear things up in times when I need clarification. Sometimes the literal interpretation is good guidance for me and make a whole lot of sense, like when it comes to deciding what I eat or drink. Sometimes the philosophical interpretation makes sense, like when it comes to deciding how I deal with friends who are gay.

What I do know is that if a man with as deep an understanding of philosophy, logic, and religion as Averroes believed in a god, then there must be a problem with my reasoning or my interpretation if i am having doubt. The problem is not with god's word, or with god's justice, or with god's love, the problem is with my interpretaion. It may be that I am missing some pieces of the puzzle.