Religious Leaders Strive to Explain Tsunami

UberLutheran said:

The better questions to ask are, "Why did all those people build their houses along the shore when they knew there was a risk of tsunamis?" and "Why did developers build hotels and resorts along shores where tsunamis are known to happen?"

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I don't think the Indian Ocean is considered a tsunami prone area any more than the Atlantic ocean is.

Im_a_theist said:

If god is both omnipotent and omniscient, then not only does he create everything but understand the ramification of every aspect of his "creation" as it were before he even creates it. Even if You do see yourself with free will,he created you to want what you do. Thus meaning that every action is direct effect of god's will. So you must ask yourself why this god would want all of these people to die. BTW, a tsunami is a very rare occurance so moving away from a coast because of them would be unlogical

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Indeed, God's will is inescapable. Why did He allow this to happen? I don't know. I am not God, nor would I ever claim to know the mind of God. I do know that there is no tragedy that doesn't result in some good. This horrific event has caused us all to look at what is truly important in our lives and realize how small our every day worries are. It has caused millions to respond in love, charity, and prayer. The dead we can only trust to the mercy of God. This life is fleeting. Our time with Him will be eternal.

rahma said:

For some reason, this just doesn't sit with me. God had to have had something to do with this. He allowed it to happen, didn't He? If he was simply absent, I find that much more disturbing then Him allowing it to happen.

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This is a non-theist outsider view on the ontological issue of the disaster, but theologically - again, as an outsider - I don't see anything disturbing about God being disassociated with things like natural disasters that result in the loss of life.

Either God is known to those who have not been evangelized - and thus are saved via grace or are condemned to hell unjustly. Since God is merciful and benificent, then all who died in an event that was a natural expression of the supernatural should be saved or have had an oppurtuntity to be so.

USincognito said:

This is a non-theist outsider view on the ontological issue of the disaster, but theologically - again, as an outsider - I don't see anything disturbing about God being disassociated with things like natural disasters that result in the loss of life.

Either God is known to those who have not been evangelized - and thus are saved via grace or are condemned to hell unjustly. Since God is merciful and benificent, then all who died in an event that was a natural expression of the supernatural should be saved or have had an oppurtuntity to be so.

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Those who have not had an opportunity to embrace salvation will not be judged the same as those who reject God

InnerPhyre said:

Those who have not had an opportunity to embrace salvation will not be judged the same as those who reject God

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As I conceptualize the Abrahamic God (since I'm replying to both you and Rahma) agreed completely. My feelings about this horrific event - again, as an outsider - is that given the fact that since there was no Internet and CNN after Jesus' resurrection or Mohammed's revelations, millions of people worldwide would have died without hearing the method of salvation...

No just God would allow those people to go to Hell and thus, one cannot conclude that people who have died in this terrible tragedy were either exposed to the Gospel (or Mohammed's revelations Hi Rahma ) or died in a state of grace that those unexposed to the oppurtunity to salvation must be presented by a just and benificent God.

USincognito said:

No just God would allow those people to go to Hell and thus, one cannot conclude that people who have died in this terrible tragedy were either exposed to the Gospel (or Mohammed's revelations Hi Rahma ) or died in a state of grace that those unexposed to the oppurtunity to salvation must be presented by a just and benificent God.

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On a similar note (I think), I've been reading some thoughts by scholars I trust about this event. Their line of thinking is that people who die in these events are shaheeds, martyrs, because they died in a test from God. As martyrs, they are guaranteed a place in Jannah (paradise).

jeez... just read this in the NY Times: when the intl. tsunami warning group was warned by a scientist that an Indian Ocean tsunami was inevitable, they "voted to establish 'a sessional working group to prepare a recommendation to establish an intersessional working group that will study the establishment of a regional warning system for the Southwest Pacific and Indian Ocean.'"

the group voted to establish a group that would prepare a recommendation to establish a group that would study whether a warning system was necessary.

Is this real life, or a Monty Python sketch??

UberLutheran said:

...the earth's crust shifted and moved, the energy was transmitted to the water, which caused a wave which moved along at 500 mph; when the wave approached a shallow shore the wave got bigger and the resulting tsunami killed 100,000 people.

It's like asking, "why did four hurricanes hit Florida"? Because the water temperatures in the Atlantic and Caribbean basin were above normal and the wind conditions were just right.

The better questions to ask are, "Why did all those people build their houses along the shore when they knew there was a risk of tsunamis?" and "Why did developers build hotels and resorts along shores where tsunamis are known to happen?"

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Of course you're right that this event was just another mechanism of nature, just like the hurricanes, but tsunamis were not common at all in that area. Therefore the people where not being careless by living there.

D. Scarlatti said:

Religious leaders? Wouldn't you ask a geologist or an oceanographer?

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Theologians try to work on the 'why' (purpose) part of the disaster, while of course geologists and oceanographers cover the 'how' (cause).

For example, what purpose would this disaster have if God was running the show in some way or another.

