Evil is to life what contradiction is to reason.  If an argument is contradictory, reasoning breaks down.  If life is consumed by evil, life breaks down.  The problem of evil begins with me.  One of the shortest letters written to an editorial was by G.K. Chesterton.  It read, “Dear Sir” In response to your article, ‘What’s wrong with the world’ – I am.  Yours truly, G.K. Chesterton.”

…if God can do anything at all, even that which is mutually exclusive, then He can also contradict His character, which would by implication render the problem of evil moot, needing no defense.  The very reason we raise the question is because we seek coherence.  In a world where love is the supreme ethic, freedom must be built in.  A love that is programmed or compelled is not love; it is merely a conditioned response or self-serving.