If you REALLY want the answer to the question of suffering, you can get more insight over here - although I seriously doubt that the atheists are sincere in asking this. They are just looking for something to pin to God.

I'll paste just the start over here - you can read the rest for yourselves.

http://www.end-times-prophecy.org/why-god-allow-suffering.html

Before sin came into existence, there was peace and joy right throughout the universe. But there was one created being, who for some reason, became full of pride and was not satisfied with the already exalted position that God had given him in heaven. That created being, or angel, was Lucifer, who was perfect when he was created, which confirms that God did NOT "create" evil.

LuciferEzekiel 28:13-15 ...'Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.'

These verses are talking about Lucifer, the most exalted angel in the heavenly kingdom. And as you can see, when God created him, he was a perfect being. So the question is, if God didn't created sin and evil, then how did Lucifer end up being evil? Because of his own FREE WILL CHOICE to go against God's heavenly government. God didn't create a bunch of robots to serve Him. No, He wanted to create intelligent beings who He could commune with and have a loving relationship with. But that wasn't enough for one heavenly character!...