Is Hurricane Sandy 'God's revenge for the refusal of the US government to take action on the climate crisis'? Or because Mitt and Obama are 'a pro-homosexual Mormon and a pro-abortion/homosexual Muslim'? Hard to call.
Actually, I do not think it has anything to do with any of these things or any kind of punishment but I do not see why people should not think so, as they always did in the past. Dryden, for example, wrote his wonderful Annus Mirabilis to refute the idea that the Great Plague and Great Fire of London were God's judgment on Londoners and by implication on the reign of King Charles II.
Of course, it is far-fetched and richly comic to say that God permitted the September 11th outrages because of widespread homosexuality in the USA, as Jerry Falwell did, but I was shocked that the hellfire preacher aroused such anger for saying so - everyone in America seemed furious with him and he apologised. Though, of course, why single out homosexuality not divorce or materialism or violence or a thousand other possible reasons? Mr Obama's pastor, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, thought September 11th was a punishment for racism. And so it goes.
By contrast, in England, acts of God somehow seem to be considered, even by devout Christians, purely a term of art from the insurance industry. English Christians sometimes even refuse to believe that God causes natural disasters or illnesses, which goes along with what Jonathan Meades meant when, speaking of modern British church architecture, he referred to 'the idea of God, the awfully nice bloke.' Romanians have a much clearer idea that God is very immanent and to be feared as well as loved.
If hundreds of people die in the hurricane, presumably this might will help Mr. Romney. I suspect that some people, including American defence and tobacco company executives, who stand to gain from a Romney victory, are calculating that it might be the October surprise that decides the election.
Ex-KGB Cuban Weather Machine left over from the Seventies.
ReplyDelete"Mark Steyn on the parochialism of celebrities: "Perhaps the least useful bit of meteorological commentary these last 24 hours was that of the actress Jennifer Lawrence, who suggested Irma was "Mother Nature's rage" at America voting for Trump."
ReplyDeleteFor a Christian country like the USA whose population believes in the biblical there must be many who are at least thinking that to have stepped away from the Paris Climate Agreement and then a few months later to be hit by two of the biggest and most damaging hurricanes in history is, if not replete with significance, then at least ironic.
ReplyDeletePat Robertson was Castigated and rightly so for saying hurricane Katrina was Gods wrath because of Homosexuality in America by the liberal left and the Huffington Post but not one word from them on this loonys comments.
ReplyDeleteThe liberal Anti Trump supporters are all posting in Twitter that this hurricane will kill off many old white Trump supporters even tho the areas are majority Hispanic and Black you couldn't make it up with these cretins
In answer to the question...because it clearly doesn't understand the Divine, or His ways of dealing with mankind. There'll be judgement....but not like this, or in these ways. God doesn't visit retribution He saves until the fullness of His time and plans....THEN each will be dealt with according to their faith in His Son. It's a Sunday, so I am in a preachy mode...... But I hope it gives an answer to the question posed. Of course, others may think otherwise.......
ReplyDeleteGavin Dixon
It could be divine retribution for any number of things, figuring out for which of our offenses against God and His creation would be impossible. More likely the Divine writer/director of the play of life has staged the play to remind us that we are not masters of the world but only a part of creation (albeit the highest physical form) to play well the role He has assigned us. And, as terrible as all the suffering is, natural disasters give us an opportunity to remember the loveliness of virtues like courage, fortitude, kindness, honesty, etc., to rise out of our spiritual ennui and embrace love as an action on behalf of others (not as some treacle sweet feeling).
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