Bad Things Matter

Many people have pointed out that the reality of Evil is a problem for anyone who had believes in God. (e.g. If God is good, or all powerful, how can he allow bad things to happen to good people? Therefore, he must not be all powerful, or he must not be all good...)

However, there is another problem we often overlook.

The reality of our-problem-with-bad-things-happening is an even bigger problem for those who don't believe in God. (e.g. If there is no God, then why would bad things happening not just be things happening? Where do we get off calling some things 'bad'? Why not just call them normal? Things happen. Full stop)

So the fact that 'bad-things-happen (we know it's true and it bothers us) – this is actually a very significant problem for a god-less world. How can we call anything evil or bad if there is no ultimate (divine) standard of good? Why not just say that things happen (no value judgements assigned).

• You receive an unexpected windfall... it's not good or bad, it just happens.
• Your best friend gets breast cancer or is wrongly deported... it's not good or bad, it just happens.

But we know that doesn't fly with our hearts.

Our caring about evil is impossible to justify if there is no God. And we don't like people that actually live uncaringly about evil.

In sum:

• sure, the fact that bad things happen is a challenge for those who believe in God.
• but the fact that bad things matter (eg. that some things really are wrong and evil) is an even greater challenge for anyone who don't believe in God but does believe in evil. (e.g. it is far easier for those who believe in God to deal with their conundrum by simply (humbly) acknowledging that they don't have all the data so it's entirely possible God has a reason for everything that happens (even bad or evil things)... It feels a little rich (proud) to suggest that if we mortals can't understand something then God must not be able to make sense of it either.)
• no one wants to live with anyone who really doesn't believe in evil...