So, I agree that God does not cause suffering and also that God does not allow suffering / does not step in to alleviate it. That's just not God in my understanding, which is quite different than what religions teach that God is. My understanding is similar to yours and to the deist, as opposed to theist, perspective.

You and I had much comment pane discussion about this in my piece,https://medium.com/write-under-the-moon/why-does-suffering-exist-aa99da8a1404, which also cited and quoted Joe's piece (is that where you came across it? just curious).

What I was trying to touch upon in my piece is that as God loves everyone equally and unconditionally, god neither chooses to inflict suffering nor will step in to prevent suffering because then God would be playing favorites.

Our views are not so different, Frank. We just look at it from different angles. When it comes to discussing God, I've learned not to get bogged down in labels and details. I was simply coming to the conclusion via a route that people who can't wrap their heads around God not having any anthropomorphic characteristics might grasp, while also explaining that their suffering does not mean they have misbehaved in any way nor that God doesn't love them. God loves everyone equally.