The question haunts human minds: “If God is good, why does He allow evil?” Many view this difficulty as the most substantial challenge to Christianity, and some take it as evidence that God does not exist. If God is all good, then certainly He desires to eliminate evil; and if God is all powerful, then certainly He is able to eliminate evil. For some, the fact that evil persists at least demonstrates that the Christian concept of God cannot be true, and at most casts doubt on the possibility of any God existing at all. Philosopher J.L. Mackie insists, “The existence of apparently unjustifiable evil means that some other god or no god may exist, but the traditional God could not exist.”

Normally, the objection follows three logical stages: (1) If there is evil, then there is no all-powerful and all-good God. (2) There is evil. (3) Therefore, there is no all-powerful and all-good God.