Natural disasters

[SPB1987]

We had a few massive tornadoes rip through this area on Saturday night. As of now, I do not think anyone was killed(in this area). This has got me to thinking about God. Where does God stand in events like this? These tornadoes have destroyed homes and even some businesses. So where does God fit in to this equation?

 

[lucaspa]

We had a few massive tornadoes rip through this area on Saturday night. As of now, I do not think anyone was killed(in this area). This has got me to thinking about God. Where does God stand in events like this? These tornadoes have destroyed homes and even some businesses. So where does God fit in to this equation?

I refer you to the last 2 chapters of Kenneth Miller's Finding Darwin's God for a fuller discussion of what I consider the only valid answer.

In short (and we can expand on this if you want), God so loves us that He makes sure our lives have meaning. That means (pun not intended) that our actions have to have real consequences. In turn, that also means that events cannot be restricted such that we only have "good" events to respond to. If only "good" things happen, then we really don't have free will and our lives don't have meaning because the range of our responses are limited. We can't respond compassionately to our neighbors losing their property in a tornado, because there is no tornado. We can't respond selfishly, either, again because there is no tornado. So that aspect of ourselves -- whether we are compassionate and giving or selfish -- never exists.

So God created a complete universe where the physical aspects of it interact fully. So the same atmosphere that can give us sunny days and calm winds can also produce tornados and hurricanes. The same gravity that keeps us from floating off into space and holds the earth in orbit around the sun also produces landslides and avalanches that kill people.

I personally don't want a God that, behind the scenes, so rigs the game that my life isn't real, but instead is kinda like a child playing dolls and only having very nice tea parties (we would be the dolls).

 

[elman]

We had a few massive tornadoes rip through this area on Saturday night. As of now, I do not think anyone was killed(in this area). This has got me to thinking about God. Where does God stand in events like this? These tornadoes have destroyed homes and even some businesses. So where does God fit in to this equation?

It rains on the just and the unjust. I don't see God controlling everything, including the weather. I do see some things in history that makes me wonder about my opinion. In the war of 1812, the British had burned Washington and we had no army that was going to turn them back. They were driven back to the sea by a hurricane.

 

[firstpetertwonine]

I refer you to the last 2 chapters of Kenneth Miller's Finding Darwin's God for a fuller discussion of what I consider the only valid answer.

In short (and we can expand on this if you want), God so loves us that He makes sure our lives have meaning. That means (pun not intended) that our actions have to have real consequences. In turn, that also means that events cannot be restricted such that we only have "good" events to respond to. If only "good" things happen, then we really don't have free will and our lives don't have meaning because the range of our responses are limited. We can't respond compassionately to our neighbors losing their property in a tornado, because there is no tornado. We can't respond selfishly, either, again because there is no tornado. So that aspect of ourselves -- whether we are compassionate and giving or selfish -- never exists.

So God created a complete universe where the physical aspects of it interact fully. So the same atmosphere that can give us sunny days and calm winds can also produce tornados and hurricanes. The same gravity that keeps us from floating off into space and holds the earth in orbit around the sun also produces landslides and avalanches that kill people.

I personally don't want a God that, behind the scenes, so rigs the game that my life isn't real, but instead is kinda like a child playing dolls and only having very nice tea parties (we would be the dolls).

+1,000,000,000,000,000,000 This.

I am very sorry to hear about the severe weather in your area. I hope no one was hurt.

Could God have intervened and stopped that? Yes. Obviously He didn't for some reason which we will never fully know. But if He did miraculously intervene in every unpleasant event that ever happened in the history of the world, we would live in a world with no free will and free agency of behavior, either on the part of human, animal or nature. If God controlled everything that happened in such a way, we could know no experience of love, for we wouldn't know what it was like to hate. We could know no experience of joy, for we wouldn't know what it was like to experience grief. God placed us in a natural world where humans, animals and nature have free agency to act upon each other. This results in rewarding experiences such as love and faith that have to be freely arrived at because love that is coerced is not love. Faith that is coerced is not faith.

