Looking at it as a Christian (but not a young earther) it appears that GOD is, among many other attributes, love. HE desires a connection with beings which HE created “in HIS own image” i.e. with purpose and freedom to choose. Yet the way in which HE went about this, for reasons we can only guess at, involved creating a vast universe (two hundred sextillion stars) designed (particle physics, anyone?) such that a Table of Elements would exist, and be tuned to exquisite precision such that nitrogen-based DNA life would not just occur but do so in lavish fashion.
Further, in this lavish universe with lavish built-in chemistry, HIS time scale was as far beyond human understanding as the size of HIS universe. It took neutron stars in close enough proximity to collide; this is physics’ current best idea on how all of the heavy elements formed – and without them, key ingredients of various enzymes etc. can’t even exist.
Further, once a star and its planets formed from the remnant of that collision, several billion years passed while life developed through stages of increasing complexity to the point where homo sapiens could appear. Getting to ‘sapiens’ was a trick in itself, involving pulling a species (primates) out of their trees to venture out onto bare ground, adapt to that, then survive a long series of gross climate changes, each of which favored the ones better equipped to deal with change – – until at last HE reached modern humans.
After all, if a thing is worth doing, it’s worth doing carefully and well. Patiently.
And GOD arranged the nearby (naked-eye distinguishable) parts of the galaxy plus the other planets in orbit around the sun, such that they provided clues which HE inspired the Jewish prophets to write down. These led the magi to Jerusalem to discover the Christ Child in nearby Bethlehem. A modern PC app for gazing at the skies, 24-7-365 from any spot on earth, and going back thousands of years, helped illustrate it (“Star of Bethlehem” DVD) –
All the while ‘original sin’ is the consequence of evolving in a world that requires major self-protective efforts. A new-born is aware (please no arguments about how to define that word) of personal needs – hunger, discomfort, fatigue – and only begins to realize that other ‘wills’ exist after learning to take steps, and begin to speak a few words. Take this as the first existential “Oh CRAP!” moment of the developing life; this is where the “terrible twos” begin. Various stages of increasing acculturation to living among other wills improve the new person’s sensibilities, but no one ever gets to “perfect.”
In other words, we are born into sin and cannot escape it.
GOD knows full well that HIS perfection and love are a kind of infinity that mortals can never attain – here’s the kicker – that prevents mortals from reaching the necessary perfection HE set out to make – [here we come to a concept of karma] GOD sent HIMself in a form we call the second person of the trinity, to surrender the aspects of GODhood and live the human life we know as Jesus. HE suffered the penalty of our imperfections. HIS sacrifice paid, in some way we’re too poor in mind to understand, the cumulative “badness” or “bad karma” of every human life. When our human life ends, HE washes clean the souls of those who understand their need of cleanliness and have asked to be forgiven.
Short answer, I haven’t the foggiest clue as to “why” – way above my pay grade – but I do believe that GOD created the universe, embodies love to an extent I’m not equipped to understand, and desires my being connected to HIM now, and in the greater life to come.
He made me what I am, paid my dues for being what I am, and loves me dearly.
Oh, and Another Thing 