The theological “problem of evil” can be summarized by saying that the following three propositions are incompatible or inconsistent: 1) God is all-loving; 2) God is all-powerful, and 3) evil exists. First it must be said that strictly speaking there is no formal contradiction between the statements (i.e., you can rationally believe all three propositions without explicit contradiction). However, the atheist believes that if you “tease out” the assumptions behind each statement you will eventually expose an inconsistency or contradiction, and therefore a rational person will admit that at least one of three statements must be in error: either God is not all-loving (i.e., perhaps he is “beyond good and evil”), or he is not all-powerful (i.e., perhaps he is limited in his ability to fight evil), or evil does not really exist (i.e., perhaps evil is an illusion). Since the existence of evil is said to be self-evident, however, the problem must be with one (or both) of the first two propositions, with the conclusion that God (understood as both all-loving and all-powerful) does not exist. Or so the atheist or skeptic may argue…
The denial of the existence of the God who is both all-loving and all-powerful (i.e., the Supreme Being) based on the existence of evil is not logically persuasive, however, first because there is no formal contradiction between the three statements (i.e., that God is all-loving, God is all-powerful, and evil exists), and second because the atheist’s conclusion that the Supreme Being does not exist is a “universal negative” statement, that is, a statement that ranges over the set of all existing things, claiming (omnisciently) that of nothing in all of existence is God… When we consider that claim, however, it should be clear that skeptical “atheism” cannot possibly justify its conclusion, since it cannot justify the essential premise that the mind can know everything that exists….
Moreover, since atheism usually adheres to some form of “natural” evolutionary theory, it assumes the claim that the universe has always existed (i.e., that there was no “First Cause” that is its personal Creator), and therefore it assumes that the “mechanism” of evolution has always been at work. Consequently it must assume that everything that now exists, and whatever has evolved, is the inevitable result of impersonal processes of reality. Such a metaphysical viewpoint is of course incapable of making moral distinctions between, say, the actions of Adolf Hitler and Moses, since there is no essential difference between them as “products” of the grand evolutionary machine.
Indeed the “machine” metaphor that nature operates according to certain “laws” that constitute reality reveals an epistemological weakness to the entire “narrative” of atheism. If human beings have evolved over billions (trillions? quadrillions?) of years in a closed system of cause and effect, then how is human consciousness — itself a product constrained by such impersonal forces — able to transcend the system that programs it to evaluate its meaning and truth? To say that categorically everything evolved by an impersonal system of cause and effect is therefore a self-refuting and metaphysically meaningless claim…
Atheists often claim that God “cannot” exist because the world is so unjust and full of pointless suffering, and yet from what source does this ideal of justice derive? How is it possible to define what “evil” or “good” mean by appealing to natural processes alone? How does the atheist derive any “ought” from any “is” based on the faith that whatever happens ultimately comes from entirely impersonal natural processes? On the grounds of philosophical naturalism (i.e., that there is nothing but “natural elements, principles, and relations” of the kind studied by the natural sciences) there is no such “thing” as “right” or “wrong,” there is no realm of “ought,” but only brute facts of reality, and therefore there is no way to criticize whatever happens since it is, after all, an inevitable and necessary outcome. The only recourse – on naturalism’s grounds – is to claim (with Thrasymachus) that “might makes right” (the survival of the fittest), and to abandon any talk of ethical idealism. Ironically enough, since naturalism reduces (or redefines) morality to mere description of natural processes, it cannot say anything meaningful about what is morally right or wrong at all. In short, atheism is a morally bankrupt philosophy based on irrational thinking, darkness, and despair.
The Scriptures declare that though the “outward self” (ὁ ἔξω ἡμῶν ἄνθρωπος) inevitably wastes away (διαφθείρω), the “inner self” (ὁ ἔσω ἡμῶν) is being renewed (ἀνακαινόω, i.e., “raised up in newness of life”) day by day (2 Cor. 4:16), which implies that we have nothing to fear regarding our perpetuity and acceptance as God’s beloved children. Therefore we do not “lose heart” (lit., act badly, from ἐκ, “out” + κακός, “badly”). Despite the shadows of this world, we take hold of the words of our Savior, who said: “I give you eternal life, and you will never be destroyed (ἀπόλλυμι), and no one will snatch you out of my hand” (John 10:28). And in another place he likewise said, “Everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die (οὐ μὴ ἀποθάνη)” (John 11:26).
