theodicy and other, related things

The Problem of Evil...er, wrong evil.

Recently, the question of theodicy has come to the fore of my (albeit limited) attention.  Theodicy is the philosophical/theological study of the question of 'why does God let bad things happen to good people' or, more abstractly, if God is good, why does He permit evil to exist.  These questions pre-suppose that God (by whatever name) is omniscient, omnipotent and omni-benevolent.  Some explanations of the 'problem of evil' pose that God cannot exist or, alternately, that God cannot be omniscient, omnipotent or omni-benevolent.  Others would argue that what is perceived as evil may not be evil at all, that it is a consequence of Original Corruption/Sin, that it is an outgrowth of Free Will and the list goes on.

Now, I have my own thoughts about this, but as I was reading one of the Patristic writers last night (yes, I have that active a night life, shush) his words put a razor-sharp point on discussions regarding such things. 

He said to not concern yourself overmuch with doctrine, for it isn't doctrine which Christ taught...there aren't enchiridions of epistemology, codices of catechisms or lexicons of liturgy which Christ required to be followed to the letter. 

What Christ said was to follow his example, to love God and your neighbour.  Do what's right and trust in the Divine.  That's much harder to do than a rubric of rules or the succor of sophistic substantiation, yet we seem to find it so much more important to argue over the colour of an orange rather than to feed the hungry with it. 

Don't borrow trouble. 
Just do what's right. 
Just sayin.