I’m not sure what the religious hoohahs are saying right now about Haiti, but they’re certainly under the gun to explain this one. Let’s see, was it God’s will that caused all the death and suffering? What a terrific God. I saw that Pat Robertson claimed that it was the work of the Devil. Doesn’t God have any authority over him to keep these things from happening? And how to explain the death of the Archbishop, of all people? Was the guy doing a bad job so God had to smite him? Calling him home early? Why? Probably another example of God working in “mysterious ways.” What a load of crap.
Oh, I know - there were probably a number of heathens in Haiti, not following the conventional religious paths, so God put a stop to that right then and there. Either worship me in the way that I demand (what an insecure bastard) or I’ll kill you.
I wonder if this is the great, merciful God we have all heard about. No, that can’t be it. Or he would have provided some food and clothing and shelter for the people before AND after this catastrophe. Or maybe these people had not sent enough prayer his way and he got pissed.
If you believe in God, you have a lot of ‘splainin’ (or rationalizing) to do, Lucy.
I take it you haven’t seen Pat Robertson’s take on the situation. Apparently, it’s God’s wrath for Haitians forming a pact with the devil to drive out the french so many centuries ago.
If you’d have formed a pact with the devil yourself, you’d have beaten me to it. I didn’t trade away my soul for eternity - he only gets it during months without an “R”.
CC:
Well, as I understand it God does have authority over Satan but presently is allowing him to run amuk. This situation is consistent with what we read in the New Testament book of Revelation.
In the Old Testament book of Job, God allowed Satan to do anything to Job short of killing him, and believe me, in the story Job did just about every evil thing that he could.
It’s hard to understand why God would allow this.
hope someone better versed in theology will step up soon.
It’s amazing how people can experience this devastation . . . only to thank God when one person is pulled from the rubble.
I think the belief is that the survivor has passed some great test of God’s. I think an essay would have been easier.
I would hazard a guess that Robertson feels that an Archbishop is a filthy papist, and not a real Christian (like himself).
Really, once you’ve suspended all logical thought in favour of a mythical belief system, then you can shoehorn just about any inconsistency in there with little problem.
I think we should lock Pat Robertson in a room with Pat Buchanan and have the former explain to the latter about all those devil-worhipping catholics.
Either way, we win!
To put it simply: shit happens. If bad things happen to you, it doesn’t mean that you’re a bad person. Pat Robertson is too much of an attention whore to actually read that Bible he’s always thumping.
When a massive tragedy like the Haiti earthquake strikes, Christians respond by sending relief and rescue workers, fundraising for survivors and the rebuilding effort, prayer, solidarity, and compassion. Atheists, or at least the ones in this thread, respond with nastiness.
I don’t know about most but I know many are saying something like this-
“We don’t know why this happened but we do know that people are suffering and God is commanding us to help them. Let’s get to work.”
In fact, except for actually offering an explanation (based on Haitian lore about an event that may or may not have happened- the Bois Caiman voudun rite which supposedly launched the 1791 slave revolt), Pat even said the latter part.
For my part, I’ve given & I’m praying & I’m considering which agency I’ll give to next. What are you doing besides mocking God & the people who believe in Him?
So, you’re saying Pat Robertson is an atheist?
Did anyone in this thread say they would or have not contributed to the relief effort?
I will readily mock anyone who shares Pat Robertson’s vile theology and idiotic beliefs.
I’m pretty sure I can give and mock bible thumpers at the same time. Yep, it’s working: they took my money. And I didn’t even need to pray for it to happen. One doesn’t have to worship the sky fairy in order to be philanthropic or compassionate.
Oh, and ITR champion: you’re full of the same shit you’re spouting.
So the deal is this: God may do all kinds of horrible things, but if that happens, you just pray for the folks who got hurt/killed, and then pony up to prove that you’re a Christian? I’m saying that belief in God entails a number of illogical and inconsistent notions, particularly in light of events like this, including claims of benevolence and mercy, and protection of “all of his children.” I don’t mock God - there is no such thing. I do, in fact, mock those who believe in God. And you only give believers, and usually Christians, a worse name when you presume that non-believers are less moral.
I’m personally giving money. So you are wrong. And, if you actually have been comprehending what is being said, only Pat is being nasty to the Haitians. Everyone else is nasty to him. Do you think what he is saying is correct?
My semi-formed beliefs in a higher power have the higher power setting things in motion, then stepping back and letting the systems it created play out. In other words, Haitians are dying because of an earthquake. The earthquake happened because two tectonic plates suddenly shifted. My God is not a meddling God.
Thanks to the OP for pointing this out. I’d never noticed before this Haiti thing happened that, in this world, people suffer. People die. Sometimes large numbers of people suffer and die at the same time. Sometimes, this suffering and death even extends to good, godly people.
I guess I’m going to have to rethink my belief in a God who never allows anything bad to happen to decent people, at least on a very large scale, and who micromanages the world so that everything that happens to people is a direct reward or punishment.
So do I, because, seriously, Job doing “just about about every evil thing he could”??? WTF??? The way I remember the story, at the beginning the Devil spies this pious man (Job) and says “Yo, God, he’s only successful because he worships you. If ya let me go all medieval on his ass I bet he won’t like you anymore.” Then, after Job is afflicted, the Devil’s saying “WTF? I mess this guy up to an inch of his life and he is still pious and following God?”
So nowhere is it mentioned that Job did anything evil (which leads me to beleive that Job is an allegory and not a true story, as we know that real people who do absolutely nothing wrong in their life is hard to come by.)