As I type this I’m listening to the TV reports on hurricane Irene. Still many hundreds of miles away from NH it is nevertheless creating much consternation here in the North East. The track of the storm is now projected to pass immediately over our tipi.
Touted as perhaps the most dangerous hurricane on the east coast in the past seventy years, the news reports are filled with advice on how to prepare. Home Depot has already run out of generators in many areas. Plywood is at a premium in the South. The supermarkets have reported heavier than normal volume in the Carolinas. People are evacuating the outer banks and heading for high ground to escape the storm surge.
But with all this preparation, all this hand wringing, all the activity my only question is ... why?
Those claiming to be US Christians represent 76% of our country’s population. The majority of those Christians believe that their god created the planet, all its inhabitants, all the mountains, everything in the universe...Bam! ...created. This would also mean their god gets credit for creating weather, and according to Bill O’Reilly, the tides. God doesn’t screw up, he’s perfect. He has a purpose and a plan for everything and everyone, as any true Christian will tell you. So WTF is all this preparation all about?
In the early 1700’s a Middle Eastern visitor to London walked through a typical London rain shower carrying a previously unknown implement ...the umbrella. The residents, good Christians that they were, hurled insults, rocks and mud at the dry fellow. Their logic was pure and simple: if God maketh the rain to fall upon plants, animals and humans alike how dare a man challenge God and his well devised plan?
You have to respect that kind of religious think. Oh, not for the obvious idiocy, but for the consistency of illogic that it represents. No back sliding Christians there, no siree. (One has to wonder how they justified hats and roofs).
Their position was representative of a true belief in and respect for God’s Creation and His plan. Yet today nary a Christian can be found on the entire East Coast who is refusing a rain poncho, hasn’t laid in supplies of chips and beer, hasn’t topped off their generator, hasn’t boarded up their windows or hauled their boat out of the marina. Not one has failed to throw an extra tarp over their hovel, or jack up their double-wide above the high water mark. Oh they of little faith.
Touted as perhaps the most dangerous hurricane on the east coast in the past seventy years, the news reports are filled with advice on how to prepare. Home Depot has already run out of generators in many areas. Plywood is at a premium in the South. The supermarkets have reported heavier than normal volume in the Carolinas. People are evacuating the outer banks and heading for high ground to escape the storm surge.
But with all this preparation, all this hand wringing, all the activity my only question is ... why?
Those claiming to be US Christians represent 76% of our country’s population. The majority of those Christians believe that their god created the planet, all its inhabitants, all the mountains, everything in the universe...Bam! ...created. This would also mean their god gets credit for creating weather, and according to Bill O’Reilly, the tides. God doesn’t screw up, he’s perfect. He has a purpose and a plan for everything and everyone, as any true Christian will tell you. So WTF is all this preparation all about?
In the early 1700’s a Middle Eastern visitor to London walked through a typical London rain shower carrying a previously unknown implement ...the umbrella. The residents, good Christians that they were, hurled insults, rocks and mud at the dry fellow. Their logic was pure and simple: if God maketh the rain to fall upon plants, animals and humans alike how dare a man challenge God and his well devised plan?
You have to respect that kind of religious think. Oh, not for the obvious idiocy, but for the consistency of illogic that it represents. No back sliding Christians there, no siree. (One has to wonder how they justified hats and roofs).
Their position was representative of a true belief in and respect for God’s Creation and His plan. Yet today nary a Christian can be found on the entire East Coast who is refusing a rain poncho, hasn’t laid in supplies of chips and beer, hasn’t topped off their generator, hasn’t boarded up their windows or hauled their boat out of the marina. Not one has failed to throw an extra tarp over their hovel, or jack up their double-wide above the high water mark. Oh they of little faith.
Pat Robertson knows that hurricanes are part of God’s plan. He credits God with using them to kill homo tolerating heathens en masse, and with a vengeance. If a good Christian opposes gay marriage and gasps at the sight of two women holding hands, what do they have to be “afeared” of?
This frenzied preparation on the part of the faithful shows a complete lack of respect for God’s omni-benevolence. A dissing of God’s intended plan. A blatant lack of faith in the Baby Jesus’ love. If they were TRUE Christians they would just sit back and watch the destruction confident and safe in the knowledge that God’s wrath will be appropriately directed. And if by chance they and their family are killed by a stray wind blown 2x4, or drown in a storm surge it’s all good...it’s all God’s plan. After all, God does NOT fuck up.
This frenzied preparation on the part of the faithful shows a complete lack of respect for God’s omni-benevolence. A dissing of God’s intended plan. A blatant lack of faith in the Baby Jesus’ love. If they were TRUE Christians they would just sit back and watch the destruction confident and safe in the knowledge that God’s wrath will be appropriately directed. And if by chance they and their family are killed by a stray wind blown 2x4, or drown in a storm surge it’s all good...it’s all God’s plan. After all, God does NOT fuck up.
15 comments:
The hurricane is punishment for the Tea Party. Their combination of racism, intolerance, selfishness, arrogance, ignorance and stupidity has delighted their deity.
