Natural disasters?

[Born_in_Crewe]

How do you explain natural disasters... is a question sometimes asked by people. It is a pertinent question because man cannot be blamed, or at least not directly.

So, how do you explain natural disasters?

 

[Not_hard_to_find]

Why must "blame" be applied -- why are explanations required -- for natural disasters?

 

[Sgt. Fury]

There are natural laws and systems that occasionally result in bad weather where people have decided to build homes.

Scenario #1 - People build large, expensive homes in areas where liberals have prevented anyone from clearing brush so gray squirrels won't be disturbed. Lightning strikes a tree (that could have been cleared by a property owner, had he been allowed to), and it catches fire, igniting the unkept underbrush and setting off a wild fire. The large, expensive homes are burned up, and those who built them look to the Gov't to help them, since God, in His Goodness, didn't perform a miracle to save their homes. Isn't God mean?

Scenario #2 - People build large, expensive homes on coastal property, known for yearly hurricanes. Wonder of wonders, hurricanes blow in and destroy the large, expensive homes. Those who built them look to the Gov't to help, since God, Who is supposed to be kind and loving, didn't miraculously redirect the couse of the storms and carry them out to sea. Boy, God sure dropped the ball on that one!

Scenario #3 - People build a city on a large delta formed by sediment carried by the Mississippi River. It's sinking and they know it, but they build anyway, even though the Gulf of Mexico is in sight.

The Army Corps of Engineers develops a project to fortify the levees that keep the city from being flooded, since it's below sea level and a stone's throw from the OCEAN. The Sierra Club prevents the Corps of Engineers from fortifying the levees, because doing so might disturb some salamanders or something.

Hurricane Katrina blows in, flooding the city, to the amazement of the nation. The citizens, numbed by long years of Gov't "assistance", violently turn on each other, and those who try to help them, all the while blaming the Gov't for not helping them, in the independant spirit that characterized the people who made this country great.

Natural disasters cause so much havoc for a couple of reasons.

People build in stupid places.

Liberals prevent people from maintaining their property.

Weather gets ugly everywhere, sometimes.

Sometimes bad things happen to good people

Ecc 9:11 I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.
Ecc 9:12 For man also knoweth not his time: as the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare; so are the sons of men snared in an evil time, when it falleth suddenly upon them.

 

[billwald]

Apparently God could not invent a physical world that did not include techtonic (sp?) plate activity and also support human life. Anthropic principle "proves" it. <G>

 

[TCGreek]

How do you explain natural disasters... is a question sometimes asked by people. It is a pertinent question because man cannot be blamed, or at least not directly.

So, how do you explain natural disasters?

Here's a Scripture that I've found fitting: Amos 3:6

Is a trumpet blown in a city,
and the people are not afraid?
Does disaster come to a city,
unless the Lord has done it?

 

[Eliyahu]

Natural Disaster must be distinguished from Human Disaster like war and traffic accidents.
There may be many factors causing the natural disasters.

I believe the True believers are protected from the natural disasters, even though they may suffer some difficulties too. We may not be able to say that there was no True Believers among the victims of Katrina, but the True believers are learning the lessons from the disasters.
However, the wicked unbelievers have no chance to learn the lessons.
God can control the disasters. I don't think Satan can cause the Quakes.

Last time I mentioned the Quake in Peru, killing about 600 people and among them 60 was the Catholic attendants who just finished the Mass.

God doesn't make mistakes when He hit the targets:

[FONT=&#48148]http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/08/17/peru.earthquake/index.html[/FONT]


[FONT=&#48148]I had a visitor from that town, and he reported none of his church ( protestant church) people suffered any death or injury due to the Quake.[/FONT]

[FONT=&#48148]We can trust God even at the time of billows and tempest, storm, Tornado, Hurricane and quakes.[/FONT]

 

[Cara]

Last time I mentioned the Quake in Peru, killing about 600 people and among them 60 was the Catholic attendants who just finished the Mass.

