Response to the buzz on "Why did God allow devastating earthquakes?"

I read through some of your responses and would write to write a short rejoinder. I think that Glenn's reflection indicates the realization that sometimes we see things differently just because we have not had the opportunity to explore them deeper than during day to day chats with friends and family members. However, as he states that because we do not, "Understand [better] the process of the earth maintaining itself and see that the natural laws that God has created are necessary despite the harm that sometimes occurs because of man's not understanding them or ignoring them altogether," we make some erroneous conclusions based on our limited understanding. The reason and mode of operation of the natural laws may be beyond the comprehension of many people, but this does not negative its necessity.

Of course, Toochukwu's statement below is true, "...many people who are affected by natural disasters do not know much about the geographical compositions of the earth, the faultlines and other laws of nature..." Many of these cities and towns were inhabited before science helped humans to understand the physics of natural disasters like earthquake and flood. The unfortunate thing is that due to land use laws, many people are practically in a situation where they may not be able to get any other piece of land to build on. Many people cannot afford to buy a piece of land elsewhere in order to relocate due to poverty (as seen in Haiti which is one of the poorest countries in the world), and in the flood-ravaged areas of China and Pakistan as well as areas ravaged by drought in Africa.

I think that this calls for corporate stewardship of the earth and the realization that the world is big enough for all to co-exist. In fact, governments have a responsibility to listen to theologians, geologists, scientists and professionals in all fields in order to make laws that respect the dignity of the human person as well as the laws of God, the laws of nature (which originate from the laws of God), and the laws guiding civic exsitence and civilized human cooperation. Based on this, governments have civic responsibility to relocate their citizens to areas where there is relatively low possibility of such natural disasters. Unfortunately, because many governments operate on party allegiance rather than the desire to achieve the common good for citizens, this opportunity to do the right thing is superceeded by allegiance to party rules, and in most cases, lost. While majority of the people may not undersatand the basic workings of the natural law, governments have the strongest assets in their professionals. The citizens should demand for that right through voting out governments that seem to like the party's interest more than the good of the people (and can do this on a regular basis as parties would then know that they would be out if they do not listen to their citizens). This is probably going to be a topic for another time.

Wanda's observation on the reactions of people all over the world to the unfortunate situation of the people of Haiti and others caught in natural disasters is also a sign of the understanding that we are all children of God and that God's breath keeps us alive. If we recognize that we are all brothers and sisters, and that those affected by these disasters represent humanity's raw suffering. The speed and capacity with which people reached out with donations of goods and money represents the power of love exhuding from the hearts of people. Love conquers even in the face of disaster. People are quite resilient, and supporting them in their times of need boosts their resiliency. Remember, when people say, "how d'you do? They are simply saying, I love you..."