How does one explain natural disasters?

[georgemiller]

If God is a God of love, good and mercy how does one explain natural disasters. Disasters that too often have killed and or left homeless thousands of people.

 

[Christy_Beth]

Have you ever heard of Pandora’s box? The story is, a young woman named Pandora was given a box and told to not open it. After awhile her curiosity got the better of her, and she opened it. What came out was all the evil, natural disasters and all that . None of it could be controlled, so it couldn’t be taken back and put back in the box. Same thing goes for our sinful world. When Adam and Eve ate of the fruit that they were told to not eat, all the bad stuff in the world came into being. Everything from the worst “natural” disasters to man made disasters and all the “pests” we have in this world. Every time you pull a weed, know that it is part of the package. God “allows” stuff to happen because it is a direct result of sin. Maybe not mine or yours. But the results stand out. God had ordered a world of beauty, peace and all in order. We turned it into an ugly place filled with war and chaos.

 

[Bookcat]

Have you ever heard of Pandora’s box? The story is, a young woman named Pandora was given a box and told to not open it. After awhile her curiosity got the better of her, and she opened it. What came out was all the evil, natural disasters and all that . None of it could be controlled, so it couldn’t be taken back and put back in the box. Same thing goes for our sinful world. When Adam and Eve ate of the fruit that they were told to not eat, all the bad stuff in the world came into being. Everything from the worst “natural” disasters to man made disasters and all the “pests” we have in this world. Every time you pull a weed, know that it is part of the package. God “allows” stuff to happen because it is a direct result of sin. Maybe not mine or yours. But the results stand out. God had ordered a world of beauty, peace and all in order. We turned it into an ugly place filled with war and chaos.

While original sin plays a part in how things are for Man etc after the fall…there is more to things than the Original Sin…

 

[Bookcat]

Part of answer is mystery. But also it can be said that – So much goes into the workings of this world and universe – and so much is involved…all sorts of “natural cause and effect”… the less perfect alongside the more perfect …fire that has the properties that it has… that the plates in the earth can “move” at times …that the weather has various movements…that stars explode and send the needful elements out into the universe…etc etc. So much goes into how things work in the universe…even on just this planet…

Catechism notes:

“But with infinite wisdom and goodness God freely willed to create a world “in a state of journeying” towards its ultimate perfection. In God’s plan this process of becoming involves the appearance of certain beings and the disappearance of others, the existence of the more perfect alongside the less perfect, both constructive and destructive forces of nature.”

Remember too that this life here is a “pilgrimage” – “eternal life” is to begin here in Christ --and continue after this pilgrimage ends…and finally there is to be the resurrection and “the new heavens and new earth”…

scborromeo.org/ccc/p123a12.htm#VI

 

[PeterGStanley]

When you build homes in know hurricane paths - build houses without basements or a storm cellar so you have no where to go in a tornado - live at a base of a volcano , build citys on know fault lines or near them a disaster is going to happen sooner or later we have to take responsibility for our actions it can’t simply but put on God.This is the way of the earth it always has been it not like its a surprise we know all about it but ignore the danger then blame it on God.

 

[Timothysis]

If God is a God of love, good and mercy how does one explain natural disasters. Disasters that too often have killed and or left homeless thousands of people.

God did not stop the pain and suffering of His only begotten Son…how are we supposed to presume that He should stop the wind and the rain because we may be inconvenienced?

 

[DarkStarTheta]

If God is a God of love, good and mercy how does one explain natural disasters. Disasters that too often have killed and or left homeless thousands of people.

What about natural disasters on other planets? Jupiter must have REALLY sinned.

What about children in third world countries who suffer horrifically and die by the thousands daily?

What of the Christian mother whose child is born with their organs on the outside of their body so they linger for days before death?

What of the mother who loved her child but the poor thing was a homosexual so now she is sitting in Stepford heaven, tearless and without even a mote of sadness for her only child who is now suffering eternal torment in hell for ever and ever?

