This is one of Ehrman's lesser books for non-christians, as it deals heavily with theological and interpretive issues for christianity based on Bible verses dealing with suffering and the role of God in inflicting or alieving suffering. From an outside perspective, most of this battle comes down to the fusion of the jewish interpretation(s) of God in the OT, with the God of the NT (which has far less direct involvement in toying with humanity and therefore less problematic verses), and so the dilemma of reconciling the vengeful, even spiteful OT God with the NT verses just isn't there.
From a "religious studies" perspective then, what remains is about a quarter of the book, dealing more universally with the problem of theodicy, perhaps best articulated (and quoted by Ehrman) by Epicurus. Can a monotheistic view support a world with evil in it? For Ehrman, a doctrine about Satan, or defaulting to 'free will' or 'mystery' handwaves does not cut it.
Great book for doubting Christians or a general overview of these problems (and common answers) but nothing new to say. ( )

Not putting this on my 2011 reading list, even though that's when I was reading it.

While the topic interests me, the book itself failed to hold my interest through the whole of it. Overall, I just didn't like the tone of it. The information overlapped (understandably) with his other books. I got bored with it, and felt it too repetitive by around the 100 page mark. Wanted to finish it, but then decided it just wasn't worth it. I wasn't enjoying it, so why should I keep working at it?

I'm certain that for people not already as well read up on the topic (I've taken a few Bible courses in college, read it about it fairly frequently, etc.) it would be a good book/reference book. It just wasn't my cup of tea. I will keep reading Ehrman, though. ( )

Ehrman has become one of my favorite writers in the realm of Biblical and extra-Biblical/Gnostic studies. A very clear understanding of the various reasons for suffering that are offered in the Bible (which are prevalent throughout the culture), as well as his own speculation/journey from Christian to agnostic. Makes me want to read "The Brothers Karamazov" again. ( )

Whether in his books or lectures, Professor Ehrman has the rare ability to inform the reader in an interesting fashion using concise, straightforward language. Perhaps most importantly, he actually analyzes the biblical texts instead of relying on well worn but unsubstantiated beliefs. To quote from his book, "It is important then, to see what the bible actually says, and not to pretend it doesn't say something that happens to contradict one's own particular point of view. But whatever the bible says needs to be evaluated... It is a matter of using our intelligence to assess the merit of what the biblical authors say."

In this work the common explanations of suffering (punishment for sin, "free will," etc.) are addressed and found lacking. While no answers are found, and there may be none, Professor Ehrman's analysis is thought provoking and informative. Recommended. ( )

Biblical scholar Bart Ehrman considers a question much-debated by religious believers: "If there is an all-powerful and loving God in this world, why is there so much excruciating pain and unspeakable suffering?" Personally, I've always thought that the exploration of this question makes a good argument for atheism. Ehrman more or less agrees: it was precisely this question that led to him abandoning his once-deep Christian faith. These days, he considers himself an agnostic, saying that while he does not know whether or not there is a god, he's pretty sure that the all-powerful, all-loving interventionist deity he was taught to believe in doesn't exist.

This book is most definitely not an anti-religion screed, however, and while Ehrman presents his point of view and the reasons why he thinks as he does, he's not exactly rubbing his hands together and cackling gleefully at the thought of destroying anyone's belief system. What he is doing is carefully examining how the various authors of the Bible explained the existence of human suffering, putting those explanations in their proper historical context, and then commenting on the problems he sees with them.

Ehrman's writing is very clear and easy to understand. It's not exactly lively, though, and does get a bit repetitive in places. And, to someone like me for whom the best and most sensible answer to "If God exists, why do we suffer?" clearly seems to be that the premise itself is faulty, it often starts to feel a bit angels-on-the-head-of-a-pin pointless after a while. Still, I found much of it interesting and useful, if only for the perspectives it gives about ideas on sin and suffering that are still prevalent today, and just how deep the roots of some of those ideas go. I also appreciate how careful Ehrman is to keep himself grounded in the reality of human suffering, never reducing it to an abstract philosophical point. And I do think his conclusions are absolutely spot-on. ( )