Can an innocent generation suffer for the sins of a previous generation?

Certainly...I think there are numerous examples. One that comes to mind today would be the current generation of German people in light of tler's treatment of the Jews in WWII. Here in the United States there has been talk of restitiution monies being to paid to minorities in light of treatment by previous generations (i.e.

Slavery). So far, legislation has not been forthcoming but the talk has certainly been there. In a reciprocal consideration, look at the plight of the Native American in light of their treatment by previous generations coming to America. In some ways, taxpayers paid restitution for those actions for many years as the government provided assistance to Native Americans.

Most of these situations resulted from ignorance, fear, and greed thus we can expect that they will never totally be erased from society on a global basis. Thanks. WB.

It happens every day, children suffer, because of adults selfish indulgence, Every generation has children suffer under the consequences of their parents, If the child ever makes it to adulthood, they must make the choice to continue the ways set out for them, or be the change...

Yes, and no, it is true that every generation have to bear the sins of the old but this doesn't have to be. For example: when people are born in a poverty stricken family, or an abusive family. Life would dictate that they would also be poverty-stricken or abusive.

But why is that? The reason that this is mostly true is that when they are brought up only knowing poverty or being around abusive family that there mind has been conditioned to the point that they know of no other way. However there are those few people who can open up their mind and look beyond that and take control their life.

And it's those kind of people that cannot except that is all life has to offer them. Only then do they break free from those barriers, where they can suppress their parents rather it be emotional or financial.

Yes. Generational curses from unconfessed sin"and He (the Lord) passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, the Lord, the Lord, the compassionate & gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, & forgiving wickedness, rebellion & sin. Every 3rd and 4th generation has to deal with the sins of there ancestors.

Ex 34:6-7See, I am setting before you today a blessing & a curse- the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today; the and a automatic curse for not letting me help you by turning away and serving false gods which has never satisfied you. Duet 11:26-28Moses addressed this issue when the Israelites were preparing to enter the promised land. He told the new generation that was getting ready to enter in unless they dealt with their own personal sins and also the sins from the generations before them.

Leviticus 26:39-42And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies' lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them. If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me;And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity:Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.

I agree one generation affects the next; just look at what is happening now. Kids who are graduating college now and looking for work can hardly be blamed for the lack of jobs. However, they cannot merely blame those who came before them.

They may have to suffer, but if they succeed in turning things around then they will be more honorable than the generation before them. Just hope that they remember the mistakes of their parents. To leave things in better shape when you leave than when you arrive is a very respectable thing.

I'll erase the word "sin" and just say that what one generation does certainly affects the next either in a good way or a bad way depending on the "what" that occurred. For example, if we don't take care of the environment, our children and grandchildren may not enjoy living in the same world we enjoy today. If our government spends too much money, our children and grandchildren may suffer higher taxes.

Just a couple examples, but that's the gist of it anyway.

There are some brands of evil that cant help but bleed into the next generation and really cant be hidden.

Not so, under the new covenant. There is a lot of people that have tried to teach "generational curses" from the Bible, but we must understand that we are no longer under the old law! When Jesus died, he said, "It is finished."

This included generational curses! Generational curses existed only in the old testament, because they were still under the law of Moses. If we were still under generational curses, then the law of grace would be irrelevent, which would make the atonement of Christ of no effect.

Can bad habits be passed down from generation to generation? Yes! Can demons have diabolical influence on a family?

Yes! This is where sexual sins, child abuse, and even diseases can play a part. Can this "spell" be broken?

Yes! By the power of the Holy Ghost through prayer and fasting! To believe that generational curses still are influential, would mean to deny Christ and the power of This is why the veil was torn from the top to the bottom completely.

Don't allow the enemy to rob your birthright. We are a NEW creation, which means that OLD THINGS are passed away, and behold ALL things become NEW! Glory to God!

Over 62 years of living, and I have not yet witnessed an innocent generation as yet. Where are they?

Of course, it happens all the time and we are causing it right now. The future generations, our children, grandchildren, and their offspring are going to have to deal with our selfish use of the resources our planet offers. We are using up everything we can from oil to minerals (to the top soil for farms for that matter).

We are making choices everyday that will cause the future generations to suffer. Whether this is a theological question or not I am not sure of. But I do know that one generation can make decisions (sins) that will be suffered on the proceeding generations.

I think bad things happen sometimes because bad things happen sometimes.

