a world over which He has ultimate power. The problem atheism has had in sustaining this argument is that they must attempt to prove the existence of objective evil without the benefit of an objective standard. Without such a standard, no one can say that any act is truly evil, for a subjective standard cannot result in the confirmation of objective evil.
While that is a problem for atheists, it does not remove from theists (those who affirm the existence of God) the responsibility of showing why God allows evil and pain to continue. Perhaps the following can help to do so:
Pain Is Not Evil
In a book entitled Pain: The Gift Nobody Wants, Dr. Paul Brand reminds us that "Pain is an ally placed in our makeup to protect us, to warn us of our fallibility and even help to build character." We may not want to feel pain, but it warns us of unseen dangers, reminds us to be careful where we put our hand near a stove, and forces us to take measures to discover the cause of the pain. In the 70s, doctors were made aware of a child whose pain threshold was so high that she had virtually no feeling of pain. Her parents discovered this fact when they smelled the burning flesh of her hand as it was touching a heated grill on a stove. She felt nothing and was unaware of the danger. Pain can be a friend, not an enemy.
Some Pain Our Own Fault
One who commits murder and is sentenced to life imprisonment suffers self-inflicted pain. When one deliberately drives his car at reckless speeds, the crash and the painful consequences are his fault, not God's. "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap," (Galatians 6:7). Your pain may be your fault!
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