The problem with evil

• Who created the inconsistent Triad?

  This inconsistent triad was created by philosopher J. L. Mackie. Mackie argues that three statements cannot be true simultaneously and therefore the Christian idea of God is incorrect.
• Many people argue that if God was truly omnibenevolent and omnipotent, then there would be no suffering in the world. The suffering caused both by natural disasters and disease as well as human actions show that there is no God - or at least not an omnibenevolent, omnipotent and omniscient one. This is known as the problem of evil
• If 'Evil and suffering exists' and 'God is omnipotent' then God is not omnibenevolent

  If 'God is omnipotent' and 'God is omnibenevolent' then why does evil still exist?

  If 'Evil and suffering exists' and 'God is omnibenevolent' then God is not omnipotent
• Religious philosophers argue that it is possible for there to be a good reason why an omnibenevolent god would allow evil and suffering. It could be to test and strengthen people's belief in God, to help their character grow or because to stop suffering would require God to take away our free will, which would be unloving.
• Perhaps a world where humans are free, but can choose to do evil is the best possible world. This is because a world where people's actions had neither good nor bad intentions would be a world where people's actions had neither good nor bad intentions would be a world where neither good no evil would be possible. It would simply be a bland, neutral world where no action had nay meaning.
• The problem of evil is enough to convince them that God does not exist others argue that the only wat we could know why an omnipotent, omnibenevolent god would allow evil is if we knew what omnipotent, omnibenevolent gods usually do, or if we were this god. As neither of these is possible, the reason why God allows evil and suffering remains a mystery, but our inability to know the reason does not mean that there is not a good one.
• Some people would say that defending God by saying he is a mystery is an unsatisfactory way of resolving the problem of evil. In response, it could be argued that the view we should be able to understand an infinite god with finite minds, is equally unreasonable. This point was made by a 5th-century Christian philosopher named Augustine, who claimed that if you think you have fully understood God, you are wrong; you have simply understood your own invented idea of God.