President Obama, Pat Robertson (700 Club) made some remarks about the earthquake in Haiti that popped some red flags in my mind. First, you probably know what Anthropomorphism is; attributing human characteristics to animals. Well, there is probably a big word for doing the same thing to God - maybe Theomorphism, I don't know.
Anyway, President Obama said about the Haitian earthquake "This Tragedy Seems Especially Cruel And Incomprehensible! "
What bothers me about this statement, is that word "cruel". You see, only men and devils can be cruel! Like the phrase, 'she was viciously attacked by the shark'. Only people and devils can be vicious.!Or the phrase, the like I've heard , and read many times, 'the murderous bear". Strictly, and legally 'murder' must be accompanied by forethought and malice. It is also understood, that it is a crime, outside the accepted societal behavior. Bears, chimps, sharks, cats with mice, they all do what is natural to their species; nothing cruel about it.
All that to say, it is subtle messages like President Obama's, that implies that there is some intelligent force behind the events of the Haitian earthquake of 2010. And who else? Well it must be God! He is the only one capable of pulling off this kind of catastrophe!
Sadly, Pat Robertson (a proven false prophet) supports President Obama's premise. Robertson said the the reason behind the earthquake is because the Haitians sold out to the devil to escape French rule. (Apparently this happened a couple of centuries ago).
Both of these gentlemen are wrong. Certainly God is capable of judging Haiti, but it would be presumptuous to represent God this way. What if it were simply a matter of being on a very bad tectonic fault line, and bad building practices? Add a population that is crammed together; God would not have to have anything to do with it. For example, let's say I smoked for fifty years of my life; worked forty years in a coal mine, lining air ducts with asbestos: If I died of lung disease at sixty, is it God's fault? Is God cruel?
Mr 13:8 "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there will be earthquakes in many places, and there will be famines, and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows."
As I see it. God, in his foreknowledge, is trying to warn mankind of what is going to happen on our earth. A loving parent will alway attempt to warn his child of impending disaster. This does not mean that the parent is causing the disaster! Then there is this scripture to answer the Pat Robertson types: (Jesus said this)"Luke 13.4-5 "What about those eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Do you think they were worse than everyone else in Jerusalem? 5Not at all! But you can be sure that if you don't turn back to God, every one of you will also die".
Clearly Jesus is telling us, (I'm using a paraphrase here) "don't be so self righteous and look down on those folks who died under the towers, saying, 'they must have been terrible sinners'. Instead repent, because certainly death is coming to any who are not turning to God".
So family, watch what you hear, repeat, and especially how your represent our loving and merciful God. Peter
1 comment:
What a terrible tragedy we are seeing concerning Haiti. Perhaps some of you remember I went there on a mission trip in March of 2005.
The area we worked in was Port-Au-Prince and we stayed about an hour away in the town of Petite Goauve...right in the epicenter of the quake area. As we would travel back and forth twice a day I couldn't figure out why there was so much construction. Well, it turns out that Haitians do not finish building things because they will then get taxed so everything is in a state of "construction".
Another obvious concern was the quality of materials used for all the construction. Haiti has no industry so every resource has to be shipped from outside of the country. The concrete was pitiful and looked like it would dissolve in just a few years. You can see in the photos how everything is pulverized with the large chunks mostly around the re-bar. There just are no building standards in any of the country.
It is also hard to comprehend that they have no infrastructure such as communications, transport lines or water and sewage disposal. The country is broken up into districts and each district does whatever it comes up with at the moment to provide water, sewage, roads, etc. None of them work with each other so driving from one town to another is a nightmare. I saw only one well paved road for a couple of miles around the airport.
Another sad fact, is that Haiti gets lots of money and help since it is the poorest country on this side of the world and there is nothing to show for it. Pat Robertson said one thing that I am hoping will turn out to be true. Perhaps this terrible tragedy will help the powers that be come up with a plan for renewal. An adequate infrastructure for Haiti is a must and perhaps it can now be accomplished since they are starting all over.
The hardest part was seeing the christian young people struggle daily for hope in a country characterized by poverty and despair. I marveled at their trust in God as they worked out their relationship with Him. They made plans as best they could for a life that would give Him glory not knowing if they would eat the next day or not. It was obvious that they struggled to understand why they lived in Haiti without the basic necessities and I lived in America fat & happy (you don't see overweight people in Haiti) and yet we were both God's children.
I read Peter's note, listen to the news reports, pray, question God and try to understand what I need to grasp from the tragedy being played out in that world so far away...in that little country that has been so dear to me since 1992. Not an easy answer will be found, but I know it lies in the fact that God is not hidden from us. He sent His Son, He gave us His Word and it is up to each of us to decide what we will do with it.
Dear family, I pray that each of you will weigh the importance of who God is in your life and chose what my young friends choose in Haiti. They called out to Him with a humble heart and listened for the answer. Glenda
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