Quote: It seems to me that God has gone to an awful lot of trouble to create humans that constantly sin, displease him, annoy him, turn away from him, deny him, worship the wrong version of him etc. etc. etc.
Why would he do this?
Well it seems to me that the only reason He would ever do this is if this is the best possible of all worlds. I think He had to allow for some misery or else there would not have been virtues, which require some catastrophe, virtues like courage, unconditional love and so on, which are dependent upon free will. So the question is how much is just the right amount. I imagine that this world must have just the right amount, and at times it seems like its so much suffering and grief that surely there is not a God. But it seems like in order for someone to perseve there would have to be something very difficult to persevere through, not like a tiny pric on the finger.
I can understand if someone concludes that this could not be the best possible of all worlds. As I have said the problem of evil is the most difficult problem in Christianity and there is no perfect available response to it. I do believe that in the future something willl happen that will be so great that it will make us realize that the suffering was necessary in order that there be such a great good, like love, free will, courage, temperance, unconditional love, perseverence, sacrifice and so on.
