The Epicurus Riddle - And Why It Is Mistaken

In reading about faith, one will find atheists who quote the Roman philosopher Epicurus, circa 300 BC:

Is God willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is not omnipotent.
Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent.
Is he both able, and willing? Then whence comes evil?
Is he neither willing, nor able? Then why call him God?

Atheist attempt to use this as an ancient argument against the existence of God, or at least our definition of God. The answer to the riddle is a bit of the second and third choices: God is willing and able to prevent evil, but He chooses not to.

Why? Why would a loving God choose to allow evil to exist? Why would a loving God allow bad things to happen?

The answer is that the questions are flawed. Viewing God as a magical invisible man in the sky (as George Carlin liked to refer to Him) who will solve all your problems and protect you from every harm is childish. Evil exists in the world because God allows us to choose to do evil, not because he chooses to prevent it. Preventing evil would remove our free will. We would no longer be his children, but his subjects, his slaves. Evil exists because we are all fallen and live in a fallen world we helped corrupt. The end result is death, disease, and horror.

Whence comes evil? It comes from from us. God is our comfort and solace from the evil we created.

God wants us to choose good, but He allows us to choose evil, so that when we do choose to follow Him and do good, it was of our own accord, and not His force.