Well, no one on this thread believes that God sent the tsunami... or other 'natural evil' (a term not familiar to me, but familiar to you I guess, from your former faith) The harm caused by man is from man; death and sin (and so sickeness, etc) came from the fall.
So your question actually is... why does God not prevent suffering?
In this particular thread, you mean suffering from natural events. Well, some 'natural' disasters are not as natural as we believe, even if we do not see/know where the cause originated. Some natural events produce tumultous results... but without those events and results (physical) life would not be possible at all. Snare shared earlier in this thread how fresh water is a result of the plate tectonics that cause earthquakes, that cause events such as tsunamis... and you fail to present any other alternative, as you do not have the knoweldge or understanding TO present another alternative, or to even know if another is possible for physical life. That people live in areas that are higher risk from these known natural results is going to bring natural consequenes... at least as long as we are trapped in physical vessels, and so subject to physical ailments.
Besides all that, His Son also told us that such things would come in various places. So it is not like we did not know and were not forewarned.
On top of that, We, are our brothers' keepers. Yet WE continue to oppress, gossip, harm, kill, maim, orphan, cast aside, judge, look down upon, etc... our fellow man. But if we spent even a tenth on saving life as what we spend on taking life (making war and neglect of those in need, exploiting others for our own gain, etc), then WE could have discovered a way to prevent those deaths from natural events. Instead, some will blame God, and NEVER look in the mirror to determine what He did to contribute to those deaths or failed to do to prevent them.
So hypothetically God could save man from the small percentage that die in natural disasters, freeing man up to continue to kill/maim/injure/orphan/neglect/hate/harm one another in great percentages... rather than work toward helping his fellow man?
On top of that, I am reminded of these words from the prophet Isaiah:
"Is this not the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free and break very yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter
when you see the naked, to clothe him
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
THEN your light wil break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
THEN you will call, and the LORD will answer;
You will cry for help, and He will say: Here am I.
If you do away with the yoke of oppression,
with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
and if you spend yourselvess in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday...
Man does not do what God has told Him to do... but man thinks that God is still obligated to do what man wants/demands that He do?
I am speaking generally here of course. Some DO listen and show that they love and belong to God, through His Son, and He does hear them and their prayers. At the same time, these ones KNOW that this life as it is right now includes death. But that the promise to them and their children; their house; is for LIFE... because life is IN them. Life that is in Christ, becasue Christ is in them.
In the meantime, until the Kingdom of God IS here and we see the results of what living in His Kingdom are (life and NOT death... no more pain and no more suffering)... live, love, serve, help, work, give, and BE your brothers keepers.
Peace to you,
tammy
