Do you believe everything happens for a reason, or are some things senseless?

I think some things are just completely senseless. The papers here are full with stories about a 2 year old boy who got away from his father at a farm and was run over by a loading truck when it backed up and the driver, a 16 year old boy, couldn't see him. What reason could there be for that happening?

Technically there's always a reason that caused something to happen but I understand the intent of your question, Chris. No, I don't think things happen for a reason. We may be able to make something good come out of something bad or come to terms with it but the trade off is probably no where near equal. Somethings are just random. Seth MacFarlane told the story that he should have been on American Airlines flight 11 on 9/11/01 but he was too hung over. He said he doesn't lose sleep over almost getting killed but he feels bad for the guy on stand by who got his seat.

I do believe that things happen for a reason, but not all of the time. I think is necessary, too, or Free Will wouldn't exist.

Both.

I believe that anything that happens can bring about some good no matter how great the tragedy, if we have the will to make it happen. I don't believe that everything that happens is some predestined thing or that God is sending disasters to punish us. Does everything happen for a reason? The statement is a bit abstract. Literally speaking, yes. If something happened, there is a reason for it, a cause. But is that reason some deliberate cosmic one? Possibly, but not necessarily.

A lot of things don't make sense but eventually they may. Yeah I believe that things happen for a reason.