The "Problem" of Evil

In my Philosophy class, we recently discussed something called "the Problem of Evil." Some atheists say that if God really existed, and if He really was all-knowing, all-good, and all-powerful, then He wouldn't allow evil to exist (and, for this discussion, this definition of "evil" is expanded to include both "moral evil," which includes all sinful and evil acts, and "natural evil" which includes natural disasters, disease, and death). God, being good, doesn't want people to suffer or to commit sin. Being knowledgeable, He knows that evil will occur, if He doesn't prevent it. And, being powerful, God has the power to stop evil from existing. So, why doesn't He?

I believe that God has good reasons to allow evil to continue to exist. Most evils we experience second-hand give us experience. All of the trials and sufferings we experience in life, including being the victims of others' sins, can work toward our eternal benefit. As for the evils we commit ourselves, I think that they can also give us experience and eventually work toward our benefit, if we repent of them. I also wonder if it may be a greater evil for God to force us to be righteous than it is for Him to allow us to be evil.

God has an eternal perspective, and He knows things about the laws of the universe we can't even imagine. It's possible that the reason God lets evil exists because He lacks the power to prevent it, but I doubt it. I don't think that the continued existence of evil diminishes God's attributes at all. I know that God wants what best for us, that He knows what's best for us, and that He's powerful enough to make it happen. The fact that we suffer anyway may tell us more about the value of that suffering than it tells us about the nature of God. Perhaps God allows evil to exist because that's what's best for our eternal welfare. Maybe suffering through a few short decades of evil is exactly what our spirits need to grow. I'm only guessing, but it may be that the reason God hasn't solved "the problem of evil" yet is because, in His eternal plan for our eternal welfare, the existence of evil isn't actually a problem at all.