If there is a God, why is there evil?

The re-hashed and obsolete value systems of another - are inflicted on generation after generation.
On the other hand, the few who actually hear the unbounded song of the One Life or who merely wish to live free from the fetters of social conditioning others would foist upon them are shunned.
Through authentic expression, illusions of man could come tumbling down.

If there is a God, why is there evil?

That question can only be answered if you can answer this question:

If there is a God, why are there idiots?

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If there is a God, why is there evil?

That question can only be answered if you can answer this question:

If there is a God, why are there idiots?

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There are idiots because God is The Idiot-in Chief!

1 Corinthians 1:
25Because the foolishness/idiocy of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

26For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh,
not many mighty, not many noble, are called:

27But God hath chosen the foolish/idiotic people of the world to confound the wise;
and God hath chosen the weak people of the world to confound the people which are mighty;

28And base people of the world,
and people which are despised, hath God chosen,
yea, and people] which are not/nobodies, to bring to nought people that are:

29That no [or all]flesh should glory in his presence.

30But of [Love and so in] him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

31That, according as it is written,
He that glorieth, let him glory in [Love and so in] the Lord.

1 Corinthians 3:
18Let no man deceive himself.
If any man among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.
Love [Kee]p Making A Fool/An Idiot Of Me!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njANykly01c

Rayback wrote:

If there is a God, why are there idiots?

I am sure that religionists will have an answer along the lines of 'The mysteries of God are not for us to comprehend'.

If there is a God, why is there evil?

The question is meaningless.
One can just as well ask;
"If there is a god, why is there 'blue'?"
or "..'hamburgers'?"
or "...'good'?"
Meaningless, in itself.

The original question would be better framed as 'In the presence of evil, can all-powerful God also be good God?'

Obviously not.You have to dispense with the all-powerfulness of God.

No it is not so obvious. You've made the fallacy of composition; just because there is evil in the world does not mean the world is evil. If God created things that are evil, that does not mean that He is evil. Isn't it quite possible that God created a universe with some evil in it, but that the universe on the whole is not evil?

If God created things that are evil, that does not mean that He is evil. Isn't it quite possible that God created a universe with some evil in it, but that the universe on the whole is not evil?

Isaiah 45: 
7I form the light, and create darkness:
I make peace, and create evil:
I the LORD do all these things.  

8Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness:
let the earth open,
and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together;
I the LORD have created it.

I think that people in this forum are not "asking why there is evil", but actually trying to prove that there is evil, therefore God does not exhist.

We are foolishly and stubbornly hardening our hearts saying that, well, there's evil in this wWorld, therefore God I choose not to follow your ways cause your a big fat sadistic jerk for allowing it...

But the truth is that your denying God or just choosing not to follow him because you don't agree with him, does not empower you or make God disapear.

We are small and insignifcant beings, and whether we agree with him or not does not change that fact that he has the power to squish you like a bug.

It doesn't empower you, it deems you foolish and those who take pride in there own foolishness, do no good to helping there end.

You've made the fallacy of composition; just because there is evil in the world does not mean the world is evil.

I have not.

Presumably if God is all-powerful he could do anything including making a world devoid of suffering.Since there is no known world that is devoid of suffering then there is no such entity as an all-powerful God.

Faith, you wrote

well, there's evil in this wWorld, therefore God I choose not to follow your ways cause your a big fat sadistic jerk for allowing it...

This is indeed what I say, although my choice of words differs from yours.

However, to say this is not to dismiss the idea of God, but to change the idea of what God is. I do recommend to you some church or university where you may learn progressive Christianity.

Might not god be our intutive sense of belonging to something larger than ourselves, and the anthropomorphic idols and images simpy a child like attempt at put meat on the bones of pure mystery. For what is the term god but a metaphor for that mystery, the term in and of itself tells us nothing more of that mystery, and if your metaphor you get stuck with, you've shorted the spiritual experience of wonder. One cannot understand that the physical world as without meaning in the absence of a conscious subject and still entertain the idea that evil is anything more than the evalutation of the subject, I like, I do not like, evil that which I do not like.

Presumably if God is all-powerful he could do anything including making a world devoid of suffering.Since there is no known world that is devoid of suffering then there is no such entity as an all-powerful God.

Why is it that 'suffering' and 'pain' are 'errors' or 'faults' or 'wrong' or 'evil' or 'mistakes'?
This 'god' must operate on particular peoples egoic whims?
There is nothing 'imperfect' in pain or suffering. It's just 'uncomfortable', and there's nothing imperfect about discomfort, either!

You've made the fallacy of composition; just because there is evil in the world does not mean the world is evil.

I have not.

Presumably if God is all-powerful he could do anything including making a world devoid of suffering.Since there is no known world that is devoid of suffering then there is no such entity as an all-powerful God.

Hi Belinda!
God was never all-powerful/omnipotent or omniscient or omnisapient nor omni-whatever!
God was always ONLY all-Loving, Omniagapent, filled with the Omniagapesence for Himself and all others as strong and weak, as potent and impotent, as knowing and ignorant, as fool and wise, as self and others, as etc and non-etc, as good and as evil.
1 Corinthians 1:
25Because the foolishness/ignorance/idiocy of God is wiser than men;
and the weakness/impotency/powerlessness/evil of God is stronger than/better than men.

26For ye see your calling, brethren, how that
not many wise men after the flesh,
not many mighty,
not many noble,
are called:

27But
God hath chosen the foolish people of the world to confound the wise;
and
God hath chosen the weak people of the world to confound the people which are mighty;

28And base people of the world,
and people which are despised, hath God chosen,
yea,
and people which are not/nothing/nobodies to bring to nought people that are [somebodies]:

29That no flesh [or all flesh] should glory in his presence.

30But of [Love and so of] him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

31That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in [OmniLove and so in] the Lord.

Well said, Faith!:)

O-Very well said except I don't think free will equates to freedom. I believe free will is a natural state gifted by God which allows man to either live by the knowledge of Gods Grace or not.

Anything else are just earthly choices which in fact are the things which enslave. As one does not have a choice not to eat or drink, or to breath. In these instance we are aware of the consequences of each which is death. So to with God whose Grace has allowed the choice of belief which can lead to life and death similarly.

We often use our "free will" in such a way as to give up our "freedom", in positive or in negative ways.

We give up our freedom when we use our free will to tend to or help others.
We give up our freedom when we use our free will to attach to an addiction like drugs, sex, money, etc.

If there is a God, why is there evil?

The question is meaningless.
One can just as well ask;
"If there is a god, why is there 'blue'?"
or "..'hamburgers'?"
or "...'good'?"
Meaningless, in itself.

It is not meaningless at all when you concider that god often is used to represent goodness. Evil then becomes the antithesis or opposite of god. Evil is apart from god so to speak.

If you use god merely to represent the creator whatever that is with no attachmenty to the sapience of the creation then perhaps you may have a point.

However how can the creator have no attachment to its creation?