Please do. I'm forever getting stuck on the "problem of evil" when I hear descriptions like these. I don't understand how an omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, perfect and benevolent god in whose image we were created could instill in us the kind of "free will" that allows for the sort of atrocities we see all around us. It seems that a perfect god, a truly perfect one anyway, could only create perfection so even with free will...if we are/were ...created in his image wouldn't that mean we would be perfect by default? How does a perfect being create such imperfection? Are we not imperfect or is it that god isn't perfect? I guess I just don't see how all these things hang together. It seems you could have an omnipotent or benevolent or perfect god, but not all three. Also, I really don't understand how a benevolent god could sacrifice his own son, or allow for something like hell. That just doesn't seem very loving.
I understand your questions and the trouble they cause for faith. Answering them, or tyring to answer them, may take several posts. So please bear with me. Again, I don't have all the answers to every question there is about God because my knowledge is incomplete; however, I can offer my limited insights. If by my words, I cannot answer your questions satisfactorily, there is a plethora of literature out there that addresses these matters, and I would beg you to employ it. At different times, I have read and heard good answers to these questions, but I do not remember them completely. I just know that the problems aren't enough to overturn belief.
So I'll start again.
God created the universe as we know it, with all its seemingly chaotic happenings. This is not inherently evil because it was not designed to cause turmoil, destruction, pain, etc.
Somewhere along the way, human beings came into existence. Whether through evolution, creationism, intelligent design, whatever, God intentionally had humans created in His image and likeness, and knew that humans would be created all along. This means that within ourselves is a glimpse of the face of God, which can be used to gain a better understanding of the nature and identity of God. This means that humans are given the potential, in a limited way, to act God-like. We can be benevolent, loving, compassionate, altruistic, we have the capacity to know right and wrong, we have consciousness, we exist, we have some control.
Along with all that, humans have the power of free will. We can choose the actions we do. Because we are not equal to God, and because we have free will, the power to accept or reject God and God-like actions, we can create love and hate, we can do good and evil. Good is that which is God-like, evil is that which separates people from God by steering off the course that leads to final union with Him.
I don't know if you believe in angels, but perhaps this bit will help regardless. The story of angels goes that God created them basically as helpers, and also gave them the power of free will. However, their free will was different than ours because the story goes that they were able to choose union with or rejection of God in one choice. One choice and presto! They had sealed their own fate. Compared to humans, the angels look like they God it easy! They had only one choice to make, the choice was obvious, and they were in an environment in which God and all that He is was obvious. Not at all like the environment of the physical universe, where pain regularly occurs, where God isn't staring you right in the face. Human lives are perilous, confusing, tedious, vague, and dark. Not only is the path toward God and goodness full of hazy and tough choices, but we can barely see where we're going! Our union or rejection of God is dependent upon a lifetime of choices. Choices that are made even harder by our sometimes clouding emotions and immediate desires.
Now dare to imagine yourself as God. Take an angel who chose You, and a human who chose You over a lifetime. With which would You be more pleased? The child who obeyed You when You were right with him watching, or the child who obeyed You when You weren't right there, when his friends were doing evil things?
God wants us to choose Him. If we do not blame Him for the good things, if we do not blame Him for the potential we have for all that is good, how dare we blame Him for the free actions of humans that are evil!
More to come later. I know you must still be filled with questions, and I know that I did not address all your concerns here.