Lots of bashing for the belief of God....

[Final-Fan]

GameOver22 said:

Final-Fan said:

I think you seriously underestimate the powers of an omniscient omnipotent being if you think that a world where animals rip other animals to shreds and eat them before they are done dying is a world as free from suffering as that being could possibly make. 

You are talking about a different problem than the one I addressed and the one you raised initially. There is a difference between talking about the suffering that results from human action and the suffering that occurs through the natural order of the world (diseases, weather disasters, suffering of animals, etc.). The free will defense addresses the first but not the second problem. A different argument would be put forward to address this question than the one I presented, so I do not see any reason to say I have underestimated God's powers given the parameters of our discussion.

Although I was indeed speaking about free will, I didn't intend to limit God's responsibility to the suffering resulting from actions chosen by free-willed self-aware beings.  If you did so intend, then ... okay. 

In that case, the first objection that springs to mind is the claim that the evil resulting from free will shouldn't be held against God.  Of course it should!  But he would also get credit for the increased goodness resulting from the same gift of free will.  You say the good far outweighs the bad:  but that doesn't mean it negates the bad.