You can't make up things like this. First there was Pat Robertson's inane commentary and now there's the other extreme (which I heard this morning spoken aloud - I am truly not making this up). One is reminded of being told in elementary school by the nuns that misery and suffering such as childhood leukemia, polio, being beaten by your parents, etc. all show God's special gift to those who suffer. Seriously that's what we were told. Wear a hairshirt and add to your suffering because the more you suffer with grace and sweetness the more God knows you love him and then he'll love you more and will show his love by giving you . . . yup, more suffering.
The fact is that horrible horrible things happen sometimes. It completely s^%&s and it's terrible and it would be great if each bad thing provided impetus to figure out ways of preventing bad things in the future. But I cannot believe it's a devil getting his due or a deity seeing what people can endure so as to give them extra special rewards like testing them further with more bad things nor to give them extra special rewards in heaven.
And why exactly is this kind of thinking different or sillier than suicide bombers who believe they'll gain forty virgins in heaven?
I know there is an intense, vital, passionate urge to explain things but sometimes
I'm of the opinion that we should follow the path shown us by God but that our punishment or reward comes after we die. Natural disasters are simply the result of living in an imperfect universe, not willful acts of God. We make our Heaven or Hell through our own free will. Of course, some religions don't agree with my position.
ReplyDeleteConsidering the imperfect universe, in a sense that imperfection makes it perfect. Human existence would have no meaning of we didn't have to face and overcome challenges. What we see as imperfections in ourselves, in the world and beyond provides those challenges. Our job is to meet those challenges in the best possible way.
Dadvocate- That about sums it up, how much better than the simplistic arrogance of such as Hitchens and Dawkin.
ReplyDeleteBrother - I didn't see Hitchens or Dawkins and I'm not sure I want to. Why do people find such a need to philosophize about something so dreadful? Why can't they just say it's horrific and that life in Haiti has never been very good and that maybe the outcome will improve things because sometimes when you start over, you start better? But no... I suppose not.
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