How can a god, that apparently loves everyone, allow this kind of thing to happen?

[Esquilax]

Why? What's wrong with the logic? You omitted the next line, regarding atheists' claims that temporal sins are insignificant compared to eternal suffering. Are you saying that position is meritless? If no, how is this not special pleading and an appeal to emotion?

I'd say it was omitted because, as usual, your comparison is entirely invalid: in the latter case, the eternal suffering after the temporary sin is set up as some kind of justice, and inherently, a finite crime cannot entail infinite punishment by the very definition of what justice is intended to achieve. The reason we argue that is because your desperate need to turn an inherently unjust act into a just one is dishonest, and we feel it needs correcting.

In the former case... there's simply no reason to inflict this kind of pain from birth. There's no purpose it could serve, no good it can accomplish, and so by the bounds of your theology there's no reason why your god should design such a thing into the world to begin with... and yet, there it is.

At least in the latter case you present some pretense as to why infinite suffering awaits; in the former, all you can do is shrug and seek to minimize the pain of individuals who are completely innocent and cannot possibly deserve the pain they're getting now. It's just callousness; these aren't human beings to you, because they don't serve to benefit your arguments, and so their suffering? Meaningless.

Which I find particularly interesting, given the importance your religion places on the temporary- not to mention willing and fully conscious- sacrifice of Christ, and the pain involved there...