Can natural disasters be sent by God as a [chastisement]? I'm wondering if our nation is being punished for our sins against marriage.
Yes, of course.
Remember Noah and the flood.
The term "natural disaster" implies God is not involved, which is of course not true.
The term "natural disaster" implies God is not involved, which is
of course, not true. -- Excellent point, Stubborn!
Without saying so, the term "natural disaster" (to some, at least) might
insinuate that God is not personally involved in our world (like deists), or
that God is half good and half evil (like dualists) and that our world is a
product of the "give and take" or "tension - release" of this good and
evil (like Hegelian dialectic), or that even God does not exist (like atheists).
We go around using terms that have been established for the purpose
of denying our own religion, and we use them sometimes with ignorance
of the damage we are contributing to by our use of these terms.
It's a good thing to be reminded from time to time when we use the words
that the devil has evoked in popular parlance. We ought to know better.