I soured on Lileks awhile ago, but I like his take on earthquakes:

Earthquakes are tough on the devout, whatever they believe. The earth shrugs; 30 thousand die. It's bad enough that this might be evidence of malevolence. What's worse is the fear that it's evidence of indifference. There is a God, but He's busy. Otherwise engaged. Leave a message at the sound of the tone.

So why do people insist on believing in God anyway?