Stellar Vision said:

Theologians try to work on the 'why' (purpose) part of the disaster, while of course geologists and oceanographers cover the 'how' (cause).

For example, what purpose would this disaster have if God was running the show in some way or another.

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God wrote the book of nature as well as revealing our purpose in Christ and the scriptures which testify to Him. There would be no natural laws had he not first invented them. He is present in his creation and he sustains the lives of all who continue to exist on this earth.

As someone who lives on an island I take this whole incident as a dramatic reminder of the fragility of human existence in Gods universe. An asteroid strike in the Atlantic followed by tidal wave could possibly wipe out much of the British Isles. We can only trust in the grace and mercy of God. God is sovereign and could have prevented this tragedy had he wished to. He did not but rather he allowed it to happen. So why?

Aceh in Indonesia is a stronghold of false religion(islam) as is Thailand(Buddhism), SriLanka and India(Hinduism). Many of the Western tourists were probably quite secular in their outlook or atracted by these other religions. So there are more than enough reasons for God to find fault with the people who died and he has no need to justify himself to the godless. The people of Europe and North America are also sinners but with one major difference. There are more people in these places praying and acting for God to stay his hand to show grace and mercy , not judgment.

The response of believers has been to act with compassion for those who were lost and who are the victims of this tragedy. This might well be the appropriate response but no one needs to pretend that God has allowed a major injustice here. The miracle is that we and the survivors of this tragedy are still alive not that God has allowed some to die.

May God have mercy and as we accept his grace may his mercy triumph over judgment in our lives.

goodgirl said:

a warning system would've been a waste of money. The last time a tsunami happened in the Indian Ocean was in the mid-1500's.

Most of that region can't afford to spend millions warning about something that happens once in a millennium. ....

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At least one Sumatra "Tsunami" "happened in the Indian Ocean" at 1833.
(See our thread on "Questions on Quake/giant Waves'Mass Destruction:What Cause?+Killings were inevitable?"
at : http://www.christianforums.com/t117...uctionwhat-causekillings-were-inevitable.html )

Facts proved that even .. Animals didn't need a dime to save ALL of them at Sri Lanka and India, where, on the contrary, Tens of Thousands of People were killed !

Warnings apparently were possible, but curiously not used, or blocked by incredible interferences, (See facts at our thread, above).

Meanwhile, even poor India (and other Countries around the World) decided to invest in Satellite monitoring of Sea, etc., while various countries are speaking about Regional and International measures.

However, facts seem to indicate that already available means could have helped to save many Human Lives.

But you are right, goodgirl, when you stress the exceptionnal character of the December 2004 "Quake/giant Waves/"Tsunami"" : Of unknown yet cause, because of its magnitude and the huge Number of Killings, it appears to be without any precedent in History.

As for God, what proves that it might have been "His" responsibility, instead of a Devil's Crime ?

God might be putting Humans to a test, watching whether we shall all be so morally revolted to become strong enough to find out the real Causes of such Mass Destructions, and how to act in order to efficiently prevent any other brutal upheaval of Natural Environment to protect People's lives.

trunks2k said:

I don't think the Indian Ocean is considered a tsunami prone area any more than the Atlantic ocean is.

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Yes it is, the area (of the quake) to my understanding is partof the ring of fire.


http://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/text/fire.html

goodgirl said:

jeez... just read this in the NY Times: when the intl. tsunami warning group was warned by a scientist that an Indian Ocean tsunami was inevitable, they "voted to establish 'a sessional working group to prepare a recommendation to establish an intersessional working group that will study the establishment of a regional warning system for the Southwest Pacific and Indian Ocean.'"

the group voted to establish a group that would prepare a recommendation to establish a group that would study whether a warning system was necessary.

Is this real life, or a Monty Python sketch??

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Committees voting for committees to vote for committees.

mindlight said:

Aceh in Indonesia is a stronghold of false religion(islam) as is Thailand(Buddhism), SriLanka and India(Hinduism). Many of the Western tourists were probably quite secular in their outlook or atracted by these other religions. So there are more than enough reasons for God to find fault with the people who died and he has no need to justify himself to the godless. The people of Europe and North America are also sinners but with one major difference. There are more people in these places praying and acting for God to stay his hand to show grace and mercy , not judgment.

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Well that may seem to fit together with your Christian belief system, but ultimately that offers no degree of certainty to the purpose of this event.

As I said on another thread, that's rather contemptuous to believe that those people deserved what they got. But hey, believe what you want.

The response of believers has been to act with compassion for those who were lost and who are the victims of this tragedy. This might well be the appropriate response but no one needs to pretend that God has allowed a major injustice here. The miracle is that we and the survivors of this tragedy are still alive not that God has allowed some to die.

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Compassion as come from believers and non-believers alike.

May God have mercy and as we accept his grace may his mercy triumph over judgment in our lives.

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Lets hope His mercy knows no bounds.