Epicurus quote

Alvin Plantiga has the best reply on record. Check out God, Freedom and Evil

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0802817319/?tag=baptis04-20

 

:thumbs::thumbs: AGREED!! :wavey:

The problem with that argument is the second premise:
Is he able but not willing? Then he is malevolent.

That premise is either false, or at minimum assumes too much and is un-proved and un-knowable. The premise assumes that we KNOW that there are no morally sufficient reasons for God to permit evil and evil actions. If you think about it....that's really quite the assumption. Your friend would essentially have to know all the reasons an omniscient God would or would not have in order to say with any confidence what God WOULD or WOULD NOT do. I would defy him or her to defend premise 2

Here is a smaller article which covers in part what Plantinga's book would suggest.
http://www.reasonablefaith.org/the-problem-of-evil
From the article
a. The chief purpose of life is not happiness, but the knowledge of God. One reason that the problem of evil seems so puzzling is that we tend to think that if God exists, then His goal for human life is happiness in this world.

 

God could make everyone a robot that is unable to sin, but would you want to be a robot?

Though we are God's creation, he respects us as individuals and gives us the right to choose for ourselves what we do, either good or evil. And I don't know how others feel, but that is the way I would want it, I would resent if I was a robot.

Of course, I might not know I was a robot, but then I would not really be a person either.

Suppose you were a teenage girl. Your father could lock you in your bedroom to prevent a teenage pregnancy, but would you love your father for doing so?

 

Even worse....you wouldn't resent it. Nor appreciate it either.