I was scanning the news online and came across this article. Like the story says, I also find it weird that 56% of Americans believe that God is in control of everything on Earth but that less then 29% believe he is the cause of horrible natural disasters. This article makes me think that the Christianity being taught now is maybe "sugar-coated." No one wants Their God to be responsible for the suffering of others. I personally believe that disasters are just acts of nature and God is not involved, but Im not really religious either so Im not defending anything or one. UnfortunateIy many members of Christian church's are turning to their leaders and questioning why these things are happening without any answers. If God did create these disasters he could surely fix them. Anyways it is pretty interesting. Check it out!
http://www.religionnews.com/index.php?/polls/americans_divided_on_whether_god_causes_disasters1/
http://www.religionnews.com/index.php?/polls/americans_divided_on_whether_god_causes_disasters1/
I find that very interesting that that many people believe that God doesn't cause natural disasters. It kind of seems like they are taking away some of his power and basically saying that he didn't create everything. I believe that he created the whole world, and he knew that what he created would end up causing disasters. It's not like he made the tectonic plates and was confused when they shifted and made earthquakes.
ReplyDeleteI think it is interesting as well. I guess from a Christian standpoint one shouldn't attribute only the positive things that happen to God, because he allows bad things to happen also. I don't think anyone really knows why these things happen, but some Christians feel that is because this Earth is only a temporary place, and wasn't created to last forever.
ReplyDeleteFrom a Christian standpoint, I believe that God is the cause of natural disasters, but also he uses the disasters to bring good. I agree with Charles in that Earth is a temporary place and I think Christians should not dwell on their lives while in their earthly bodies. I agree with Michael that by claiming God didn't have control over natural disasters they are discrediting God's power by claiming that some other overlying force was able to surpass his power.
ReplyDeleteI think these contradictory statistics are very interesting. If God is in control of everything, how could God not have control over natural disasters? I agree that these trends seem to reflect an overly optimistic view of God; people don't want to believe that God would intentionally kill and hurt other people. Personally, I think that everything has meaning; however, I am not sure that all events occur because of a divine plan. I also tend to believe that disasters occur because of nature not God.
ReplyDeleteAs tragic as most natural disasters are, I believe good comes from them. Natural disasters bring out the best in others and encourages people to provide aid to those in need. This brings meaning to the lives of those who give the aid and helps people see the good in humanity when they receive the aid and even those who see this from afar. I think these things also force others to evaluate their own lives. I agree with Isabel in that I believe everything has meaning. I just don't believe that as humans, we will ever know the true meaning behind anything. It seems like people are always looking for life's answers and personally, I would be very disappointed if it was simple enough for anyone, even a religious leader, to understand. I guess my point is that I do have a very optimistic view of God and that even though natural disasters may be horrible, I think good comes from them whether we can see it or not.
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