Final answer:
Natural evil is challenging for religious believers because it raises questions about the compatibility of an all-good, all-knowing, and all-powerful deity caused by natural disasters and diseases.
Step-by-step explanation:
Natural evil is considered "more difficult for religious believers to understand" because it challenges the reconciliation of the existence of a supreme being with the presence of suffering and harm that does not result from human actions. When contemplating an all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-good deity, the occurrence of natural disasters and diseases seems to present a paradox. The main question arises: if God is omnibenevolent, omnipotent, and omniscient, why is there natural evil that appears to serve no purpose and causes indiscriminate suffering?
Philosophers and theologians have grappled with this concern, often referred to as the Problem of Evil, seeking to provide explanations that both uphold the divine qualities and account for the existence of evil. Some suggest that moral evil may have a place in God's plan, serving as a test or a means for spiritual growth, while natural evil poses a greater challenge to justify within this framework. The discrepancy arises because moral evil can be associated with human free will, whereas natural evil does not seem to result from choices but from the nature of the world itself.
Thus, the Problem of Evil poses a philosophical dilemma that tests the limits of human comprehension and the rational defense of faith. Within the Judeo-Christian tradition, various attempts have been made to address the issue, from viewing evil as a necessary part of a perfect universe to considering it a byproduct of human limited perspective—in contrast to God's infinite understanding. Nonetheless, the question persists, forming a central concern in theodicy and religious philosophy.