# What role did God play in the tsunami? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 30, 2004, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-did-god-play-in-the-tsunami/282269 "2004-12-30T17:30:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-did-god-play-in-the-tsunami/282269/1 "2004-12-30T17:30:59Z")
Assuming you believe in God (of whichever religion), what role do you think He played in the tsunami? Did He made it happen or do anything to affect the survivability of the victims? ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-did-god-play-in-the-tsunami/282269/2 "2004-12-30T17:39:30Z")
Atheist. If God wanted to smite or punish the people affected why didn’t he just make the wave from nothing. He’s done miracles before hasn’t he? Like parting the Red Sea. So why is there a purely scientific and rational explanation for the quake and wave? Also if people were being punished why was it so indiscriminate? Can someone who believes that God had a hand in this explain these questions? ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-did-god-play-in-the-tsunami/282269/3 "2004-12-30T17:39:39Z")
Because he moves in mysterious ways, it is not ours to question, we cannot comprehend God’s reasoning with our small minds, he doesn’t get involved, the people in South Asia exercised their free will in living there, there’s a reason for everything, the people are in a better place… Does that cover it? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-did-god-play-in-the-tsunami/282269/4 "2004-12-30T17:44:18Z")
Christian. God played the same role he plays in forest fires, falling rocks, murder/suicides, and cancer. He created a world where people die. ---
**Author:** ![photopat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e95f7d/32.png) [@photopat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/photopat)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-did-god-play-in-the-tsunami/282269/5 "2004-12-30T18:19:23Z")
Atheist. There was no supernatural being involved at any point. This was a naturally occurring tragedy. Huge populations are eventually and inevitably going to be hit by disasters, simply because they happen everywhere sooner or later. ---
**Author:** ![jimpatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9e5f3/32.png) [@jimpatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimpatro)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-did-god-play-in-the-tsunami/282269/6 "2004-12-30T18:37:49Z")
Ex-Christian. Because the Christian god created the complex world and the laws of physics and set it all in motion. Maybe the Earth has free will? And that thing about our feeble minds not being able to comprehend this god’s intentions is such a cop-out. I could sit here and devise several pretty good scenarios as to why people must suffer and you guys could sit there, read them and guess what, comprehend them. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-did-god-play-in-the-tsunami/282269/7 "2004-12-30T18:44:36Z")
Christian. He created a world where choices have consequences – and no, I’m not saying that they sinned. The most fertile soil in some areas is around volcanoes – and people farm that land if they can get some of it, realizing that they may have to flee if the volcano becomes active. Among those choices is whether people will or will not help their fellow humans who were harmed by a disaster. Those choices too have consequences. “God is not willing that He should do all things, and deprive us of that share of glory which is ours.” ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-did-god-play-in-the-tsunami/282269/8 "2004-12-30T18:49:26Z")
What, are be pitting God here? Perhaps this thread belongs in another forum, if it doesn’t simply warrant expeditious consignment to the lifeless aether of deleted bits. Bah, with a capitol :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-did-god-play-in-the-tsunami/282269/9 "2004-12-30T18:50:53Z")
Christian. God had nothing to do with it. Directly. His role was in the creation of the Earth and nature. Nature then took over and started running things. Think of the Earth as a corporation. God is the Chairman, the one with the final say and authority, and who comes up with the over all plan for the Earth, and nature is the CEO, the one who handles the day to day operations. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-did-god-play-in-the-tsunami/282269/10 "2004-12-30T18:55:52Z")
I’m pretty sure God was just on vacation and after getting a bit drunk he did a cannon ball in the ocean. Marc ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-did-god-play-in-the-tsunami/282269/11 "2004-12-30T19:00:44Z")
_snerk_ That is so wrong… Christian, and I think mostly that the reason is unknowable–that God _does_ move in mysterious ways and we can’t begin to understand them, that perhaps there is a purpose to this in God’s plan. Or perhaps it was a thwarting of God’s goodness by evil, or free will… Bunch of explanations, it all gets complicated. ---
**Author:** ![Loopydude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e56c9b/32.png) [@Loopydude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loopydude)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-did-god-play-in-the-tsunami/282269/12 "2004-12-30T19:08:44Z")
> [@MGibson](#): > > I’m pretty sure God was just on vacation and after getting a bit drunk he did a cannon ball in the ocean. > > Marc It could have been a fart bubble. I mean, think about it; this is God we’re talking about here. If God got a little tipsy, said “ah, fuck it” and let rip, I should think a giant tsunami would be the least of the possible calamities. My guess is he was having a hot tub during the indiscretion. I’ve had my own theory about the Tunguska Event along these lines for quite some time. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-did-god-play-in-the-tsunami/282269/13 "2004-12-30T19:34:44Z")
