In This Scene from Dostoevsky's the Brothers Karamazov, Ivan Karamazov

Multiple Choice

In this scene from Dostoevsky's The Brothers Karamazov, Ivan Karamazov explains to his pious younger brother, Alyosha, a Christian monk, why he cannot accept God. Ivan's impediment to full devotion to God is the problem of evil. He declares that there is untold, unfathomable suffering in the world-suffering such as that of a little child who is tortured, mutilated, and murdered by a ruthless general for no reason. God allows this suffering, but no adequate justification or explanation can be given why God would permit such evil.
-The central question raised by Ivan Karamazov is:

A) Why is there something rather than nothing?
B) What is evil?
C) How could a good God permit evil?
D) What is religion for?