Evil, in its origins , seems to be explained as coming from "somewhere else" , he or she is evil. They are evil or that leader is just plain evil. The sins of mankind are inside each of us!"The sins of a generation ",is the same kind of cop out , My answer is this , What do we as individuals do to break the cycles of the past , or of familiar behaviour.

In each moment we have to be concience of" how am I going to treat this situation". Act within the moment , We as individuals have to take full responsibility for all that happens.

Well it depends on what sin we are talking about. This is because some mistakes or sins can be easily understood for instance slavery, racism, terrorism, religious intolerance among others is mistakes that should have not been done or started in the first place. Therefore, younger generation can suffer because of such sins or mistakes (call it what you will).

However, they are some sins in religious view which can be considered personal in terms of a person or nations relationship with God. Such sins for instances in the bible, were said to be suffered to the 7th generation or so. This is a situation where it becomes a personal issue in that for child to suffer because his/ her parent disordered God and the child may not even know the cause of such suffering is what may be considered unjust because we all have to reap as we sow.

What am trying to say is that it depends on the sin we are talking about.

Springboard got it right with 'I'll erase the word "sin" " because no generation is innocent. Every new generation brings its own sense of right and wrong, just as it does in individual family groups. Therefore, we might blame our parents generation for the things we think are wrong and our children will blame us for their idea of the "wrongs" we have done to them.In reality, everything is cause and effect, whatever the motives behind it.

We change our world with every decision we make, even if we decide to do nothing.

What, are ... Sufferings, Sins, and Innocence, etc.?A difficult question to answer... Because, we differently interpret these terms due the differential, in our Social, and other perceptions. Therefore, allow me to Repose your Question in different words, in asking ... " Should I suffer for your Wrongs?" ...My answer, is obviously within Islamic Law, Representing, The Divine State of Justice, and Fairplay, in human affairs. The Islamic Sharia Law States: "No father, Is to bear his son's Burden; nor the son, of his father" ... In contrast, the popular Secular Laws ... mandate, blind acquiescence, and forcible execution,of man made laws, viz.

, " A Contract, reposes the Responsibility of a Profitable Execution, on its Signatories, their Heirs, and the Successors!"Therefore, it is Islamic Law, which ensures, that the Innocent ... meaning those, not involved in Contravention of The Law ... do not have to Suffer, for the doings of some others ... Whereas, Secular Laws, Protect the "Involved" ...under Threat of such, as Repossession of Property, money Fines, shifting of responsibility, and a flexible morality, etc ... not the Humans ... Thus, Secular Laws secure Obedience, by the "threat" of Suffering ... Hence, Threat, becomes the Enforcer of Law, in Secular Societies. Threat, Force, or Violence, are highly Arbitrary, and Prejudiced means of Enforcing Law and Order, in any human society. For, in most cases, these are the Cause of the Innocents, suffering for the doings of others ... The Dictum, Governing Secular Justice, and Law, is ... "Ignorance of Law is no Excuse "!

It depends, just like others have commented... you can also check out Ezekiel 18 in the bible.

Yes, I believe an innocent generation can suffer sins of a previous one. Look it what is going on now for example. The environment is being destroyed right before our eyes.

Our nation is financial crisis. I believe that we are paying for the greed that has been created through the generations; whether it is right wrong or indifferent. I also, believe it is like a domino affect.

When I read this question, the first thing that comes to mind is the traditional mindset of the caste system in India which has existed over 100 years ago and is still prevalent until now. It doesn't matter which generation you are born into, your name decides your fate whether you are innocent or sinful. It is beyond my comprehension to understand that if you are born into a lower caste system, you are more easily considered guilty than innocent.

Link: vikasswarup.net/index_files/Page536.htm.

I certainly suffered because my dad was alcoholic. And he was probably alcoholic because his father was. Certain kinds of suffering run in families and, unless the cycle of shame (google john bradshaw) is broken, will continue forever.

I wouldn't call it "sin", rather "dysfunction. "the fellow(rabbi harold kushner) who wrote "when bad things happen to good people" suggests "bad" things are gifts from god and opportunities to grow - no sin in any generation necessary to explain bad stuff. Read the bible book of job - a good man who lost everything including family.

I know this to be true. My husband who is now dead had a father and several sons all who drink not a little but a lot. This thing which is taking a drug is now destroying my childrens lifes and grand children who all think its cool to do drugs or drink.

Its not cool its stupid. Only one is not hooked to this crazy ness. They can stop and some are trying but it comes from the people before and its easy to see.

Bad things do happen to good people and thats just the way it is. How we handle very difficult times is the important thing. Life is about learning and growing and involves the spiritual, physical and mental.

