Does it bother anyone else how the world in general sees these natural disasters and still doesn't want to convert or make amends?

[Freddy]

I was thinking about the devastating fires in Australia and seeing pictures of people crying and scared to death looking on at these destructive fires the size of Manhattan (literally) but I can’t help but look at the world in general and I can’t help but become frustrated because nothing will change…simply because many choose to not make amends to Our Lord and to stop the offenses to his sacred heart and Our Lady’s immaculate heart. Have we become to hardened as a society? We always seem a scientific and political explanation but it seems we are becoming more distant from the Father which I only going to resort in more Disasters (both God and man made) and more war upon the earth.

I take extreme offence at the suggestion that people are losing their lives here and losing their homes and their livelihood as some some sort of punishment. That God sees fit to rain terror on Australia because someone somewhere isn’t doing what you seem necessary for some poor person to avoid being burnt to death.

Is that the God in which you believe?

 

[englands123]

The basic problem most folk have is this…

Trying to UNDERSTAND this WORLD …

Jesus NEVER asked anyone to UNDERSTAND this world as he OVER CAME this world!!

This world is wicked and Jesus even said so. This wicked generation is mentioned many times in the bible.

It will NEVER EVER change.

That’s why the Lord tells us all to seek the Kingdom of God.

There are good people in this world but not enough and it will never change. Until the Lord returns as he promised. But this time he will not be returning in Peace as before.

 

[AltarSoldier]

You should probably read the old and new testament and talk to more people on this forum so you can get an idea. You basically answered your own question.

 

[Salibi]

I take extreme offence at the suggestion that people are losing their lives here and losing their homes and their livelihood as some some sort of punishment. That God sees fit to rain terror on Australia because someone somewhere isn’t doing what you seem necessary for some poor person to avoid being burnt to death.

I took offence too, and avoided this thread.

Two of the most devout people I know are Australian and have been severely affected by the fires.

And generally-speaking, to say that natural disasters are an act of retribution from God is just silly.

 

[steve-b]

I was thinking about the devastating fires in Australia and seeing pictures of people crying and scared to death looking on at these destructive fires the size of Manhattan (literally) but I can’t help but look at the world in general and I can’t help but become frustrated because nothing will change…simply because many choose to not make amends to Our Lord and to stop the offenses to his sacred heart and Our Lady’s immaculate heart. Have we become to hardened as a society? We always seem a scientific and political explanation but it seems we are becoming more distant from the Father which I only going to resort in more Disasters (both God and man made) and more war upon the earth.

All I can say,

We, Take it from Our Lord Himself, who was asked, and looking ahead in history, as He could being God the Son, 2nd person of the Blessed Trinity, and the one who brought everything that is in the universe, into existence,

Answered this question

Will those who are saved be few?

He knows EVERYTHING… good and bad that will happen from beginning to the end of time.

AND

There are no surprises for Him.

 

[Pat_Albertson]

What Caused the Wildfires in Australia? Amid Worst Blazes for a Decade, 24 People Are Charged With Arson

 

[EricF]

Nowhere are we guaranteed freedom from suffering. The idea that we can avoid it if only we were holy enough smacks of the prosperity gospel shoveled at us through various media.

 

[VanitasVanitatum]

Have we become to hardened as a society?

It’s pretty obvious that most people don’t care about or believe in God. It should be no surprise that they don’t do what is right.

 

[Kindnessmatters]

Quite a few arsonists have been identified who deliberately set the fires is Australia so I do not view it as a “natural disaster” from the perspective of the cause. The destruction of nature is certainly terrible but I do not know the motivation. Was it accidental in some cases? A good Catholic who fell to an isolated instance of sin? No idea. If deliberate it is certainly a good example of the negative impact of sin. Of course, this lives I each of us personally and deeply. I cannot avoid sin for my child or brother, but can avoid it in myself and hope to teach from that example.

As regards your question generally, I believe God’s judgement of each of us occurs at the time of death and I avoid assigning globalized supernatural causes to natural consequences of human choices and random world events.

God gave us direction through our faith and following it helps us avoid all manner of pitfalls, but we are not promised not to suffer. I don’t see suffering as a punishment.

Some of the greatest suffering happens along the path to Christ. Our devotion does not assure we will not suffer. Think of serious illness.

Is Satan behind natural disasters? I do not know. I do know that he hates for us to come together in prayer as our response to evil, and when we respond in kindness to one another when faced with such events.

We can only respond faithfully to whatever occurs in life.

 

[Alligator]

I don’t know. I’m not quick to judge these as divine judgement. I choked on my own spit during prayer last night. Was that judgement against my bad praying?

What about Job and plenty of other examples where, well, stuff just happens. When a kid gets some cancer or a person has a debilitating deformity, I don’t think it is very compassionate to say they are being punished by God. I mean, I can’t prove it one way or another, but it just feels like a prideful, snide worldview to hold.

Not for this thread directly, but…

I’ve been in the process of converting the Catholicism and the biggest hurdle I’ve met has been reading comments of Catholics on the internet. I’m very neurotic and I think all the time about everything (I don’t mean that this is productive, it’s not useful). The loops some posters send me through leads me to despair. I understand not presuming on grace and forgiveness, but some folks seem to be actively looking for people to be hit by divine lightning. Why? Why do so many online and here at CAF seem to have some little bit of disguised joy out of seeing some (possibly) unrepentant folks getting clobbered.

I’ve seen that attitude a lot lately online. It’s so petty and cruel. You’re supposed to forgive and have mercy. I don’t think that means that you should live a “pious” life so that you can “justly” look down your nose at others. Projecting the world’s sin on someone you don’t know or who makes a mistake is just very Pharisee-like to me. I don’t know, I just see a lot of stone casting online. Maybe it is me hoping I won’t go to hell, which terrifies me. But I still don’t think condemning people in a literal wildfire to eternal hellfire is a good mentality either.

 

[Bithynian]

As an Australian I think it might be helpful to note that most Australians are relatively desensitised to bushfires, given that they occur regularly every year with varying intensity (although this season has been especially nasty). This is one reason why Australian Catholics rarely seek a theological explanation for these events, as it’s a bit like searching the Scriptures for why it’s raining on Tuesday and not on Thursday.

At the same time, I know of many Australian Catholics who do engage in penitential acts during the bushfire season, as it is a time during which we’re reminded of God’s sovereignty and our own general sinfulness (without trying to identify a specific sin as the causation of the bushfires).

That, and it’s a way to empathise with those who have lost loved ones, homes and possessions. (It’s worthwhile to remember that most Australians aren’t affected by bushfires as our population is heavily concentrated in coastal cities and our population density across the continent is slightly higher than that of Siberia.)