 

[aspirant]

What about natural disasters on other planets? Jupiter must have REALLY sinned.

Jupiter has massive storms. Does Jupiter have disasters? Is anything living there?

 

[DarkStarTheta]

*Stepford *heaven…(!)

That’s the heaven where no one is allowed to be sad or shed tears for their children, who are ostensibly burning in Hell, because everything must be perfect. Is that an inaccurate representation of the Biblical description?

Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

Jupiter has massive storms. Does Jupiter have disasters? Is anything living there?

If God sends storms to punish wickedness and sin then there must be (or have been, maybe they didn’t have a Noah?)

Or are you suggesting that storms might just “happen naturally” without God sending them to punish wicked children who deserve dysentery?

 

[snarflemike]

What about natural disasters on other planets? Jupiter must have REALLY sinned.

Hah! No prosperity gospel for you, Jupiter!

What about children in third world countries who suffer horrifically and die by the thousands daily?

What of the Christian mother whose child is born with their organs on the outside of their body so they linger for days before death?

What of the mother who loved her child but the poor thing was a homosexual so now she is sitting in Stepford heaven, tearless and without even a mote of sadness for her only child who is now suffering eternal torment in hell for ever and ever?

Are you claiming there are no (former) homosexuals in heaven?

But the issue of natural evils comes down again, I think, to free will. Can there exist such a world that a rock never falls on and kills a person, but where I can pick up a rock and use it to kill a person? Where a person never falls into a ravine, but where I can push that person into a ravine? I think it is impossible to imagine such a world.

 

[Classicist]

Natural disasters happen because of plate tectonics, clouds, wind, the sun, and the moon (and various other factors). Let us not imagine that God could create a perfect world where nothing bad happens - because nothing good would happen either. The truly perfect world is the living world that actually exists.

When people die in a natural disaster, God takes them to Himself for judgment. Death is our ultimate enemy and it must be lamented and wept over, but we cannot treat this in a purely secular way! Christ has overcome the world with triumph, even for those who do not die but become poor because of disasters.

Also, pleased do remember that we’re in a fallen world that’s groaning for the new creation to be fulfilled. There shall be no sun nor moon nor sea when all is finished, for God shall be the light, and we shall be in the ocean of His glory, covering the Cosmos. Christ never said “I am the Light of the World”, because “ego eimi to phos tou kosmou” means “I am the Light of the Cosmos” - so even disasters on a far larger scale than our puny Earth storms (like the collision of whole galaxies) are nothing to Him. He is able to save.

 

[jonathan_hili]

Hi all, interesting topic.

I’d be careful about how to apply those first chapters of Genesis to this question.

If we are to read them literalistically, we still need caution, principally because in them, God put Adam and Eve in Eden to tend and keep it. There is nothing in Scripture about what the world outside of Eden was like. God may have created Eden to protect Adam and Eve from the calamities that befell the rest of the earth (perhaps as a result of Satan or perhaps as a result of God’s will for the planet?).

However, I think we need to approach Genesis with more than a literalistic reading. If so, how do we deal with natural disasters. Yes, they kill a lot of people, harm others and cause much sorrow. Yet, so does old age. What’s the difference between an earthquake killing someone and old age? Both are under God’s providence.

I think God has created us within this kind of environment because, in our fallen state, we need to be reminded of our mortality and, oddly enough, of the reality of suffering. It is in our suffering that we reach out to God, just as God reaches out to us in His suffering. We can see this in John’s Gospel, where Jesus says to Nicodemus that, just as Moses lifted up the bronze serpent in the wilderness, so must he be lifted up. In the OT, the serpents (though sent by God) bit the people of Israel, poisoning them and causing them to die. This is akin to a natural disaster. But God healed them, and through the cross, with Jesus lifted up, He continues to truly heal us.

Ultimately, we are not made for this world, and I think this is the best way to deal with natural disasters, diseases, and such. God and a regenerated Earth is our destiny.