One generation most definetly effects another generation. However, if we choose to, we can overcome our extended environment to a point. The actions we choose today, can have a lasting effect on tomorrow and the future.So choose your actions well.

It's not just about "you" or "me".

Yes it says this in the bible we suffer the wrath of our ansaters.

It should be noted that your question may have two different causes, and probably two different answers. If we take into consideration direct, objetive causes that may explain current suffering there's not much to talk about. It's simply cause and consequence as we unfortunately have to pay for the mistakes that were made in the past, no matter when, how and who made it.

There are notorious cases that happened in the past that induces impacts in our current society, such as slavery causing social tension in many countries, genocide resulting in civil wars, nazism and the consequences to jewish people, baby boomers bringing trouble to the future of pension funds, and even a wrong decision of our parents that may impact our overall future. But when it comes to an overall suffering that is not a result of direct human action, we face much more difficult questions to be answered than our common sense could handle. For example, who should be blamed for the earthquake in Haiti?

And what about the tsunami in the Pacific Ocean a few years ago? These are events that are totally out of our control, as opposite to floods, storms, hurricanes and alike, which are weather events that we know we are responsible for the climate changes and need to handle this "natural revenge". What if we have a perfectly healthy family for many generations and suddenly a newborn son is born with cancer or a serious terminal disease?

Some religions try to explain it by saying that we need to pay for the mistakes of the past, or even that we are just bodies that encompass eternal souls that keep their reincarnation cycles over and over, and somehow one had the misfortune of being a lost soul that made so many bad things in the past in another life. If we start discussing about the countless theories and foundations of hundreds of religions worldwide, we would keep on this doubt until the day we die. Bottom line, everyone has their own beliefs and somehow we are always searching for an easy answer or something that could bring us comfortness and the absolute sense of reality and truth.

But the point is that each person has its own background and nobody should suffer because of this kind of question. My final suggestion is that no matter what the religion, faith, logic or opinion you have, get stuck to your beliefs and try to do your best during your whole life. You don't know if you'll have another chance, so take the lead and make it happen.

YES! Look around you , if you can not see the facts, then You are blind! If you can not hear the facts, then you are deaf!

Id you can not feel the facts, then you are numb! With each mew generation the suffering is multiplied! Each new invention seems to used to annihilate rather then propagate love and peace!

I pray and hope and do my best to pass this earthly test!

Absolutely. Just think about global warming - obviously the generations that contribute the most to it are going to be long gone before it truly has an effect. So that leaves the (semi) innocent generation to suffer.

Yes that is true because our generation of people in germany are still reminded of the past sins of the generations before with the holocaust.

Everyone here has great answers. There really isn't much to add, you've all covered the bases pretty well. Secular and Christian answers are on the table.

Here's one that is slightly different. On the material plane, yes, what one generation does effects the next, but on the spiritual plane, each spirit, or soul answers for the sin that they are responsible for. A demonstration of this is Karma.

Acceptance of Christ is considered absolution, as is the baptism of water, but the idea was that you go and sin no more.

This is a simple logic;as per Sir Isac Newton's 3rd law,"For every action,there will be equal and oppsite reaction". Here,the deeds of our ancestors,whether it's a good or bad,will take effects on us,after their demise.

I can relate your question to today's generation depleting the resources of our planet insensitively that could endanger earth for our future generation. We all should be sensitive in our actions which create repercussions eventually. Regarding bad things happening to good people...it's all about KARMA.So, have to keep on continuing doing our good deeds which will pay us back soon!

Indeed. Something that can only be prevented by having no past. Every past has a sin.

Not on a religious standpoint, I give you two words. Social Security.

We are all slaves to the initial conditions.

Yes, it happens, though I think the term "sins" is too heavy a word. The things we do will always affect others one way or another, positive or negative because we interact with one another in our lifetime. People on the streets, the Holocaust, even the economic status of a country can result (directly or indirectly) from the previous generations' actions.

Of course, this doesn't mean that the blame is solely on the past. Each one of us has a choice to act now and make things better for the future generation.

Yes and No! Not all so called sins are intentional, some are accidental, but the bottom line they have offended somebody else or have caused some problem to the enviroment. Where the next generation is aware of the sins and has knowledge on how to rectify and does act on that, then it is a big NO!

Where the next generation remains ignorant, or become aware and refuses to act, then it is a big Yes. Sometimes where it has been a long standing problem, it only requires a simple apology and the party affected accepting the apology and forgives. Acts and ommisions are one and same thing as the outcome has adverse effect on somebody else.

