God, Evil, and Suffering

they typically come together in our experience. For example, reflecting on an impressively powerful argument from evil, I may begin to suspect that there is no God after all; my doubt may turn to fear or a sense of enstrangement from God; consequently, I might become angry or forlorn. On the other hand, it is relatively easy--almost natural--for a believer to move from experienced suffering to outright disbelief. Angry at God for allowing me or my loved ones to suffer, I might lash out at Him, perhaps subconsciously; and what better way to do that than to refuse Him His due and to demand that He play by my rules, rules that make good sense, not just to me but to all fair-minded people. In this frame of mind, I might put God on trial for negligence and gross incompetence, and there, in the courtroom of my inner self, marshall the evidence against Him. If I leave matters here--internally rehearsing my case against God, week after week, month after month--it may not be long before I wake up one morning to find the verdict delivered: what was once anger, pain and fear is now cool, calculated disbelief. Nevertheless--and this is the second important fact--although the theoretical and practical problems of evil come together in our experience, we must recognize that they are distinct 2 "Self-Profile," 35.