The “problem of suffering” is especially a problem in the monotheistic religions.   In ancient Greek and Roman religions, with their many, many gods, it wasn’t an intellectual puzzle.  If there’s suffering, it’s because some or all of the gods are ticked off and out to get you.  There are some bad ones up there as well as good ones. Just the way it is.

But if there’s only one God, why is there suffering?  Many people have very simply solutions and they don’t see a problem.  But there is a problem.  It just has to be explained.  Here I continue by showing why it’s a problem and to motivate some thinking by trying to explain how deep thinkers have expressed the problem and tried to address it.

Again, this is excerpted from my book God’s Problem (HarperOne, 2008).  Just before this excerpt

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