asaris

The Epicurus argument seems to me to be arguing that the existence of evil logically contradicts the existence of God. The possibility that there is a greater good is all a theist needs to disprove this argument.

As far as my own opinion, I don't know I'd say that every evil serves a greater good. I think my first answer would be simply that I don't know. My second answer would be it is the possibility of evil (especially the evil involved in human action) which serves the greater good of free will, not necessarily each individual evil. For example, the murder of a child may not result directly in a greater good, but the free will which creates the possibility of this does. My third answer is that God works with our bad choices and natural disasters to create good out of them, even if things would have been better had we made better choices.

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"Die Deutschen meinen, daß die Kraft sich in Härte und Grausamkeit offenbaren müsse, sie unterwerfen sich dann gerne und mit Bewunderung:[...]. Daß es Kraft giebt in der Milde und Stille, das glauben sie nicht leicht."

"The Germans believe that power must reveal itself in hardness and cruelty and then submit themselves gladly and with admiration[...]. They do not believe readily that there is power in meekness and calm."

-- Friedrich Nietzsche