Why does God permit evil?

DonnyT said:

Read Romans 9. God makes all things, suffering and well being, work for His divine purpose, not pleasure. The question is, are you of such little faith, you cannot trust this?

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KCDAD said:

I have plenty of faith... just not much belief. You can belief in some divine purpose if it makes you feel better. I grieve for the thousands killed in Chile and Haiti, by one of God's purposes, and the thousands killed in Iraq for God's purpose and the thousands, millions who starve to death for God's purpose... while rich folk sip their martinis and place bets on dogs and ponies and men.

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Could God have made the universe any other way, with any other set of laws? Of course not. Any other possibility requires God to make a choice. Choice implies better or worse. God can not make a bad choice... can it?

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DonnyT;The millions who suffer don't compare to the trillions who live happily. You forget that God sustains the universe. Why doesn't God do away with all suffering so everyone can be equal, happy, and never die? There are many reasons; and that's where faith comes in.

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If God can make a bad choice, that would make him non-omniscient.

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KCDAD said:

What world do you live in?
A more recent estimate of the total number of people who have ever lived was prepared by Carl Haub of the Population Reference Bureau in 1995 and subsequently updated in 2002; the updated figure was approximately 106 billion

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Exactly... so there can be no choice. There can be no lesser evil.

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DonnyT said:

This miscounts those who existed in the universe




Exactly, so ultimately evil is good (when God is through with it)

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