The recipient will tag the person deemed to be responsible and all his associates which in this case are likely to be his offsprings. They may not be aware of this and that's why people continue with this myth that sins of forefathers will be passed from generation to generation.

Yes, I think so. If you think about it. It's like its coming back to haunt you or deja vu or even karma.

Of course it can. It happens all the time. Just check the history and you will find many examples.

I wonder if this explains – why bad things happen to good people. "No, that's just life, which is inherently unfair.

An innocent generation(I use singular) should not suffer because of sin of previous. Let we take it a singular session.. sin is the one when you think of it is a sin. The culture variations are sure play a crucial role.

When the minds and soul of same and highly good unite there is no sin ever take place. The poor picture is that will never happen .. we are greed for money, facilities, enjoyment, pleasure and much more.. when such pure minds/soul unite we never do them and make them to perish. This is the nature that gave us to think and to save ourselves.

And the pain is we never never learn from our past. When the plural approach we want to say .. very simple .. slave to other country and the boss country act as a owner. The cruelty grow with sweet tongue and hands.

And the greed is always there. Only difference is the community, religion and ups and downs ....

There is no such thing as an innocent generation-although I agree with Audacious Shelley about aborted babies, who by the way are not suffering now because they're in the arms of Jesus -and I agree with dave too.

Our next generation will not take it kindly,whatever we are doing today with the environment, Climate changes affect us all and they will hit the future generations still badly.

I think history has proven that the next generation most always suffers for the previous generations choices.

No, Jesus Christ states the law of Karma, "He says What you reap is what you sow". If you do bad today you will be born again next life to suffer for what you have done. That is reincarnation, If you do good deeds (Good Karma) then you will sow nice things in your next life, you will be born in a wealthy and nice family.

You can be good person today but you may be suffering because of your past life bad activities (Bad Karma). I will make a hub on Karma and reincarnation to further explain this. Coz this is a very long topic.

Tnx!

From a christian point of view, we live in a fallen world and we have to deal with those problems that spawn from that.

Num 15:28 And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul that sinneth ignorantly, when he sinneth by ignorance before the LORD, to make an atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him. Eze 18:20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.

Although the sins of a previous generation have consequences which are inherited by the next, in many cases the following generation rebels against the behaviors of the past. A positive example of this is the anti-war protest movement of the sixties which contributed greatly to the cause of ending the Vietnam war. All generations are born with free choice, children talk among themselves, often cultivating surprising resistance to the status quo of any era.

No one is innocent imho, other than just born babies, we all "somehow" get into sin..

Equality comes to mind. There is another way of looking at the question: can a corrupt generation suffer for the sins of a previous generation? If so is that really fair to be punished for a sin you never committed even if your guilty of another sin?

Like you face ethnic discrimination for being British while visiting India and feel unresponsible for British occupation and rightly so and yet you litter and waste water and food without remorse toward the environment. To put your question into a different context: the 1993 Somalian genocide but what I mean is two groups of people, hutoo and tutsi, living together almost twenty years later. Can they co-exist without resentment and recourse?

Similar examples include Israel and Palistine, Irish catholics and Protestants. American Muslims will likely suffer because of 9/11 for generations to come but to what severity is unclear. 9/11 is apart of American history as long as there is American history.

Even British Muslims will suffer and likely any other muslim living in a western society that has been attacked by muslim terrorists because western people remember their own history with great pride, especially events like 9/11 - of course this hurts their pride and hence the vulnerability of innocent muslims who had no hand in the act. I'm unsure of all the facts but two or three decades ago infants received vacinations and non-coincidentally there was a rise in autism occuring simulataneously. Some people argue there is a link between the rise in the use of this vacine and a rise in autism.

That has happened here in canada. Another consideration is freedom and responsibility of the individual. However individual freedom and responsibility is always curtailed by the collective will and vice versa.

The collective will of the people is synonmous with generation. I argue that to take responsibility for future generations takes responsibility away from future generations. There is helping those who need it (and want it) and preventing harm and that is the right thing to do and then there is helping those who are seeking recognition, like some people honestly believe their saving the world!

That is pride - self-importance, if it weren't for heros in the world, the world would crumble - ya right no one is that responsible, not sincerely.

Absolutely. One uses a clean cloth to clean the dirt. And sometimes the cloth wears off but the dirt remains.

