Atheists may note that world religions do not even agree on how earth history is dated, and they will also say that any loving god would never permit the world conditions we see around us, typified by natural disasters, painful inequality and awful suffering, often resulting from disease. They deny human culpability, and reject God’s existence because their imagined god is one who would necessarily intervene to prevent all such harm and danger and, instead, miraculously provide a life of happiness for all (interestingly, it is atheistically inclined governments that have intentionally killed the most people!). Effectively, they instead bow willingly to another god: chance.

The God of the Bible is nevertheless proceeding through time (however we disagree about measuring it!) to provide eternal salvation at His expense for all people who willingly comply with His terms. Choice, rather than chance, completes the picture. A logical concept of this real God must conclude that, en route to His goal, we are actually living in the best possible universe to achieve it. If there were a better scenario, this truly all-knowing and all-powerful God would indeed have employed it. Fairness is provided by eternal blessings that outweigh the unwanted but necessary and time-limited adversities; He also displays He is a God of both justice and love; see 2 Corinthians 4:16-18.

(Extracted from article in NT Issue 3 2020)