How could a good God allow suffering?

Logically speaking, if suffering is something to be deemed "bad," then a good God, by definition, could not allow suffering.

The theological answer is that he wants humans to have free will and suffering is the result of some of our actions.

Of course, it doesn't make much sense to people who don't believe in the theology because it really isn't all that benevolent. It also doesn't make sense because free will and no suffering are not mutually exclusive. He could have given humans free will and also the inability to suffer. So either way it's a pretty cruel god that man has created, in trying to explain a cruel world.

I understand what you're saying, that is what I've been told many times before, but God suffering to learn from our struggles which will ultimately bring us closer to God.

He gave us the inability to suffer when He created the world, but ultimately our suffering is a result of sin. Without sin we would not suffer

That is the theological line, yes. But again if he is omnipotent he could just make us not have any suffering and still have free will to move "closer" or not to belief in the god. Deciding to use suffering as the tool for this is inherently cruel.

And why does the god need us to believe in him? Is he that narcissistic? To me, as an atheist, it is clear that it is not the god that is so. God did not make man in his image, man made god in our image, just as we anthropomorphize everything (like aliens being human-like bipeds).

There's no reason that an omnipotent being must make it so, that is just cruel. Can you not imagine a more benevolent god than that? It's pretty clear that if there is a god he has low empathy for the suffering he allows.

We suffer because we choose sin over God every single day. Explain why disobedience of His commandments would not result in suffering? Just like a parent punishes a child for disobeying what they say, God allows for suffering because we disobey Him every single day.

Why does it have to result in suffering? And why should he have rules and commandments in the first place, he could easily be a more live-and-let-live kind of god if he is omnipotent. And an omnipotent god can surely come up with a better schedule of reinforcement than that, it's inherently cruel just like life is.

In any case it's clear you are here to proselytize and not really ask questions so I'll move on. You are wasting your time on me, I do not believe in your god and have heard all the tropes you are repeating already, they aren't going to change my mind or likely anyone else's.

God created us. Without God, we would not exist. Not only that, He sent his son to die a horrible death for us so we can have salvation. That is why God needs us to believe in Him, He is not at all narcissistic.

My goal was not to ask questions but to answer them.

Exactly, you are here to preach. You'll have to find a different audience because like most people I find that obnoxious and because you don't have anything to say to me that I haven't heard hundreds of times. You aren't going to convince me to believe in your god and I certainly am not gonna waste time trying to convince you, you can believe whatever you like.

Welcome to a2k, ct

When I saw this, I thought I was in a time warp.
Posted just 2 weeks back:

How can a good God allow suffering

Have you considered the possibility that the God who created us is not the god of this world?

He did.

I didn't understand
good will and inability to suffer?
Or an ability to suffer?

Multiple gods? Neologist the pagan.

There are gods.
And there is God.

Adam and Eve had a perfect future before them.
Had

I thought you people were monotheists. Now there are gods and God. Throw in J.C. and the Holy Ghost and a few saints and oh yeah the Queen of Heaven and Gabriel and Michael and all the rest of the angels and don't forget your "bad" gods; Satan, Lucifer and all the demons... you've got a regular Pantheon going here!

I think my definition of (lower case) god may be different from yours.
After all, for some folks, their stomach is their god.
And many folks worship their brains.