Originally Posted by Xei
To recapitulate the as yet unaddressed point,
With regards to a God who was (a) a creator with understanding of his creations, or (b) an omnipotent being who understands reality,
the observation of pointless pain and death to millions of innocents (such as children in Africa who die of dysentery due to the cholera bacterium) precludes benevolence, and shows that such a God is
(a) malevolent, intentionally causing the above, or (b) at best apathetic, intentionally allowing the above to occur.