Yes. I think the most short-term example is that of an aborted baby. A baby who has been aborted is certainly in the category of an innocent generation, and yet he/she has been slaughtered because of the irresponsibility, promiscuity, complacency, unforgiveness, fear, or bigotry of his/her parents.

A long-term example is in politics. I think nothing illustrates this better than what is happening between the college-age students in Iran and their dictator. The actions of generations that preceeded them are the sources of their current oppressions by the Iranian government.

Well we are suffering for all the hatred, racism and sexism and conservative thoughts and social evils our previous gen have hatched and our children will suffer from all theese along global warming. Climate changes and new surprises we will add later.

Yes, the bible tells you a cycle of sin within a family can carry throughout a generation. Brake the curse...& redeem faithfulness. & over come the ways of the world.It's nothing new under the sun, just new ways of making things worser!

Yes... if you follow the same ungodly ways of conduct and ill choices that they made before us. The consequence of negativity apply to every time span of our existence.

It is always beneficial to have the experience of a whole generation, just for you. For example, we all have the experience of our mothers and fathers, so we are not likely to make the same mistakes like they did.

Of course. My generation has just finished paying the Americans for the second world war. They sat on their arses all through the battle of Britain when our children were being killed, sold us crap ships that sank, at hugely inflated prices, John Kennedy's Dad, who was ambassador to London was telling everyone how tler made the trains run on time .. The Yanks only came into the war because of the Japanese and I had to pay for it ...

Every generation considers itself innocent! Perhaps if we all took responsibility for our own behavior, we wouldn't pass on to future generations our self-proclaimed innocent yet harmful philosophies.

I don't believe in superstitious kind of thing but .... I want to elaborate thing in logical waysyes.. innocent generation will suffer fro sins of previous generation. Haphazard exploitation of natural resources, polluting environment, sentiment of wars, fights, all these I want to term as sins which will affect our future generation both physically and mentally.... Earth may be filled with filth by us and then or future generation may find it hard to overcome it...

Not if you try to undo the wrongs taht the other generation caused.

We've been making future generations pay for forefather sins for decades. Some Canadian examples. My parents, my children and I are paying(literally) for the sins of those that first came to Canada and committed genocide against the aboriginal people.

We are going to be paying for all the horrors that were committed against our Chinese brethren during the years that they built the railroad and were treated like slaves; and it goes on and on. And "sin" would be the correct word.

Well, seriously an interesting question and a great discussion is running here, so in my views, World is round, night comes then day out then again day come night out, we eat food and digest then food goes again to waste.....so this is a whole cycle of World, so as it is if our previous generation has doing anything bad...had any enemies then they will definitely hurt you, either you are innocent or not, because this is human nature to continue that cycle of hurting people, murdering people to being and prove them self as powerful among the rest, then you will even not tolerate their punishment, you will take revenge....that's why this cycle just running from family to family - generation to next generation.

I guess it depends if the previous generation has children ( innocent generation) and if the previous generation was sinful to the children, possibly the children could see being sinful as the right thing to do which would make an innocent generation suffer for the sins of a previous generation or in your case, why bad things happen to good people.

Every generation suffers from the mistakes of the last...Global warmingWarChild abuse...are few of many examples whe one generation makes decitions that the next have do deal with.

The Bible states that three generations will pay. In my case, quite sincerely, it does look like curse. The probabilities involved in all I suffer, each and every second since second semester of 2000, but even worse since end of 2001, are close to being negative.Yet... .

My grandmother and my mother, full of siblings, have suffered the same way, like unlikely to happen in every second. In common? The name of my grandma was 'Maria', that is, Mary, like Jesus' mother.

The name of my mother is Lea Maria, that is, Mary as second name. My mame is Marcia, that is, Maria with a c... . Maria was a daughter of a bitch, for she sacrificed the life of her only son to protect her sins.

I never sinned after I was an adult, am sure, until end of 2001. I had never, you will not believe this, not even told a lie to someone else that far since becoming an adult. I asked preventive protection against Brazil, entire Brazil, entire place, everyone from it, for I was already been attacked gratuitously by the rejected nation since 2000.

I asked preventive protection against further abuse and violation by Priest, Patricia, Sever, Florica, Brad, and others. Denounced their crimes, had proofs and witnesses. More than eight world authorities were sought after by me in 2001 to prevent each and every second of this.

Many more people and authorities were tried since then to stop it and give me justice to best human kind may provide. Yet, nothing. If I am paying for sins, they are obviously not mine.

Please help. Visit my hubs and help. Am at www.hubpages.com/profile/MARIAMORTA.It is obviously super urgent, for ten years ago.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.