Argument from evil, restated

[FallentoReason]

One would think that being just stems from benevolence.

[dictionary.com]
justice def: the administering of deserved punishment or reward.
benevolence def: an act of kindness; a charitable gift.

Justice is receiving what you deserve. Benevolence usually has little to do with what you deserve. A just judge sentences the murderer to death, out of respect for the law. A benevolent judge gives the murderer a shorter sentence, out of sympathy for him. I know a judge who lets me go scot-free and then offers to be my friend. Would you like to meet Him, FtR?

I think your view of benevolence is too narrow. Would an evil god even care about justice? Wouldn't it just want the most horrid of worlds to exist where chaos is rife? To my mind, such a world wouldn't allow the concept of justice. Only a "good" god would even consider being just.

Which do you respect more:
1. Man who committed murder, yet feels truly sorry.
2. Man who steals small amounts of money from work every day.
Whose heart is in the right place? Which would you rather invite home for dinner?

I don't see why you're bringing me into this because this is independent of me. God's justice doesn't involve me in the equation whatsoever.

The world is divided into two groups: criminals who try to turn from their ways, and criminals who see nothing wrong with their deeds. Imagine Jesus is a drug counselor. He accepts only patients who want to be helped. The others, by sheer force of their own will, are beyond aid.

You're going off on a tangent. The subtle point I made was that God's justice isn't something practical between humans. The wronged party is not involved in the process. It's merely the criminal and a butt hurt god who knew his creation would go against him, and yet the criminal can potentially walk away while the wronged party hasn't benefited in any way. It's a ludicrous concept that's devoid of any substance, just like most things in Christianity e.g. a sacrifice which was undone by the sacrificed reclaiming what he sacrificed. Everything revolves around your god basically interacting with itself.