Christians: if god is so personal and loving, why does he allow bad things to happen to innocents?

Have you read the Bible? God is merciful and gracious but also a God of justice and wrath. He commanded genocides in the Old Testament times, He destroyed the world with a flood (innocent children died in the flood) and He destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by fire. God's plans do not exclude human suffering. He purposed the suffering of His own Son Jesus Christ and that of New Testament believers (persecutions).

God punished His own nation Israel by making them slaves in Egypt and by causing them to be defeated in certain battles, being killed and plundered.

God punishes nations with famines and disasters (it's in the Bible).

You have to understand also that all wickedness will be punished and the scales of justice balanced. Those who suffered unfairly will receive their reward and those who did wrong will be punished. Every one will give an account for their actions while on earth and for every careless word spoken (this is in the Bible too).

God is love, yes, but He is so much more. Please read the Bible to find out more about Him

You ask this question by starting with a false premise. That false premise being that there is such a thing as innocence. In other words, your question presupposes innocence.

Biblically speaking, is there such a thing as innocence? Well, we all come from Adam & Eve, & because they sinned they have passed sin down to us all as they are the Mother & Father of all humanity. This is why we're all born with the nature of sin, & since sin is evil, one could make a good argument that no one is technically innocent.

But, why does God allow suffering to occur? Well, God has bestowed us all with God given free will which means that one can abuse it & go against God's will & commit an atrocity, known as a moral evil. But, what about natural evils? Well, natural evils are just apart of nature. Nothing is fair or just about nature. Nature is just based on survival of the fittest.

So, in a nutshell, innocence doesn't technically exist, & suffering exists because of sin.

A half a billion die every year from cancer, heart disease and strokes alone!

3 million die every year from starvation, drought and the diseases caused by it.

200,000 from natural disasters!

This god who Christians credit with creating and causing everything seems to love killing more people every second than the number of people that have ever been claimed to have been saved by his miracles!

no one as such is innocent for we all suffer from karma as in past lives misdeeds. so think ye once more as to my teachings sayeth Christ.

What would be our role in a universe that doesn't allow bad things to happen to innocents? I could swing a bat at a ball and that works, but if I swing it at you, the bat turns into smoke. Our very existence would be useless.

were living in a world where people can use their will to harm people.

It is one of the drawbacks to freedom. Our actions have consequences. However, even bad experiences are experiences, and we can learn from them, and turn them to our benefit. God has set a time limit on our freedom to limit the damage that we can do. Those who repent of their sins and exercise faith in God will gain that freedom back in the resurrection, while the others will not.

One time god came down here through jesus to save humans and to give his commandments for us to follow and the second time that he will come will be to render justice.

Because he exists.

If you haven't seen it will you watch the movie Spotlight? It will make you think about this very subject. It is based on a true story and will test your faith. But....there is good and evil in all, even religion. And we all know what evil can do to innocent people. I don't why they have to suffer, why the innocent are slain and the evil continue on but my faith tells me that one day those who have done evil will be punished like we can't even imagine, they will not get away with their sins. They will not escape God's wrath.