Listening to talk radio this morning -- (the topic, of course, being the horrible events in South Asia -- the 9.0 earthquake and the tsunamis) -- brought many, many fundamentalistic Christians to the phones to almost giddily proclaim the end days are here; that the truths contained within the Apocalypse of Saint John the Divine are barreling down that cosmic track and ain't nobody gonna escape the wrath of the Lord/God.
Question from the talk show host: "Okay. Then God caused this horrible event -- killing children, babies, the innocent -- because there's some kind of plan; some step-by-step plan that will bring the end of the world?"
Caller: "Of course."
Question from the talk show host: "Now, tell me: What happened to all those innocent children and babies that died? Did they all go to heaven? What happened to them?"
Caller: "Well, if they hadn't accepted Jesus Christ into their hearts as their lord and savior then, the Bible tells us, they went to hell."
Question from the talk show host: "But, see, we're talking about Muslims, Buddhists ... Of course these innocent children hadn't accepted Jesus Christ as their lord and savior."
Caller: "He is a harsh taskmaster."
Question from the talk show host: "Who is a harsh taskmaster."
Caller: "God."
And, so it went...
I guess what I find so disturbing about all of this is the ability of fundamentalistic Christians (and, come to think of it, fundamentalistic Muslims, too) to see great tragedy, immense death and destruction as divinely inspired; as something that confirms that God is Great, God is Good.
But, then, of course we know that God is Great and God is Good, don't we. He annointed Dubya to carry out His plan, didn't He.
So far, twenty-two thousand deaths. The island of Sri Lanka actually moved 100 feet to the Southwest. Five-hundred mile per hour waves hitting, drowning, killing the poorest of the poor.
Yeah, God is Great and God is Good. So good....
2 comments:
For the Lord is the one who shaped the mountains, stirs up the winds, and reveals his everythought. He turns the light of dawn into darkness and treads the mountains under his feet. The Lord God Almighty is his name!
Amos 4:13
God's ways are as hard to discern as the pathwyas of the wind, and as mysterious as a tiny baby being formed in a mother's womb.
Ecclesiastes 11:5
I think there are things we will not understand about God until we meet him, but I trust his plan is for the good.
I guess I'm a little biased against folks who post comments anonymously. What are they afraid of? Good Christian that "annoymous" appears to be, why would he/she not want to proclaim from the mountaintops who they are? Anyway, "God's Plan" happens to suck with regard to the horrible deaths of what today is estimated to be 125,000 human beings as a result of the South Asia earthquake and tsunami. If you're comfortable with "God's Plan" then that's fine. I'm not because I happen to believe that infants and children have a God-given right to realize their potential, to grow and prosper and attempt to make real their dreams. Over 1/3 of those killed by "God's Plan" were infants and children. Now, if you want to wait until the "hereafter" to understand why, then that's your choice. But, when I get to the pearly gates I'm going to look God straight in the eyes and say, "You've got a lot of explaining to do, buster!"
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