God doesn't make mistakes when He hit the targets:

[FONT=&#48148]http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/08/17/peru.earthquake/index.html[/FONT]


[FONT=&#48148]I had a visitor from that town, and he reported none of his church ( protestant church) people suffered any death or injury due to the Quake.[/FONT]

[FONT=&#48148]We can trust God even at the time of billows and tempest, storm, Tornado, Hurricane and quakes.[/FONT]

Sometimes God's "targets" -- your word (not one I'd use) -- are simply called home for His pleasure, but always for His purpose. Peru does have a lot more Catholic Christian congregations than it does other congregations. If a church suffered in that quake, simple statistical probability would point to that loss being from within a Catholic Christian community, and not another.

 

[Eliyahu]

Sometimes God's "targets" -- your word (not one I'd use) -- are simply called home for His pleasure, but always for His purpose. Peru does have a lot more Catholic Christian congregations than it does other congregations. If a church suffered in that quake, simple statistical probability would point to that loss being from within a Catholic Christian community, and not another.

It is not the Pleasure but the Justice of God unto the Idolatry.

Katrina hit the gambling capital too.

Same was said to the Shiloam Tower too ( Luke 13)

It is a matter repentance from the sins as Jesus said.

 

[Cara]

It is not the Pleasure but the Justice of God unto the Idolatry.

Katrina hit the gambling capital too.

The gambling places were on the river, true. Yet the flooding largely missed Bourbon Street, the drinking, public urination, and general debauchery capital of New Orleans! Go figure!

Same was said to the Shiloam Tower too ( Luke 13)

It is a matter repentance from the sins as Jesus said.

Ah, you know His intentions, as well as the state of the individual souls of all the victims in this particular natural disaster in Peru? Amazing!

 

[Eliyahu]

Ah, you know His intentions, as well as the state of the individual souls of all the victims in this particular natural disaster in Peru? Amazing!

It is not too difficult to know the reasons why they had such problems.

Read it here:

Luke 13
1There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
2And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?
3I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
4Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? 5I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Do you believe these words in your actual life?

 

[mrtumnus]

Natural Disaster must be distinguished from Human Disaster like war and traffic accidents.
There may be many factors causing the natural disasters.

I believe the True believers are protected from the natural disasters, even though they may suffer some difficulties too. We may not be able to say that there was no True Believers among the victims of Katrina, but the True believers are learning the lessons from the disasters.
However, the wicked unbelievers have no chance to learn the lessons.
God can control the disasters. I don't think Satan can cause the Quakes.

Last time I mentioned the Quake in Peru, killing about 600 people and among them 60 was the Catholic attendants who just finished the Mass.

God doesn't make mistakes when He hit the targets:

[FONT=&#48148]http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/08/17/peru.earthquake/index.html[/FONT]


[FONT=&#48148]I had a visitor from that town, and he reported none of his church ( protestant church) people suffered any death or injury due to the Quake.[/FONT]

[FONT=&#48148]We can trust God even at the time of billows and tempest, storm, Tornado, Hurricane and quakes.[/FONT]

This is one of the most profoundly sad posts I've ever read on a Christian site. To reduce the mysterious workings of God to that of a 'bully' to target those you perceive to be not in his favor -- there isn't a word to adequately describe this kind of theology.

 

[Eliyahu]

This is one of the most profoundly sad posts I've ever read on a Christian site. To reduce the mysterious workings of God to that of a 'bully' to target those you perceive to be not in his favor -- there isn't a word to adequately describe this kind of theology.

It may happen to you too unless you repent from the heresies, which will lead eventually to Lake of Fire.

 

[Born_in_Crewe]

What evidence do you have that he is a heretic?

 

[Eliyahu]

What evidence do you have that he is a heretic?

You can check his posts which strongly defended the Mariolatry, calling her Mother of God and so on. The Roman Catholic church of the same belief in Pisco, Peru was hit by the Quake, and 60 attendants there were killed immediately after they offered the so-called Mass( Sacrifice) to their god.
When people see this, they have to repent, otherwise the same ( or similar type) disaster may take place to them too, and this is the message found in Luke 13.