Hey, they aren't *my* questions. I just keep hearing them from people who attack the Bible. Now, now, if people would only consider that the creator of the physical universe is inherently evil and/or imperfect, they wouldn't need to ask those questions.

I'm a theist (with the space

), myself. I just like to state the obvious that nobody else is willing to state.

[spoiler]For those of you interested in the gnostic point of view, which I'm having fun reading about... here ya go

The gnostics believed that most of us are spiritual beings trapped in an inherently evil physical realm, created by the demiurge. In this belief system, the divine creator is the creator of the spiritual realm, of which most cannot be aware, by virtue of being trapped in the evil realm, which encompasses the physical realm, the astral and other levels of so-called enlightenment that many religions attempt to reach.
I have read that they believed that reincarnation and karma are evil systems, the ultimate purpose of which is to break the spirit and absorb its energy. Various beliefs systems (read: religions) are used on earth to cause individuals to be in a constant state of guilt and/or be influenced into doing things that are nefarious to their spiritual wellbeing (by virtue of their ego superceding their spirit's nature and therefore any connection that they may have to the divine creator). At death, they will be "judged" and many whose spirits are weak will be duped into giving up their spirits to the evil system, in order that it may absorb its energy. Otherwise, they are forced to reincarnate (with convenient amnesia) to further weaken their spirit to such a point that it may be relinquished.
Physical well-being (affluence, comfort, etc.) has no positive effect, nor does leading a hard life. The exception being that one of the two is more likely to create a distance from the rest of the world, which by reducing spiritual awareness, makes it more prone to attack.
This is my understanding of the general gnostic belief. It's fun to think and read about. XD[/spoiler]