Re re-upload: God cannot be morally good while giving humans free will

I will briefly state my position on God and religion in order to clear up any potential misunderstandings. I believe in the Christian God. My understanding of God is owed almost entirely to my parents who raised me as a Christian. Though I believe in God, I have doubts as to the legitimacy and indisputability of the Bible, For reasons that I will delve into in depth later on in this rebuttal. I do, However, Confidently accept your definition of God as "the creator and ruler of the universe and source of all moral authority; the supreme being". As such (and also because I am not educated enough in the Islamic or Judaic God to make sound arguments on their behalves), I will make my argument based on the Christian God as I know him. There are a few points you make in your rebuttal that I wish to address: [b]1. "I am not saying God is bound by our morality. I am stating from my perception with the power God has God is evil. The reason is It has the power do something and does not. "[/b] And. . . [b]"Yes who are we to ask God to based on our morality but how are we meant to comprehend if not with our sense of morality? "[/b] If I am understanding your point correctly, It appears to me as though the reason we are unable to see eye to eye on this issue is that you are attempting to view God and his actions through a rational, Humanistic lens, While I am attempting to view the same through a sort of transcendental lens, For lack of a better term (I don't know how else to say that I'm trying to see it from God's point of view, More or less). To expand on the matter, You seem to be trying to explain the actions of God using reason and logic. By allowing us to cause unnecessary pain and suffering to ourselves and others around us, And seemingly turning a blind eye, God is failing to uphold the moral standards he dictated to us in the first place, And thus must be considered morally evil. I argue that there is a "bigger picture" in play that none of us are capable of perceiving. I think that there are situations and events that we witness and consider to be tragic, But that in the long run actually turn out be for the greater good. Pain and pleasure go hand in hand, And in order to truly understand and appreciate the mountainous joys of life, We must endure the valleys of suffering. To put it in yet another light, I would liken the journey of humanity to the journey of life on Earth. Our planet has existed for approximately four and a half billion years, Over the course of which it has been ceaselessly bombarded with cataclysmic and catastrophic events. On more than one occasion, The various forms of life on Earth have suffered unimaginable setbacks, From the extinction of species to the obliteration of entire ecosystems. Tragic as it may be, It is this endless cycle of peaks and troughs that has given rise to the highly advanced lifeforms that thrive today. Similarly, Our own cycle of ordeal and blessing is leading to an existence in which we will all be able to reap the fruits of our labors. This goal-oriented suffering--this odyssey destined to the fulfillment of the bigger picture--is why I believe that God is morally good. [b]2. "If we cannot comprehend him why do we choose to believe him? "[/b] I think that faith in a God who has a plan for us is an incredibly powerful motivator. To reject the existence of a higher order (Christian or not) would be to accept that there is no plan--no purpose for our existence. There would be no reason not to do whatever we want, Whenever we want to, Regardless of the consequences. An argument could perhaps be made as to the benefits of civil and moral conduct in order to better the life of the individual. Maybe an argument could even be made as to the benefits of an ethical code in order to further our species. But in the grandest of schemes--in relation to the eternal ticking of the universe--would anything we do actually matter? What would be the point of spending our meager 80 years in the universe worrying about the well-being of others? This nihilistic, Entropic state of the universe is what we would have to come to terms with if we chose not to believe in a God. [b]3. "What if the text It used cannot be verified with our current tools? Shouldn't It's job be to update the religious book of his choice to make sure It's will is being carried out. All 3 of them do not hold up to scrutiny but are based on belief. "[/b] This is the greatest issue I currently have with the Christian faith. Just as you stated, There is no definitive way to prove that the Bible was, In fact written by men inspired directly by God. Furthermore, There is no way to know that it was passed down through centuries unaltered. I believe a number of concepts in the Old Testament to be antiquated and in dire need of an update. Though my knowledge of the Bible is limited (I have never read it from start to finish), If I am to understand what I have been told by friends and family in the faith correctly, It appears as though the arrival of Jesus Christ superseded the teachings of the Old Testament. This would, In fact, Fall in perfectly in line with my argument that God is not bound by our understanding of morality, Because in order for God to help us understand what he expects of us, He would either have to put it in writing, Or enter our world and dimension through a vessel in order to show us--to tell us that Jesus is the example which we must follow. The benefit to having a person whom we should strive to emulate is that it is a much more flexible way of conveying morality; regardless of the era in which we live, We can always consider Jesus to be a shining example of the best that man has to offer. The drawback, However--and I find this to be a massive one--is that it does not provide a concrete, Written ethical framework in which to ground our societal laws and regulations. However, I believe this would be a discussion for another time, Because while it is vital that we address how we would have to translate a belief in God into the rules and regulations that govern man, The issue at hand is, To some extent, Whether or not God should even be considered as the moral foundation in the first place.