March planting and #72 Theodicy

Seeds and propagation

Tomato seedlings

When March arrives and we get a burst of warmer weather it's time to attack the seed packets. This week I've planted peppers and lettuces in seed trays and transferred tomato seedlings from the propagation trays to small individual pots.
In the next week or so I plan to start off Aubergines and Melons.
(Be careful you might think spring has come but there'll likely be frosts and bad weather until April at least)

 

Idea 72 is Theodicy

I don't know if you have had doorstep debates with sellers of the Watchtower but one of the opening lines triggers in my mind  the theme of Theodicy (as I now know it to be thanks to Mr Ian Crofton).

Don't you think the world is in a mess?

If God is all powerful why does he let so many people die such terrible deaths (After some terrible tragedy like the 2004 Tsunami in the Far East).

Theodicy is defined as :
 the branch of theology concerned with defending the attributes of God against objections resulting from physical and moral evil.

So to summarise if God is able to do everything why doesn't he look after us?

Paradise lost by John Milton is cited as a writing of Theodicy  and this page will give you some pointers into the thoughts of Augustine of Hippo (cool name?)
Of course this is a very big question but I really struggle with it. Is eating an Apple sinful (see the Fall of Man and find out what you can) - or as I suppose I should ask is going against God's will (in this instance?).

By the way I can see that the Apple is much more than a single item of fruit - but what sense does it make if God has made us and is all powerful etc.?
Without wishing to be too disrespectful what does God expect?  - and  why doesn't God fix it as God could if God wanted -(if you've seen any previous 'idea' entries I think you'll detect my frustration with this 'idea' -  If you don't get the frustration take a look here or if you can explain to me please email me!)
And here is (for me) another ultimately unsatisfactory 'religious' answer but with  (in some cases) thoughtful comments attached..


Postscript - some might say divine intervention, spookily I actually got a visit by a couple of the Jehovah's Witnesses today- they didn't hang around but they left this for us...

Invite from the Jehovah's witness