Deist, but too lazy to attend the meetings. \ Two huge rocks rasp together at the bottom of the sea. Why blame Ghod? I blame **photopat**. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-did-god-play-in-the-tsunami/282269/14 "2004-12-30T19:45:32Z")
A news story was just posted on [Yahoo](http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=570&ncid=570&e=2&u=/nm/20041230/sc_nm/quake_religion_dc) about this very same question. Some quotes from religious leaders: > [@](#): > > “This is an expression of God’s great ire with the world,” Israeli chief rabbi Shlomo Amar told Reuters. “The world is being punished for wrongdoing – be it people’s needless hatred of each other, lack of charity, moral turpitude.” > > Pandit Harikrishna Shastri, a priest of New Delhi’s huge marble and sandstone Birla Hindu temple, told Reuters the disaster was caused by a “huge amount of pent-up man-made evil on earth” and driven by the positions of the planets. > > Azizan Abdul Razak, a Muslim cleric and vice president of Malaysia’s Islamic opposition party, Parti Islam se-Malaysia, said the disaster was a reminder from god that “he created the world and can destroy the world.” > > Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra, a leading British Muslim cleric from Leicester in England said: “We believe that God has ultimate controlling power over his entire creation. We have a responsibility to try and attract god’s kindness and mercy and not do anything that would attract his anger.” I would say they feel that God had an active part in causing the tsunami. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-did-god-play-in-the-tsunami/282269/15 "2004-12-30T20:01:12Z")
> [@Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor](#): > > Two huge rocks rasp together at the bottom of the sea. > > Why blame Ghod? It could be that none of the blame for the earthquake lies with God. Perhaps he did not know the earthquake was going to happen. Here are some of the situations which I think could have happened: - God caused the earthquake that caused the tsunami. - The earthquake happened all on it’s own, but God knew about it beforehand and did not stop it. - The earthquake happened all on it’s own, and God did not know about it beforehand. - Once the earthquake happened, God altered the tsunami. - Once the earthquake happened, God did not alter the tsunami. - When the flooding started, God selectively helped certain people (e.g. putting that 4 year old on a mattress). So there are many possibilities between God did everything himself to God did nothing at all about it. The religious leaders in that article seem to think that God had a very active part in causing the disaster. And by the great number of people praying, I would guess that they feel that God can have some effect in the result of the disaster. ---
**Author:** ![Cockatiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cockatiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cockatiel)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-did-god-play-in-the-tsunami/282269/16 "2004-12-30T20:16:20Z")
Believe in God, but not saying my religion. I don’t think that God had anything to do with it. I’m not doubting His existence or His power, but I believe that God doesn’t affect things in our world (much) because He wants us to have free will. It’s kind of hard to have free will when you have somebody who can and will affect your life at all times watching you. It’s like, “Uh-oh, there’s God, I better stop skipping school before I get punished.” ---
**Author:** ![gum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@gum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gum)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-did-god-play-in-the-tsunami/282269/17 "2004-12-30T21:07:08Z")
**Took a deep sigh and decided not to give my answer so as not to be banned** ---
**Author:** ![Wrath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ee7513/32.png) [@Wrath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrath)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-did-god-play-in-the-tsunami/282269/18 "2004-12-30T21:15:00Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > It could be that none of the blame for the earthquake lies with God. Perhaps he did not know the earthquake was going to happen. There’s an interesting novel called _Thoughts of God_ by Michael Kanaly. I recommend it to believers who think that God does not play an active role in our lives, but instead just observes His creation. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-did-god-play-in-the-tsunami/282269/19 "2004-12-30T21:20:06Z")
Atheist. The conflicting reasons given by the various religious leaders are for me yet another justification for my lack of faith. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2004, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-did-god-play-in-the-tsunami/282269/20 "2004-12-30T21:30:13Z")
Atheist. I just wanted to note that it’s interesting how many people who DO believe in God seem to think they know when He does and does not interfere with human affairs. I’m left wondering what the source of this knowledge is… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-role-did-god-play-in-the-tsunami/282269.md?page=2)