This essay will consider the question, “Do evil and suffering prove that God does not exist?” The inconsistent triad, first established by Epicurus, is often used as a logical refutation of the existence of God. In response, many theodicies have been created, to reconcile traditional divine characteristics with the presence of evil in the world. The question depends on whether free will constitutes an adequate response. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The so-called “Rock of Atheism” is the problem of evil. The world is infested with both moral and natural evil. Indeed, since 1914 there has been war somewhere in the world. As JL Mackie called the “incoherent triad,” God's three essential qualities – omnibenevolent, omnipotent, and omniscient – ​​appear to be incompatible with this evil. Either God cannot prevent evil, or He will not. Although there is also a lot of good in the world, even a small amount of evil contradicts the infinite nature of God's power and goodness. Initially this question seems to have an obvious answer. Evil is obviously the Devil's fault. This ancient idea is at least two and a half thousand years old. However, this solution leads to two problems. First, according to the Bible, in the beginning there was nothing. Therefore, God must have created the Devil, and therefore should certainly take some of the blame for all the evil the Devil causes. To get around the problem, one could argue that God did not create the Devil, but that the Devil has always existed. One of the most famous exponents of this theory was Zoroaster, a religious teacher who lived in Persia five hundred years before Jesus. He taught that there was a force of good called Ahura Mazdah and a force of evil called Ahriman. These two forces are in constant struggle. Sometimes evil will take over and be free to cause famine and war, but good will always fight to regain control. The problem is essentially this dualism, which does not accord with the Abrahamic idea of ​​a Supreme God. As a result, the free will argument is often used to explain why evil exists in the world. The purpose of the Christian life is to do good deeds and through these deeds become a good person. If God forced us to act perfectly, it would only be a false goodness. Genuine goodness requires genuine choice. Inevitably, some humans will misuse their free will and cause suffering. This could also be used as an explanation for the existence of the Devil, because angels also have free will. The Devil was created when the leader of the angels, Satan, rebelled against God. However, the free will argument has not been left unchallenged. First, determinism questions free will itself: we are made up of trillions of particles, each acting in a predetermined way, so how is it logically possible for us to have a choice? Furthermore, the very nature of God seems to disprove the notion of free will. If God is omniscient, then He must see the future. But if this were true, then the future would already be decided! On the other hand, the very notion of determinism is called into question. One could argue that the particle idea is not relevant, because Christians believe that human beings are more than lumps of flesh. There is something more than the transitory formations of matter that make up our bodies: a soul, which possesses free will. Finally, even if you accept free will, this does not explain natural evil. Natural evil is evil that is not caused by man, such as earthquakes or drought. This is a suggestion.