Just when you start questioning your fellow man’s worth, something like this happens…. And man’s innate compassion and humanity comes shining through. Mother Nature has a way of putting our petty grievances in perspective. She is the one thing man has not been able to control.
We are at her mercy.
We either get bombarded with record snow falls that cause massive transportation issues. Or we have raging forest fires that destroy homes.
We’ve had the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, destroying a major US city and its rich culture; we’ve had the horror of the Indonesian tsunami in 2004
And now this.
But already there are stories of tremendous courage and compassion emerging from the devastation that was once Haiti—an already impoverished country. I know all of our hearts go out to these struggling people. Here's hoping the help they need arrives soon. A number of organizations, such as the Red Cross, have already set up websites to accept donations. Giving us all a chance to see the generosity and love that man is capable of showing the occupants of this planet. It is very encouraging in the face of all of the wars and human rights violations.
Then we have douche bags like Pat Robertson claiming these events are because Haiti made a “Pact with the Devil.” Seriously, Pat? And you’re a Christian? It’s like when the fundamentalists claimed AIDS was God’s retribution to gays—and other such nonsense. AAARRRGGGHHH!!!
I don’t know, but, as much as I’ve tried to block out my 12 years of Catholic school, I do remember that the basic Christian philosophy is that God is all-loving. And all-forgiving. Which means, as much as we may not like it, even the most heinous human being [like Hitler] has a shot at “heaven” if they repent.
I wish I was in a position to do more in situations such as this, but I am not. I try to donate when possible and I try to help those I see in need nearby—even if it's just talking to someone who seems down—in the hopes that the ripple effect will spread far and wide….
Pat is such a crotch. I can't stand him. As if God is going to ruin an entire place and kill babies because he is angry. I just can't buy that nonsense. I know a lot of people believe that God is Angry all the time, but I don't.
ReplyDeleteWait, my house is shaking... Never mind, it's just a bus going by.
That's in poor taste. I shouldn't make earthquake jokes yet.
I'm crushed by this earthquake. I donated a bit of dollars to the relief fund, something I don't normally do, and haven't done except for the Katrina Relief.
When an impoverished area is destroyed, there is no where to go, no one who can help. It's not like the victims can hop in the car and go to Grandma's or anything. It's just awful
What happened in Haiti is terrible. Pat Robertson is also the one who said Katrina was because God was angry. I was under the impression that God loved us all, but what do I know? The sad part is people believe douche bags like that. My FIL after Katrina agreed that the hurricane devastated so much because "there are so many sinners there." Makes me want to bang my head against a wall.
ReplyDeleteI've always wondered at a theology that claims it's god is all-loving and then consigns people to a place of eternal misery and pain. I am speaking of hell here, of course.
ReplyDeletemy friend Grace posted the scripture on my last blog post that explains the biblical reasoning behind Pat's inane rants.
ReplyDeleteI say, just because it's in the Bible, doesn't make it right.
I'm probably going to hell because of that belief, but whatever.
Anyway, here it is:
Luke 13: 1Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."
John 9: 1As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
3"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. 4As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5While I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
6Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man's eyes. 7"Go," he told him, "wash in the Pool of Siloam" (this word means Sent). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.