From our Torah this week (i.e., 
It has been said that there are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is… Hence thinking that you are spiritual when you really are not is to deceive yourself, but so also is thinking you are not spiritual when you really are. In the former case you are a hypocrite, but in the latter case you are a person of little faith… If you are willing to honestly examine the status of your spiritual life, see whether you are trusting in your own will to believe, in your own obedience to the moral law, etc., or whether you are trusting in the Reality and power of the resurrected Savior to give you life from the dead…
Our faith separates us from the visible and temporal realm to reveal the invisible and eternal realm — faith hears (shema) the “yes” of the LORD in the midst of worldly dissipation and despair. This “Daily Dvar” broadcast discusses the walk of faith and how we need to remain focused on what is real in the midst of the ups and downs of our daily lives. I hope you find it helpful…
King David says in Psalm 27:4, “One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek” (אַחַת שָׁאַלְתִּי מֵאֵת־יְהוָה אוֹתָהּ אֲבַקֵּשׁ). Notice that David asked for just one thing – not many things. He did not come with a litany of requests. He was not “double minded.” David realized that what is most important is to have a seeking a heart, or rather, a heart that seeks that which is most important, and therefore he asked for the gift of focus and the pursuit of truth. He desired the “pearl of great price.” Note further that the verb translated “I will seek” (avakesh) comes from the root word bakash (בָּקַשׁ) meaning “to wish” or “to desire.” The verse could therefore be read as, “The one thing I ask from the Lord is for godly desire – for the will to “behold the sweetness of the Lord, and to inquire in His Presence.” This is a prayer for the highest we may attain. The “one thing” David asked for was a heart made alive to perceive the wonder of God.
Those who deny that objective truth exists (or those who deny that something may be known about reality) are themselves making a truth claim, namely the claim that there is no such thing as objective truth (or that real knowledge of the world is not possible). This self-inflicted incoherence is a sign of irrationalism, of course, the abandonment of reason, which perhaps is the ulterior motive for such manner of thinking, after all. The person who denies truth does so to escape the demands of truth – to flee from personal responsibility before moral and spiritual Reality. It is a form of “wish-fulfillment” to say that people are not responsible for what they believe and how they live their lives. Hence our culture’s obsessive “busyness,” its craving for ongoing diversion, entertainment, fantasy, escapism, and so on.
“May the LORD lift up his face upon you and give you peace” (Num. 6:26). That is, may the LORD “lift up his face” (יִשָּׂא יְהוָה פָּנָיו) toward you in welcome, and may his countenance be radiant with joy over you. May his face be “toward you,” not turned away or hidden… When God turns toward you, he imparts the blessing without which all other blessings are beholden, namely, his peace (i.e., shalom). After all, what good is worldly prosperity or temporal pleasure apart from God’s blessing of peace? To have shalom (שָׁלוֹם) is to be made shalem (שָׁלֵם) – made whole, complete, secure, happy – and therefore the peace of God (שְׁלוֹם הָאֱלהִים) is assuredly the most essential blessing.
The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, ‘Thus you shall bless the people of Israel, saying: “May Adonai bless you and keep you from illusions; may Adonai shine divine light upon you; may Adonai reveal his presence to you.’ So shall they put my Name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them” (Num. 6:22-27). The question is asked why the kohanim (priests) were needed to confer God’s blessing, and what is meant by the idea of God “setting his Name” upon the people. The sages reply that the blessing is bestowed by a mediator to show that all things flow from the Holy One, and there is no one who can rightly say, “by my strength and my power alone has this come to pass” (Deut. 8:17). Therefore the blessing is graciously given to those who simply open their hearts to receive it: “May Adonai bless you; may Adonai shine divine light upon you; may Adonai reveal his Presence to you…” Everything that comes to us comes in God’s Name, as it is written: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of Lights (אֲבִי הָאוֹרוֹת) with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17). The blessing of God (בִּרְכַּת יָהּ) is to “bear His Name” by being filled with the strength of His Presence, walking in the flow of His power, completely in union with His will… Bearing the Name of the LORD means being surrendered and identified with his heart in all things.
Yeshua taught us to be focused and to refrain from using “vain repetitions” (i.e., βατταλογέω – “babbling words”) in our prayers, since our Father knows what we need before we ask Him (Matt. 6:7-8). What He wants is “us” – all our heart and hunger for life – not some formula or recipe of words to appeal to him. Don’t worry about the verbiage of your prayers, then, but attend to the inner groan of your heart (Rom. 8:26). “When you pray, rather let thy heart be without words than thy words be without heart” (John Bunyan). Ultimately prayer is a kind of teshuvah (תְּשׁוּבָה), a word often translated as “repentance,” though it’s more accurately understood as turning (shuv) to God in response to His call. Sometimes you just come and present yourself in God’s presence, without words, without requests… You just sigh, or let your heart groan in silence. The point, of course, is that you come to the Lord to do real business with Him, not to play games or to offer “lip service.” Are we really “showing up” when we pray?