@ chucklivesoninmyheart

That has been an on going battle for as long as I know- that "if god is good, then why is there evil/ or why does he allow evil." here's one of the possible solutions to it- but it will only work if you believe that there is such a thing as a free will, that Jesus Christ is the saviour, and the existence of the Holy spirit. if you don't believe in these things, then there is no point reading this because this answer will never work. this might sound silly but I think it's his gift of free will that prevents god from just changing everything for the good. No matter how badly God wants to interevene, he just can't because that would be violating his gift and his own rule. That's the reason why God gave you both a brain and free will- so you could figure things out your own and you can prove God that you're worthy. It's like this analogy. If your parents did everything for you all the time, can you say that you're world would be a better place? Ofcourse, the answer to this is NO. You would be acting like a spoiled brat, you will always be dependent on your parents, you won't be able to be self- sufficient, you will lose your chance to develop a sense of identity because everyone's doing everything for you, and you wouldn't be able to define yourself and your place in the world. Besides this, you will also miss certain things that only comes as a product of being independent and self efficient such as learning to value the fruits of your work, discipline, leadership skills, problem solving skills etc. The same could be said to God. God doesn't want to intervene with free will because he's giving you the chance to grow as an individual with a brain-and to put that brain in to good use. Of course there are times when we can't stand by ourselve alone- that's why God sent his son Jesus Christ as a guide, and the Holy Spirit to comfort and help. However, despite of all this help- it surprises me that many people still blame God for all the evils in the world, when it fact, most of the evil that happens in the world happens because of some people's desire to do evil, rather than good. As much as God wants to intervene he knows he can't because he would be violating his own law. But don't despair- there's a catch. Those people who are abusing their free will doing evil don't go ahead unpunished. There is such a thing as justice and it will be served. Religions differ on what kind of justice is this. some say hellfire and brimstone, death, karma etc. But I think they're destruction, punishment- whatever you want to call it will come to them as a result of their own doing. As I said before somewhere on page 7 of this thread-

"Free will exists. It is your choice whether you want to be under god's will or not. But here's the catch. In some religions, God is described as the TAO or the way or direction in which all else fall. If you choose to follow a a different path- you will be destroyed. And you will be destroyed not because God wants to punish/ destroy you. Rather, you are destroyed as a result of the consequences of your actions. Here's a good analogy for you: think of a plant. In order for a plant to grow, you have to put it in the direction of light. You can choose to put it in the path of the light or put it in the dark. If you choose to put it in the dark and away from the light, then you can do so- but if the plant dies, its not because the light wanted to punish the plant. Rather, the plant died because you removed it from its natural environment which is in the path of the light. The plant died because you took it away from its life source.

Here's another analogy: If Bob drinks too much and one day his body gives up, you cant say that bob's body gave up because God punished him. Rather, Bob's body gave up as a consequence of the abuse that he placed in his body. Alcohol is not the natural path, activity, substance that the body is used to be exposed regularly in the first place."

As I said before- most of the evils in this world are man made and could be solved/ prevented if we haven't been so selfish. I see no need to blame God. It would be like refusing to stand up for our own selves and blaming our parents and other people for our mistakes.

Also, think about it this way, if there is no God- or if the God that exists is an evil one, why does goodness still exist despite of all the evils in the world? Somehow there is still this force that exists that tries to promote balance, justice or homeostasis- whatever you want to call it, in the world. Therefore, there must be a just God.