The Problem of Evil! It’s all bangs and whistles in the end, but wow is this an interesting and also heated topic.
The problem of evil starts as a logical problem.
If God is omniscient he is aware of all things.
If God is omni-benevolent he wills good for all things.
If God is omnipotent he has the power to do his will
Evil exists.
Therefore God does not exist. (1, 2, 3, 4)
The theodicy, or name given to the defense in favor of God, has the burden to show Evil not to exist. Otherwise logically the theist would have to abandon one of the three omni traits of God. Thus completely altering the conception of God.
The most famous of theodicy is the free will theodicy. This rest as an utilitarian problem of aggregation of good. Otherwise, it is more good than bad to have free will at the cost of evil. Such that evil is such only in name, ontologically speaking ‘evil’ ceases to be so in accordance with God’s plan for ultimate good.
This point in my opinion as an agnostic saves the theist from the logical problem of evil. It is enough to say that there is a chance free will exists and is better than evil.
Is God bound by logic?
The basic problem here is such that, if God can create an object so heavy that God cannot lift it Gods omnipotence is flawed. This then raises the concept that God is bound by the laws of logic.
God is eternal
Eternal objects are infinite
Infinite objects have no bounds
God is bound by the rules of logic
Therefore God is not infinite (3, 4)
Therefore God is not eternal (2, 5)
Therefore ‘God’ does not exist (1, 6)
This proof aims at showing the incompatibility of the definition of God. It ends up forcing that either God is bound by logic, and therefore incorrectly defined. Or that God simply does not exist.
The logical problem of evil quickly becomes the evidential argument from evil as the philosophers and theologians working on it become more and more understanding that evidence against God is all we have not logical proof against.
Other topics develop in the general problem of evil area of philosophy.
Such concepts as the problem of hell; which asks how free will can be the explanation of evil, and yet warrant punishment.
The problem of vagueness is similar to the problem of hell in that it questions the grey area between good and evil. The difference between salvation and damnation.
The problem of evil can also be separated from specific religions entirely in which case we need only explain how evil exists not how it exists under the tri-omni characteristics. Most often found here is the case that evil simply exists as a part of life, and therefore should not be construed as evil per se.