 

[CradleJourney]

Natural disasters happen because of plate tectonics, clouds, wind, the sun, and the moon (and various other factors). Let us not imagine that God could create a perfect world where nothing bad happens - because nothing good would happen either. The truly perfect world is the living world that actually exists.

When people die in a natural disaster, God takes them to Himself for judgment. Death is our ultimate enemy and it must be lamented and wept over, but we cannot treat this in a purely secular way! Christ has overcome the world with triumph, even for those who do not die but become poor because of disasters.

God created the world (and gave it rules - gravity, physics, etc.). He saw it was good. He does not break those rules except in occasional miracles that happen by His will. Death occurs from both man-made (caused by free will) and natural disasters (result of the ongoing cycle of natural rules) but Jesus has power over death. We may mourn the loss of friends and family here on earth, but they are (we pray) truly home with God.

 

[Deconi]

People ALWAYS focus on ‘disasters’ and ask why God does or allows this, as though, He only authors disasters!

No one, I’ve yet to see, asks why does God make ‘natural’ GREATNESS?

Why does it rain?
Why the winds?
Why the elements?
Why the seasons?
Why the universe?
Why LIFE?

We have discovered the ‘hows’ of some of these and have LEARNED much on how to use that knowledge for our benefit! We even know ‘how’ most disasters occur, but because we do not see the BENEFIT from them, we ‘blame’ God for them and ask an explanation!

Nothing that occurs is ‘natural’ in the sense that it just occurs! God knows everything and although most do not see the ‘benefits’ in disasters, they are still there! No one dies without God’s say so! (’…not a sparrow falls from the sky without your Will.’ - Moses)

We see death and anguish; most times I see God calling some of His children into the house to find their rest. But through their circumstance and/or sufferings, I am taught to be appreciative and work harder - with fear and trembling - to glean lessons from ‘disasters’ that benefit human life; teaches me that ALL knowledge and scientific nouse doesn’t prevent SUDDEN death!

Through every war (human choice) some beneficial ‘technology’ have sprung! Through every ‘disaster’ there have risen GREAT rebuilding efforts and cities, opportunities, etc.
Focusing on the bad and the good have great lessons to be taught.

The universe reflects our state! It is a marvelous thing to behold, study, experience, live! But within us - as the universe - are the tectonic plates that move at our choices/whims bringing consequences that are sometimes, ‘disastrous.’

 

[Veedar]

If God is a God of love, good and mercy how does one explain natural disasters. Disasters that too often have killed and or left homeless thousands of people.

Without plate tectonics, complex life would probably not have evolved. It is vital to the recycling of carbon in the atmosphere, and all life on earth is carbon based. The upside is, we get to be here. The downside is, sometimes humans and animals die in earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. It is also important to note that all living creatures die. Whether we die in a disaster, or by sickness, or by old age, death is inevitable. We are mortal, and this mortality is part and parcel of the natural selection that drives evolution forward. We are part of a chain of life dating back billions of years. A chain of survivors. Our ancestors have lived through mass extinction events. They changed and adapted, and this is also part of the reason why we have become smart enough to ask questions such as this, and to come to believe in the God of love that is the source of all that is.

 

[DarkStarTheta]

Are you claiming there are no (former) homosexuals in heaven?

I’m not making that claim but a vast number of Christians/Catholics do.

I wouldn’t make such claims because I don’t believe in a ‘heaven’ nor a ‘hell’ nor a ‘god’ - I used to believe in such things because I was inculcated with those beliefs as a child. Then I learned about Islam, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Hellenism, Hinduism (esp the case of Sri Sathya Sai Baba), Sikhism, Shinto, Jainism (I really liked that one), Bahá’í, Cheondoism, Wicca, Rastafari, Scientology, Eckankar, Raëlism. I learned about how divided even just Christians are on hundreds of important theological points (with some 33,000 some-odd sects of just Christianity, thousands of those are very deep divisions). They can’t even agree on the Trinity (see Arius, et al.). Yes, you call them Heresy and they call your beliefs Heresy and there is no evidence upon which to decide < this is the fundamental issue.

