[ZULU]

"God created the world perfect,"

Did He create a "perfect" world, or was just MAN's place in it perfect until the fall?

"bringing judgement, death and suffering into the world."

To man. It was always there for non-humans. On the other hand, it may have referred to man's spiritual death rather than to physical death. I have to check that out in Genesis.

"So people have a hard time with a God that chooses a system of cruelty and brutality to bring about a "good" creation."

IF you believe God gave man free will, along with it came the possibility that people would choose evil. God didn't really create evil, its what some people have freely chosen.

[js1138]

So those who go to Heaven give up their free will? I know this sounds like sarcasm, but when you speak of eternal life, it would be interesting to know whether it involves being lobotomized.