Free will isn’t so valuable for God to permit so much suffering.

Responding to the skeptic, there are number of possible answers to this question from the Christian perspective:

1.  You might believe this to be true, but I do not believe that God agrees with your opinion. Only a being with a free will could have an authentic relationship with God. The choice God has given us to accept or reject Him, to love or hate Him, to obey or defy Him, is a gift and it expresses how valuable we are to Him. This gift is why we actually have the capacity to love and worship God. Without free will, people would merely be puppets or robots, who are incapable of expressing God’s image. Due to this ability to choose good or evil, suffering is inevitable. An authentic relationship with God, as well as the capacity to worship and love Him, causes the value of free will to far outweigh the reality of suffering.

2.  As a Christian, I don’t believe the suffering of man is ever “wasted” by God. Since our pain is not pointless, I do believe free will to be valuable, even in light of suffering. (I fully explain this under Point 2 regarding why children die of cancer).

3.  God has provided a Remedy for our suffering, so the gift of free will maintains its value. (I fully explain the “remedy” under Point 4 regarding why we suffer for Adam’s sin.)

 

4.  The eternal blessings to come will far outweigh the afflictions of life on this earth and reveal the immense richness of having an authentic relationship with God, which can only be genuine if people have the will to choose. (I fully explain the “eternal blessings” under the points regarding Heaven.)