The Problem of Animal Suffering (Round III)

If my opponent doesn't mind, I'll synthesize his arguments into a syllogism. P1: God is omni-benevolent P2: Animal suffering is not minimized :. God does not exist. Assumptions: 1) God's qualities ("omni-benevolence") would cause Him to minimize animal suffering 2) Animal Pain is Suffering 3) Suffering is Evil First of all, it is disingenuous to call God "omni-benevolent", or "wanting to do all good for all". This misconstrued notion comes from the central Christian idea that God is love (agape). [1][2] Agape is one of the four Greek words for love; it is a love that acts for the ultimate good of the other party. God thusly acts in the best interest of each and every soul. My opponent secondly assumes that animal pain is suffering. Suffering is pain experienced by a creature with a soul; it is different for creatures without souls. God is much more concerned with people, who have eternal souls that are of infinite value, than the suffering of animals. God is somewhat concerned with animal suffering [3], but He is far more interested in the ultimate welfare of our souls. In C.S. Lewis' "The Problem of Pain", Lewis argues that the natural world provides a way so that entities can be distinct (specifically, that God and humans can be distinct and thus humans can have free will). This natural world must have rules and properties for there to be normalized interactions necessary for relationships between entities. Try to violate gravity by jumping off a cliff, and it won't end well for you. [4] But animal pain must necessary for some reason, and I can see few better reasons than to show humans that this world, where the best one can hope for is ultimate pain and death, is not our home. In the Christian worldview that is assumed for this debate, God confirms that this is true. [5] Humans shouldn't inflict unnecessary pain on animals, I agree, as does the law God gave to Moses. [6] But God cares much more about people and their needs than animals, whom are not as important [3]. "If God is perfectly good, it is crystal clear that we should expect all animal suffering to be kept to a minimum, that God would give humans clear and specific instructions to be kind and gentle to the lower species, even if killing and eating them is necessary (which it is not)." If God is perfectly good, he cannot be evil. My opponent has failed to show that animal suffering is evil. A Further Extension: Assumed Christian worldview: P1: God is the basis of everything P2: God is love P3: God is omnipotent :. All things that happen are allowed, if not precipitated, by God. How can such evil and suffering exist? Because God doesn't give a jot about your present comfort. He is looking to the ultimate good of each and every individual, and that may mean pain or even death. There is a cancer growing inside each and every soul, that if allowed to mature, will become hell. God is much more willing to do the painful surgery on you that will save your life rather than let you slowly die in "comfort". We would not think very highly of a doctor who refused to do life-saving surgeries in a triage unit because the surgery puts the patient in a little more pain for a moment, but which will lead to recovery and happiness. Sources: [1] 1 John 4:8 http://bible.cc... [2] 1 John 4:16 http://bible.cc... [3] Matthew 10:26-31 http://yltbible.com... [4] Lewis, Clive Staples. "The Problem of Pain" [5] Revelations 21 http://yltbible.com... [6] Deuteronomy 12 20-27 http://yltbible.com...