Hey I'm with you Hump. Surely the whole point of the Xtian mythology is to "git flyin' up to Hevun an' thru them that Purly gates" as fast as possible. As you point out, the earth is but a temporary home for the religious on their way to (our) salvation. It amazes me too that with one breath the so-called wrath of god is used to heap disaster on "them faggot-luvin' liberals", yet with another breath the same sheeple are fleeing before the storm in droves.
Presumably if they've been God fearing Xtians all their lives then they will be protected? Let's see how many churches are standing after the storm passes...
But but but Hump! God created the Home Depot too! Bam!!
People turn it on and turn it off, as it fits the situation. Almost everyone flees weather disasters, because they learned to do that before they took on the mantle of fundamental Xtians. It's situation specific.
Lisa..ah, but that is a reasoned response.
It doesn't make the primary issue disappear. If you believe that God created weather, thus hurricans, knowing all the while will kill some and destroy much, it presupposes to that believer an intent.
Unless one presumes they are the target of that intent there is no justifcation to fear death, destruction or injury by God's direct storm action.
Thus, the only explanation for the Xtian response is a lack of faith in a benevolent God and a belief in a a God who created weather knowing it will kill randomly and either won't or cant do anything to correct it.
Whther they are conscious of it or not, there can be no other explanation for their emergency response action.
"Tide goes in, tide goes out. No one knows why." No wait, tide comes in like a hurricane or tsunami because of the Fall. Prelapsarian = no hurricanes, earthquakes, etc. Seriously. That's the standard fundie argument. Although one has to wonder why the recent east coast earthquake's epicenter was located not too far from "Fundieville," AKA Lynchburg, VA.
It's all part of the tribulation of the last days. It ends Oct 21, doncha know!
- Fastthumbs
Yes, Big G's almighty plan comes into conflict with GOP doctrine of 'pull yourself up by your own bootstraps, why don't you?'
Plus, I've aways posed the question: If vengeance is mine saith the lord, why in xtianland, does a criminal have to go to jail or face execution? Isn't hell enough? Oh no, just remembered, if you believe, truly believe, you can have all your sins forgiven and dodge hell as well! What a great system....sign me up!
Lightening strikes abortion clinic or earthquake wrecks Haiti: "god's wrath!!"
Tornado destroys church:
*crickets chirping*
Another small oversight of the Bible-thumping folks in the path of the hurricane is that the Bible they thump on gives them the power to turn the hurricane off: Matthew 21:22 "If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” That pretty much makes them omnipotent according to my understanding. Of course, there is one minor requirement for that: God has to be real? Oh darn, there's always a catch isn't there?
That would require consistency. Religious indviduals are notorious for picking and choosing what best suits them. If they really wanted to follow scriptures, that means they would have to shun the benefits of medicine as well. Do you need a kidney transplant? No, it's gods plan for me to die of renal failure. Do you need hypertension medication? No, it's gods plan for me to possibly die from a stroke or heart attack.
None of them have the courage of their convictions to follow religion to its logical conclusion. That's why there's so much hypcrisy and lack of integrity among these people. It's sickening. They have ram their garbage down our throats. They've destroyed their minds, now they want to destroy everyone else's.
Bookish Babe
Growing up in Hurricane Alley Country, aka Louisiana, my theist folks never did adopt the "God's Plan" strategy. When Carla or Audrey or Hilda or Betsy or Camille or goddam Katrina was bearing down on you, boarded up the windows, bought lots of canned goods and candles and bottled water, filled up your bathtubs, and hunkered down.
And hope that a spawned tornado didn't rip your house apart and blow your baby into a mud and debris field about a hundred yards away to be found injured but alive the following day, but you only found her because she was crying, being otherwise invisible under her coating of mud and debris.
True story, happened to a refugee family we took in for a couple of weeks back in 1965.
The righteous along with the wicked suffer and perish in hurricanes.
Duh.
Sheer luck is the survival factor. I wish we could poll the Katrina dead.
"Did God kill you for your sins in this hurricane?"
A. Yes.
B. No.
C. Not sure.
D. ARE YOU SHITTING ME???
*sigh*
I hope NYC and NH get trough this one with minimal damage. Good luck to thee and thine.
Ah, but what if it is God's plan to gift Walmart and HomeDepot and their fellow retail corporate persons?
But even here God is imperfect...they could have bought more supplies to sell to the fearful herd.
I consider that I am very lucky to live in a part of the world with a very moderate climate. Kind of blows away the claims that hurricanes are punishment from God. The bible belt is one of the most religious parts of the world and they deal with these events all the time. I live in a very irreligious part of the world and I've never experienced violent hurricanes or massive snow storms, or floods or anything of the like. The worst we experience is drought but I don't think that us city dwellers ever really appreciate the hardship that it causes. To us it just means fruit and vegetables become a bit more expensive. My best wishes to all affected by Hurricane Irene.
Hahahahaha! Oh the infamous "Baby Jesus' Love!"
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