Question in Response:
How does removing God make the problem of evil and suffering any less of a problem?
Short Answer:
Removing God only makes evil and suffering absurd. Other religions deal with it by saying it is an illusion or that God is not all powerful or loving.
If you really believe that the problem of evil and suffering is real then you can at least be assured of this: the problem of evil and suffering is treated as the main problem in Christianity and the solution is the main theme of the Bible.
The Bible (Genesis ch3) says that all evil and suffering is the result of man’s choice to cut himself off from God who is the author of life and goodness.
According to the Bible, the solution is to come to Christ who saves us from our sin and from this world and promises to bring us into a perfect world where there will be an end to pain, evil and suffering .
More Details:
1. Something has clearly gone wrong in this universe. Evil and suffering are real and a real problem.
2. The possibility of evil was a necessary requirement when God created free creatures.
God can create free creatures, but God cannot create free creatures who are determined to always choose good. If He did, then they would not be truly free.
God created free creatures who themselves are responsible for evil.
3. If God were to intervene every time evil was about to happen, the universe would become absurd.
4. There may be some sorts of evil that we can never fully understand or explain.
“A God whom we could know exhaustively would be a God created in man's image and therefore not be worthy of our worship” J. I. Packer.
Resources/Bibliography
William Lane Craig, The Only Wise God
C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain
Alvin Plantiga, God and Evil