Why does evil exist?

This has been taken from an IBC 7/91 lecture at University of the Nations by Mel Hanna.

"In the book of Job, Satan charged God with coercing or buying Job's faithfulness through blessings--a charge which God defended Himself against (showing that it indeed would have been wrong for Him to have bought Job's obedience).

God is therefore limited in the degree to which He can interfere with the free will of man. God has limited Himself in this way, so that man can truly have free will. Free will in man is necessary in order for man to be able to love.

Love requires a free will agent in order to exist. It cannot be coerced or programmed into a being and still be love. Man has to be able to chose evil for the choice to love to be meaningful.
God is love, and it is unthinkable that He would have created a world where love could not exist.

Why does evil exist? Because, given the choice to do good or to do evil, men with a free will continually choose evil.

When God acts in our lives, it is because He has been legitimately released to act. When we pray, we are releasing God to act. He can enter into our lives when we open the door for Him to enter. Our free will remains intact in those instances, because He is coming at our invitation.

Satan and his demons also must be released to act. They are released to interfere in our lives when we choose evil--when we seek after other gods, when we proclaim evil words, when we perform sinful acts, or acts against GOD's love.