mama23
God gave us the greastest gift, the gift of free choice. We can choose good or evil and that choice does effects many others.
As far a down syndrome, I happen to have a mentally retarded brother and have spent a lot of time with "retard/disabled/abnormal" people and I can tell you, they love and enjoy their lives, sometimes I think more than "normal" people. They all seem to have an ability to enjoy the little things in life. Do they have hard ships? Yes, we all do.
Sometimes I think that God lets bad things happen so that good can come out of it.
Another way to think of it is this:
Say you are God, you created these beings that you love very much. But in order for them learn you have to be like any other parent and sometimes let them fall down. (Like a toddler learning to walk)
It says in the Bible that He wants us to lean on Him, turn to Him when we need Him. Just like a parent wants their children to come to them with their problems.
Another thing is this: God is in heaven, when someone dies and goes to heaven they get to be with God all the time. Sort of like coming home to a loved one after a long trip. I wonder if God thinks of death in the same way as we do. Because He is then "reunited" with those that He loves, not seperated. And He knows that even though we miss those, we will be reunited again too.
LOL! Superior in design and intelligence. There are always people that irritate us ;-)