Looking for God: an Ongoing Tale - Should we flee San Francisco, too?

“I know we were going to talk about why you think God made us.” This time it's Tamara who gets the conversation started. “But I'd like to ask you about something else for now.”

“You are off to a running start today,” Mitch responds, “we've hardly sat down. But ok, what's on your mind?”

“Well, you've been into the Christian thing for a long time and I was thinking again about disasters, this time the earthquakes that hit Pakistan and Guatemala. I know we talked about hurricane Katrina and the flooding in the United States, and how people pray in tough situations. But I really wanted to ask you something else. I didn't, though, because I was afraid to ask.”

“What do you mean afraid to ask?”

“Well, what I wanted to ask is whether you think people are just getting their just desserts. You're a Christian — and I heard of somebody who apparently is a Christian saying that it's no wonder that God chose to flood New Orleans because it's known for so many un-Christian activities. You know, hard drinking, over the top partying, gambling, and so on. I didn't want to ask you about that because I was afraid that if I did, you might start saying the same thing and I would have been uncomfortable with that. And now I'm wondering if Christians think that disasters come to places like Pakistan because it's not a Christian, but a mainly Muslim country.”

“Well, there might be some Christians who feel that way, but I think they are a very tiny minority. My church, for example, is working on sending aid to Pakistanis, not condemning them. And I think that's the main response you'll find in the Christian world.”

“Really?” Tamara responds. “Why do I keep hearing that religious people, Christians mostly, are very judgemental about other religions, homosexuals, and non-Christians in general?”

Mitch thinks a moment. “Well, I can think of two reasons. The first is that there are Christians who are judgemental. Passing judgement is something that most people do, and not all Christians have been good at refraining. A second reason is that — and I don't want to be too hard on newspaper reporters here — but I think reporters often look for the more sensational things to write about. It helps sell papers and web space.”

“So, according to you, most Christians are not interested in saying that non-Christians are just getting their just desserts when disaster strikes. They are not saying that it is God who is making them suffer. Is that right?”

“I think that's a fair way of putting it. Actually, you can see that responsibility for much suffering can often be traced back to human beings.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, take major earthquakes for example. We now know which areas of the world are more earthquake prone. In view of that, we know where it is safer to build towns. We also know how to build better buildings in case homes and other buildings need to be built in earthquake prone areas. Third, we can prepare for disasters by having good government and proper infrastructures in place to care for victims and their families.

“We have to ask ourselves, what can we do to ensure that human populations do not build up in earthquake prone areas? What can local and national governments do to protect their people by way of zoning, building codes and providing infrastructure that can handle emergencies? These are the kinds of questions I think that a government like that of Pakistan could be asking. I often here about the pride some countries have in their weapons and armies. But what about these more important, though less glamorous, areas of governance that cry out for attention?”

“That sounds pretty idealistic,” Tamara responded. “In the meantime, should we vacate San Francisco?”

To be continued...

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