The problem of evil revisited.

[genkaus]

God didn't set up the system that millions of children ought to be starving. We have enough resources to feed them. This is our own doing. We also set up a system in which third world countries don't have much of a chance. But again, this us doing it. Not God.

Actually, he did set up that system. He made them weak and helpless, incapable of getting their own food or even understanding that they need to. Humans didn't have the resources or the capacity to feed all the starving for most of their existence. They didn't even have any idea about how to go about getting that capacity.

Humans are the ones who changed the system - they are the ones who built their capacity and resources to the extent that many of the children who'd have starved before don't have to now. But the system itself, that'd be your god's doing.

The alternative would be for God to nanny us when we get things wrong.

And that would be a better system.

But that world, our own moral responsibility would not be there as much, and we would expect God to do all sorts of things for us. A world where he interferes contradicts the design of the world for character building.

On the contrary - proper guidance and judicious intervention are required for character building. Take children for example - parents (or nannies) shouldn't fix everything for their kids. But they shouldn't leave them completely to their devices either. Its their responsibility to provide an environment conducive to character building - guiding the right character building in words and by positive reinforcement, discouraging negative traits, meeting their basic needs to promote physical and mental health, protection from damaging influences and freedom to develop their character within this framework. A child may want his parent to fulfill his every whim - but that places no obligation on the parent to do so.

However that said. The suffering will be trivial to infinite bliss, so the character building is worth it.

Not if the same results can be achieved without the same amount of suffering. And certainly not if the suffering becomes detrimental to it.

All I'm saying for all we know, the system he designed (our universe) is the best one for character building.

But we know that it isn't because we have built a better system.

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The problem of evil as proposed by theologians and philosophers exists because of belief in god. The question is why would god allow evil. Without god the existence of evil is not a riddle, just a natural occurrence and the only real question is what should we do about it. Saying wouldn't it be nice if god accounted for it in the next life, is just lazy. Much better to deal with it here and now.

I think it's part of dealing with the here and now to acknowledge there is wisdom behind it all.

Only if you start with the assumption of that wisdom.