How can one reconcile the existence of a good and omniscient God in light of how much suffering and evil there is in the world?

A thorny issue in the philosophy of religion is the problem of evil. Explaining the problem is simple enough: How can one reconcile the existence of a good and omniscient God in light of how much suffering and evil there is in the world? But providing an argument that resolves this philosophical tension is far more difficult.

For this discuss assignment, imagine you are having a conversation with a friend who does not believe that God exists on account of the pervasive injustice, suffering, and evil in the world today. Provide the best possible answer that overcomes your friend’s concerns. Be sure to incorporate at least one citation from a scholarly source or from the reading material or this week to support your answer. Points are awarded based on the overall persuasiveness of the argument provided.

Here is the Reading material for this question:

http://philosophy.lander.edu/intro/aquinas.shtml

http://www.users.drew.edu/~jlenz/whynot.html

http://www.religioustolerance.org/agnostic1.htm

This needs to be in apa format and with in-text citation and 400 words.