The problem of evil is difficult to answer in an emotionally satisfying way to someone who is hurting. Why did God let <i>this</i> evil happen?<p>Dispassionately, though, the broader problem begs the question. If humanity is jut a product of time and chance, then evil is as much an illusion as any gods are.<p>But, that being said, some theists see evil as the absence of good. Murder, natural disasters, etc. all result when God leaves the world to its own devices.<p>To some degree a &quot;good&quot; answer to this question is very reliant on emotional and aesthetic components, so it&#x27;s extremely fair to call it a hard question to answer.