Instag0 说:
He could create a world such that we experience free will in the absence of evil.
Indeed, you are right and He did (according to the bible). The world was created entirely good and free from evil. The humans that were created did however have a free will. They chose to do evil.
If however, you are referring to a world in which the creatures are unable to do evil, this would mean that they do not have a truly free will.
If he could create such a world, but chose not to, then he is a malevolent God
Even though God did create a world like that, I don't agree with that argument, because if evil is done by the free will of men, it is not God, but men who are malevolent.
and if he is not a benevolent God, he is not a theistic God.
What exactly is a 'theistic God'? (I honestly don't understand. To me it just means 'godly God'. A non-theistic god I would consider a contradiction in terms. English is not my native language.)
fisheye 说:
I'm guessing you're saying that theistic gods are all basically Zeus: big male human, unlimited magical power, white beard, sadistic attitude, insufferable superiority complex, insatiable rapist (yeah the Christian god did that, I don't remember him asking for permission before impregnating Mary with Jesus).
None of these attributes apply to the christian God (except maybe 'insufferable superiority complex', which is quite logical and not really a complex. He's just ultimately superior.) And you are quite far off the mark on that last one. Even if there really was a sexual impregnation (for which I see no evidence), do you normally consider every sexual act rape by default unless proven otherwise? Anyway, when the angel predicted the birth of Jesus one year before He was born, Mary responded "be it unto me according to thy word." So, according to the bible, Mary agreed to become the mother of Jesus.