If a perfectly good, perfectly powerful God exists, why is there so much unneccesary suffering in the world?

The most common riposte is to claim that all suffering is caused by human free will (possibly as a result of The Fall). We are told that it is not possible to have free will but not to do evil. This fails to explain suffering caused by natural disasters (eathquakes, tsunamis, etc). It also fails to explain why God does not intervene to prevent such suffering. When presented by Christians, it also conflicts with a belief in Heaven or a personal God.

Current Points

A God of love who extends that love freely, rightly expects love freely in return. He cannot introduce evil, though He can permit it to enter in through the free will choices of His creation. And a God of love must allow that free will choice of His two created moral orders (i.e. angels and humans) if they are to relate to Him out of love rather than through a programmed response. For God to create men and angels without volition would have rendered both orders nothing less than automatons. - royalcrompton

Reading List

The Philosophy Gym - Stephen Law

The Non Existence of God - Nicholas Everitt