Back on topic, here is an article that describe what would happen to the earth and life ON the earth, if there were no earthquakes:
http://www.yearofscience2009.org/themes_geosciences/2009/10/no-earthquakes.html
I'm sure there are other articles out there that people could find. I searched and read for a little while. Note that even though the articles says... no plate tectonics... it is the plate tectonics crashing into one another (not smoothly gliding past one another) that cause the earthquakes that cause the mountain formations and other such things as mentioned in the article, that prevent high solar winds, maintain our climate, some other stuff about not building up too much CO2, etc, etc. I found a handful of other articles, but anyone can google... what would happen if there were no earthquakes, to find this out.
So while this does not answer the question Cofty posed... it does rebut his basis for calling God ineffectual or weak... because 'it would be trivially easy to design plates to slide without friction and build up'. Maybe that is true. But it would not be trivially easy to do that AND have a planet capable of supporting the life it currently has, if any life at all. The science indicates otherwise, in fact.
So it would seem that science supports that this design 'flaw'... is necessary for at least the life that we have, which includes man.
From number one in the summary:
1. Answers that seek to change the question.
For example...
Blaming humans for damaging the earth
References to "the fall"
Slippery-slope arguments such as, "if god prevents a tsunami where does he stop?"
Any answer that appeals to free-will.
Rational Response
The question of this thread is very specific. It only concerns "natural evil". In theology this term relates to suffering that is not caused by human actions. Earthquakes and tsunamis have been happening for millions of years before humans appeared. They are a result of plate tectonics. They are not caused by anything humans have done.
If god chose to do so he could refuse to stop suffering caused by human actions while preventing the negative consequences of how he chose to make the world. Either directly or indirectly, the tsunami was entirely an act of god.
If god had calmed the wave before it had even reached the surface no human would ever have known about it and no free will would have been effected in any way.
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References to the fall do not change the question. References to the fall move the question OUT OF the class of 'natural disasters' and into the class of having been a result of human decision... right from the get-go.
Adam and Eve could not have been killed in a tsunami upon their creation... a) they had a different body, and b) they were in the garden of eden (a spiritual place). The spirit body is also NOT subject to physical harm. Like I said earlier, the angels in their spirit bodies have no fear of a tsunami or tornado.
The new body that was given to them (the physical body that we inherited) is unable to dwell in the spiritual realm, and it is subject to death.
If we had the spirit bodies... and were still in the spiritual realm... then we would be in no danger of harm or death from any natural movement of the earth. Movements (including the results of earthquakes and volcanoes, etc) make physical life on this planet possible to begin with. In the Kingdom, we will have new bodies (white robe/clean bodies). The earth will still move (as far as I know)... but the new body that we would have had and will now have... will not be subject to harm or death from such things.
So... there is no design flaw to begin with. And the harm that comes to man from the physical world IS a result of the decision and action of the first of men; who made that call for all of his offspring. Which we are.
The earth is not flawed. Man IS.
Peace,
tammy