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The question arises in some form or another almost every time I teach a course on the Bible: If God knew what a mess humanity would make of God’s creation, why did God create the world as we know it? The question has force for us, as it projects our own experience onto the cosmic screen. I, for one, can testify that if I’d known in advance where some of my life’s decisions would lead, I would have run screaming in the opposite direction. Not so with God.