ABSTRACT
The nature, quantity of and distribution of evil in the world is incompatible with the existence of a benevolent, omnipotent, omniscient, personal God who created the universe and is responsible for what goes on in it. There may, however, be something left of the claims of religion, even if this is so. It seems that the existence of an omnipotent, omniscient and benevolent God is incompatible with the existence of evil. If God is benevolent, he cannot wish his creatures to suffer evil. If he is omniscient, they cannot suffer evil without his knowing it. If he is omnipotent, he must be able to prevent their suffering evil. But there is evil. The view that evil is a logically necessary condition of greater goods is more interesting, though not much more plausible, than the view that evil is causally necessary for their existence.