I learned about history and the role religion plays in promulgating prejudices-such as those we see today against those who are not normative sexuality or gender binary; our gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, queer, (and many others on the spectrum) fellow human beings who suffer emotional damage, physical violence, and a denial of fair and equal treatment under our laws, all at the hands of the small minded. All based on ignorance and a fear that appeals to scripture as did Reverend Richard Fuller when he summed up the Christian position on Slavery in 1845: “What God sanctioned in the Old Testament, and permitted in the New, cannot be a sin”.

I read Martin Luther’s “On The Jews And Their Lies”, I read about the racism, slavery, and violence of the Vatican (and Islam, and many others) and I saw the result that played out as human populations rose, our technology for mass murder advanced but our ability to communicate and to know what was happened lagged behind – by the end of it, some 200 million people enslaved, slaughtered, their culture destroyed and the ‘survivors’ emotionally destroyed. Africans and the natives through the islands of the Americas, the Aztec and Mayan people in South America, and the natives of North America. Virtually wiped out, not merely decimated. And it was largely a Christian people who did that, largely under the ‘authority’ of the Spanish Requerimiento and doctrine of Manifest Destiny.

But let me be clear, I don’t BLAME religion, per se: iconoclasm2000.blogspot.com/2012/01/its-not-religion.html

But religions did drive this exceptionalism, and the moral failures that underpin it are coded right in the Torah, the Bible, and the Quran. If you would put God before your own child, if you would sacrifice your own child for God, what wouldn’t you do if you believed God sanctioned it? If Christianity cannot get slavery right, what moral authority can it possibly offer? [and I’m sure you are against slavery now, that doesn’t account for the ~1400 years it was practiced openly by Christians nor the textual basis to which Rev. Fuller refers]

I also studied the sciences and philosophy, especially epistemology. How do we come to beliefs and knowledge? Critical question isn’t it? Faith? You have but to look at the list of failed deities and religious to understand that this kind of Faith is a failed methodology.

So what has worked? Science? No, more fundamental – removing known sources of factual error, removing known sources of cognitive biases, and removing known sources of illogic from our conclusions. Evidence is the only way we have to distinguish between competing claims. And it MUST come from our collective efforts - no single individual can know enough or be careful enough, this is the foundation of Peer-review, without which we fail (demonstrably) in the fundamentals of removing error, bias, and illogic.

It is out of these things that science is born. No effort is better for leaving in error, ensuring bias, and applying illogical constructs. It’s a self-defeating proposition to assert otherwise, so it is “Self-Evidently” true.

That’s my epistemic foundation. And from that I can tell you about a different kind of Faith, a Faith that demands it be held to the highest possible standards of evidence and scrutiny of methodology. A Faith that has proven itself successful in the advancement of knowledge when it is applied with rigour. A Faith that produces a convergence of belief on the evidence rather than a bifurcation of belief based on imaginary musing. It doesn’t promise all answers nor pretend to certainty nor guarantee a false emotional security.

That’s the kind of Faith I follow. And from it we have walked not on water but on the moon; not cast demons into pigs but cured formerly intractable diseases and increased our knowledge of the neurological underpinnings of mental illness; and fed the multitudes through evolutionary changes in our food supply not magic. We’re also still petty, emotionally driven, human beings who suffer deeply from the emotional scars of our past and we do horrific things to each other as a result, but we are slowly getting better.

But the issue of natural evils comes down again, I think, to free will. Can there exist such a world that a rock never falls on and kills a person, but where I can pick up a rock and use it to kill a person?..

I have no problem with the concept that rocks are going to fall on our heads.

I have a big problem when someone says rocks are falling on our heads because a women was immodest.

Superstitious thinking is the root of much evil in the world and women have borne the brunt of much of it at the hands of men - from sacrificial virgins to the volcano gods to being burned as witches.