It seems to me that there are five major alternatives to explain why there are evil and suffering in the world.  None of these alternatives answers all questions or is completely satisfactory; yet each has been used to one extent or another by different groups of people.

Here are some signs and messages that we have seen--Funky Doodle! I have mixed up the locations, but maybe you can guess where each was found. Enjoy.

Autumn in New England, when it rains and breaks down each year. But I would trade all my future Augusts for one October free and clear.

Let me tell you about the true back-story of “Dirty Pig.” Several years ago, Ethan, John, Beth, and I stayed a few nights on a pig farm in central Vermont. We loved the barn because it contained mostly pigs—piglets, adolescent pigs, three large sows that were the source of all the piglets and adolescent pigs, and one lone boar named Mr. Studly (yes, his real name). The sows each weighed about 8000 pounds, or so it seemed, but Mr. Studly was only about one quarter of their size. He had the equipment to do his manly duties, but he couldn’t reach any of his sweethearts. So Farmer Brown...