These natural disasters are not the direct result of human choice, are they? The Bible says that the whole of creation was actually broken because of mankind's broken relationship with God—Rom. 1:18-21; 8:19-23. We are not living in the perfect world God intended for us. Of course, we are not personally responsible for earthquakes, but the Bible claims that the human race as a whole is responsible for the fact that the world is in a mess.

To understand this, we need to realize that the decision Adam made at the time of the fall of mankind was to completely throw off God's leadership. According to the Bible, this choice had repercussions. When Adam said, "I can take care of myself without You," he was rejecting God's leadership, protection, and control.

Unfortunately, man cannot take care of himself. Each generation after Adam that says, "I want to be in control," will have to suffer the same consequences. Man cannot control the environment, hostile microbes, or even his own nature.

So can anything be done about the progressive effect of man's free choice to do evil?