How does the free will defense explain the existence of moral evil?

In the philosophy of religion, the free will defense is a response to the problem of evil that seeks to demonstrate that the existence of moral evil is logically compatible with the existence of an omnipotent and perfectly good God.12

The defense posits that moral evil—evil resulting from human actions—is not caused by God but by human beings. The core argument is that for humans to possess genuine free will, they must have the capacity to choose between good and evil. Proponents argue that a world in which individuals act freely, even when they occasionally choose to commit evil acts, is morally preferable to a world populated by "automata" who are compelled to do only what is right.12

By granting humans the freedom to choose, God enables the possibility of significant moral goods, such as genuine virtue, which cannot exist without the corresponding possibility of moral failure. Consequently, the existence of moral evil is viewed as a necessary consequence of the existence of free creatures, rather than a failure of divine goodness or power.21