Any Judeo-Christian philosophy of creation serves as the foundation for any Christian interpretation of

human suffering. God preside over creation in the first few chapters of Genesis and declares over and
over again that what he has created is "excellent," even "very good."  According to many Christians, this
demonstrates that there was no pain in the universe at the time of its creation by God. Many people
think that the Garden of Eden was the start of human misery.  According to some, God saw creation as
excellent not because it was free of pain but rather because it had established a structure that served a
purpose. It was to create a living, tangible being that would serve as his temple.

Christians disagree on the precise timing and manner of how suffering came into the world. This
disagreement is related to differing perspectives on the age of the earth and evolution. Everyone
acknowledges that the Bible explains how pain intensifies when created creatures choose to defy God
and disregard his instructions. In fact, the further people veer from a healthy relationship with God, the
more they can anticipate systemic dysfunction and the suffering that will result from that dysfunction.
As a result, human suffering is not shocking as a whole, even though it can be confusing in specific
instances.