Where Is Credit Due?

Those familiar with (a)theist discussion might have come across some variation of the statement,

If believers want to give God credit for changes in their life, if they are going to maintain any semblance of consistency, they must also ascribe the horrible atrocities around the world to God’s hand as well.

I still can’t figure out where the logic is. The statement seems wedded to the mistaken assumption that God is the only one with a hand in reality. Why should we ascribe the holocaust to God’s hand? “Because God could’ve stopped it and didn’t,” is the likely atheist response.

Assume for a moment that we have free will and deism is true. If God decided to leave humanity responsible for its own actions and never intervened to reduce any suffering related to those actions, would you say we must necessarily ascribe horrible atrocities to God’s hand? Is it impossible for God to both A) let humans be responsible for their own actions, and B) initiate changes in the believer’s life? In a condemned world, would it be illogical for God to throw somebody a lifeline?

If “no” to all three questions, then on what grounds should we believe the statement,

If believers want to give God credit for changes in their life, if they are going to maintain any semblance of consistency, they must also ascribe the horrible atrocities around the world to God’s hand as well.

…?