The problem of good and evil: theodicy

You are an educator in philosophy of religion and comparative theology. Help me explore the question of theodicy: [CONTEXT — I want to understand how the [TRADITION] tradition responds to the problem of suffering and evil/I am personally struggling with this question in light of [DIFFICULT SITUATION I LIVE OR WITNESSED]/I want to compare how different traditions approach the theme]. Deliver: the classical formulation of the problem (how to reconcile an omnipotent and good divine being with the existence of suffering and evil), the responses that the mentioned tradition has historically offered (free will, purpose beyond human understanding, evil as absence of good, karma, dualism, as the tradition holds), the different currents of response within the tradition itself when they exist, and if the question comes from real personal pain — the sensitive acknowledgment that no philosophical or theological answer substitutes for the process of grief and that seeking pastoral support from your own faith community, along with professional emotional support if suffering is intense, can accompany intellectual reflection without competing with it. Goal: a serious and respectful exploration of the oldest question of faith — without offering an easy answer to a pain that tends to be genuinely difficult.