9. Theodicy(The Problem of Evil)

Let’s get one thing out the way real quick:

If you’ve ever stubbed your toe and shouted “God, why?!” you’ve already dipped your toe into the deep end of theology.

Because The Problem of Evil isn’t just a philosophical headache — it’s the elephant in the holy room.

It’s the awkward family member nobody wants to talk about during Sunday lunch.

It’s this:

If God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good…

Then why is the world full of pain, suffering, injustice, and pineapple on pizza?

You’d think an all-loving deity wouldn’t let children die of cancer, or tsunamis swallow entire villages, or let you send that risky text to your ex.

But here we are.


The Divine Dilemma

The ancient Greeks already smelled something fishy. Epicurus laid it out like this:

  1. If God can stop evil, but doesn’t, then he’s not good.
  2. If God wants to stop evil, but can’t, then he’s not powerful.
  3. If he can and wants to stop evil… then where the hell is he?

Fast forward to today, and theologians are still spinning like a ZESA prepaid meter trying to make it make sense.


Enter: Theodicy

No, not “The Odyssey.” No Greek warriors here.

Theodicy is the attempt to justify God’s goodness despite all the suffering. And boy, are there some wild spins.

Some say:

  1. “It’s all part of a bigger plan.” Cool. But what kind of plan includes malaria and genocide? Who wrote this script? Tarantino?
  2. “Suffering builds character.” So does gym. And therapy. No need to throw in earthquakes and famine.
  3. “Free will, bro!” Sure, humans cause a lot of evil. But what about natural disasters? Did that baby in Syria choose to be born under a collapsing building?

Others go full mystery mode:

  1. “We can’t know God’s reasons.”
  2. Translation: “Stop asking questions and accept your cosmic spanking.”


God Gets the Credit… but Never the Blame

Here’s a fun observation from Baba Brinkman's song Good Things Happen:

When miracles happen, it’s “God is good!”

When disasters strike, it’s “God works in mysterious ways.”

He’s like that friend who shows up just in time to take credit for your party but disappears when it’s time to clean up.

And yet… religion thrives in suffering.

Why? Because when life gets hard, people need meaning.

They reach for hope, even if it’s invisible.

They light candles and pray, not always because they believe — but because it hurts too much not to.

As one line in the song puts it:

“The bigger the suffering index, the bigger religion gets.”

Harsh. But not wrong.


Evil Evolves… But So Do We

Here’s the kicker: the world is getting better in many ways.

Violence is down. Child mortality is lower. We have antibiotics and memes and coffee shops with oat milk.

But our explanations? They’re still ancient.

Maybe we don’t need to justify evil anymore.

Maybe we just need to fight it. With empathy. With science. With systems that protect the vulnerable.

Because if God won’t intervene — or can’t — then it’s on us.


TL;DR?

If God can stop evil but doesn’t — we’ve got a moral problem.

If God can’t stop evil — we’ve got a power problem.

If we stop asking the question — we’ve got a thinking problem.

So keep asking.

Keep caring.

Keep wrestling with the darkness — not because you’re faithless, but because you’re human.

And maybe, just maybe,

the real holiness isn’t in the heavens…

It’s in our refusal to look at suffering and call it “part of the plan.”



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