This is the hardest question anyone can ask about God. And it deserves a real answer - not "just don't think about it." Let's think about it together, carefully and honestly.
If God is good and God is powerful, why doesn't He stop bad things from happening? Why do people get sick? Why are there earthquakes? Why do some people choose to be cruel?
This is a really important question, and it's okay to ask it. Even people in the Bible asked it. Let's think it through step by step.
Think about most of the bad things in the world: bullying, lying, stealing, fighting, wars. Where do those come from? People choosing to do wrong things.
Now here's the key: God gave people the ability to choose. He didn't make us like robots that can only do what they're programmed to do. He made us with free will - the ability to choose between right and wrong.
Why? Because love has to be a choice. If someone is forced to say "I love you," that's not real love. Real love - real kindness, real courage, real goodness - only counts if you could have chosen not to do it.
But here's the problem: if people can choose good, they can also choose bad. You can't have one without the other. A world where people can truly love is also a world where people can truly hurt. That's not God's fault - it's the cost of freedom.
What about earthquakes? Diseases? Those aren't caused by bad choices. These are harder to explain. Here are a few honest thoughts:
Here's something most people miss: when you say "bad things shouldn't happen," you're already assuming something important. You're assuming that some things are genuinely bad - genuinely wrong. But as we learned in Lesson 2, real right and wrong point to God. So the very feeling that makes you ask "why does God allow evil?" is itself evidence that God exists. The question actually points to the answer.
Why does God allow people to make bad choices?
You've learned six big ideas: the universe needs a Maker, right and wrong point to God, the Bible is backed by incredible evidence, Jesus was a real person confirmed by his enemies, the resurrection has evidence even skeptics accept, and suffering doesn't disprove God - it actually points back to Him. You're ready to explain to anyone why you believe - not just what you believe.
The Foundations track goes deeper into every topic you just explored - with more evidence, more arguments, and more detail. You're ready for it.
Start Grades 6–8 →Each lesson teaches one reason to believe - using logic, history, and evidence. Not just feelings.
Everything that begins to exist has a cause. Scientists agree the universe had a beginning. So what caused it?
Killing innocent children is wrong - everywhere, always, for everyone. If that's truly true, what does it tell us about God?
The odds of our universe supporting life are astronomically precise. Was it an accident - or design?
With 5,800+ Greek manuscripts, the New Testament is the most documented ancient text in history. What does that mean?
For centuries, critics said the Bible invented cities and kings. Then archaeologists started digging. What they found was stunning.
Roman historians, Jewish scholars, and enemies of Christianity all wrote about Jesus. What did they say?
Even Jesus's enemies admitted the tomb was empty. Historians call five facts about the resurrection "minimal facts." What are they?
This is the hardest question skeptics ask. It deserves a real answer - not just "trust God." Let's think it through carefully.