This can apply to nature as well. Something redemptive that we may never know about, may come from the recent disasters in your area. That "something" could not have happened unless God allowed the disasters to occur. He placed us in a world where we can have the opportunity to choose to respond and make good out of the evil things that happen.

 

[SPB1987]

I refer you to the last 2 chapters of Kenneth Miller's Finding Darwin's God for a fuller discussion of what I consider the only valid answer.

In short (and we can expand on this if you want), God so loves us that He makes sure our lives have meaning. That means (pun not intended) that our actions have to have real consequences. In turn, that also means that events cannot be restricted such that we only have "good" events to respond to. If only "good" things happen, then we really don't have free will and our lives don't have meaning because the range of our responses are limited. We can't respond compassionately to our neighbors losing their property in a tornado, because there is no tornado. We can't respond selfishly, either, again because there is no tornado. So that aspect of ourselves -- whether we are compassionate and giving or selfish -- never exists.

So God created a complete universe where the physical aspects of it interact fully. So the same atmosphere that can give us sunny days and calm winds can also produce tornados and hurricanes. The same gravity that keeps us from floating off into space and holds the earth in orbit around the sun also produces landslides and avalanches that kill people.

I personally don't want a God that, behind the scenes, so rigs the game that my life isn't real, but instead is kinda like a child playing dolls and only having very nice tea parties (we would be the dolls).

I see your point but bad things can happen without natural disasters. Why do we need natural disasters to understand and experience the good and the bad? An individual can lose all of their belongings as a result of a home invasion, etc...so why do we need natural disasters on top of that? We can show compassion for our neighbors in a number of situations and none of them were brought on by a natural disaster.

 

[firstpetertwonine]

Well, a natural disaster is a bigger evil than a small home break-in where a criminal steals a few things but no one is hurt and the house is left intact, right? The bigger the evil, perhaps there is a bigger opportunity for finding meaning and a bigger opportunity to show compassion for our neighbors than there would be otherwise. Thousands of people will find their lives changed forever as a result of natural disasters, and the effects on their lives can never be measured. There may be long term redemptive influence on their lives we'll never know or understand - but God does. Which may be why He allowed it to happen.

 

[Emmy]

Dear SPB1987. God does not cause them, but God gives us brains. We have to learn from them, and also help the victims=love our neighbour it is called. I say this with love. Greetings from Emmy, your sister in Christ.

 

[elman]

We had a few massive tornadoes rip through this area on Saturday night. As of now, I do not think anyone was killed(in this area). This has got me to thinking about God. Where does God stand in events like this? These tornadoes have destroyed homes and even some businesses. So where does God fit in to this equation?

I don't think God is micomanaging it. It rains on the just and the unjust. I know there is OT support for God causing bad weather, but I don't think so.

 

[bling]

I see your point but bad things can happen without natural disasters. Why do we need natural disasters to understand and experience the good and the bad? An individual can lose all of their belongings as a result of a home invasion, etc...so why do we need natural disasters on top of that? We can show compassion for our neighbors in a number of situations and none of them were brought on by a natural disaster.

This is my explanation that is different from the ones you have been hearing.

Unfortunately, tragedies of all kinds are allowed and even caused by God to provide opportunities for willing individuals to see, experience, share, give, receive and grow Godly type Love.

It is extremely hard to see Godly type Love in country Club situation (a place without problems).

The real tragedy is the fact to many times Christians do not cease these opportunities to show and grow Godly type Love.

This Godly type Love is the reason man was made in the first place, so it is our objective while here on earth to obtain and grow this Love so we can Love God and secondly others with all our heart, soul, mind, and energy.

Unfortunately, our pride gets in the way of humbly accepting God’s Love (charity), especially if we have never seen such Love.

Yes some people will die but death is not bad since it is the way we get to go home and the way bad people quit doing bad stuff.