I'm no expert in "liberal versions" of God, maybe there are many such versions. But modern Christians usually believe that God did not create the Universe and can not physically influence events on earth. He's more an idea than a physical entity, and thus is not responsible for death and suffering.

Only US fundamentalists still believe that their God, just as Hitler or Saddam, personally inflicted death and suffering as retaliation for disobedience. See:

http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs2002/death_suffering.asp

The bible doesn't directly claim that God invented death, this belief is some fundamentalist specialty. However according to the bible God often incited others to murder and genocide, acted as an accomplice to murder, or committed mass murder himself.

http://dwindlinginunbelief.blogspot.com/2006/08/how-many-has-god-killed.html