@Zombie: We tend to have our moments
Insects aren't anything like humans. We have brainpower and comprehension untold times that of an insect, and with that a similarly increased capacity for suffering.
Which is exactly what an insect would say about bacteria. The argument that we still don't pull out their legs is a better one though, but the whole "soul" thing counters that.
Yes, even if the body suffers, the soul suffers, but maybe it's necessary suffering. I give my child inoculations as well. And that's what a lifetime of suffering is, compared to the infinity of the soul: a mere pinprick. Apart from that, I still think that "benevolence" and "good" are subjective terms, and therefore not applicable to an absolute being. God is benevolent in his own right, by definition, but what that actually means in practical terms... I have no idea. Perhaps we get "time out", a few years of total freedom from God before he takes us up into the fold again, and that temporary freedom is called "life". If we had memory of where we come from, we'd have no total freedom, so that makes sense. It's just another explanation for the inexplicable.
@Leafsnail: I have no knowledge. I had an experience that led me to believe. I'm not saying you should believe what I believe. Relax