Posted on 02/13/2005 1:07:18 PM PST by missyme
Christian minister calls disaster 'divine visitation' on Lord's Day
A Christian minister claims the tsunami of Sunday, Dec. 26, killing at least 160,000 people, was direct result of "pleasure seekers" breaking God's Sabbath.
In the February issue of his church magazine, Rev. John MacLeod of the Free Presbyterian Church of Scotland writes: "Possibly ... no event since Noah's flood has caused such loss of life by drowning as the recent Asian tsunami. That so many of our fellow creatures should have perished in so short a time, and in so awful a fashion, was a divine visitation that ought to make men tremble the world over."
He continued: "Some of the places most affected by the tsunami attracted pleasure-seekers from all over the world. It has to be noted that the wave arrived on the Lord's day, the day God set apart to be observed the world over as a holy resting from all employments and recreations that are lawful on other days."
The tsunami, a series of tidal waves sparked by a subsea earthquake off Sumatra, arrived on Sunday morning, the day after Christmas, in countries including Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand.
MacLeod said: "To rule out the hand of God in this ... is to forget that He is in sovereign control of all events. If the sparrow falling to the ground is an event noted, and ordered, by Him, how much is this the case when the souls of so many thousands are parted from their bodies?"
The 74-year-old minister, now living in the London area after spending 35 years in Stornoway, Scotland, concluded: "Do not worldliness, materialism, hedonism, uncleanness, and pleasure-seeking characterize our own generation to a great extent and does not this solemn visitation in providence reminds us that He remains the same God still? God is no idle spectator of what is happening here in time and treats men with the sharpness and severity in order that they may know their vices."
As WorldNetDaily reported, the issue of the when the Sabbath actually is has itself been in dispute for centuries, as many Christians believe it to be the first day of the week – Sunday – while other Christians and Jews believe it to be the seventh day of the week – Saturday.
MacLeod's comments are spawning a surge of reaction in the UK, including some harsh letters to the editor of the Herald newspaper.
"One wonders what sort of God this man worships and more, how he professes to know the mind of God. Are we to believe that in John MacLeod's distorted world, a divine creator would wipe out 100,000 innocent children as some sort of heavenly sign that he was unhappy that a few thousand European vacationers had chosen to relax under the very sun that the creator made? (Bob Buntin, Bridge of Weir, Scotland)
"I am sometimes tempted to take the reality of the devil literally, and suspect that his best work in Scotland is from the pulpit. How sad of the Rev. John MacLeod to propagate his nihilistic heresy. It must leave some readers scoffing at all matters spiritual ... ." (Alastair McIntosh, Glasgow) Other churches are also responding to MacLeod's suggestion.
"The view that the tsunami was some kind of divine retribution is utterly alien to the Catholic world view," reads a statement from the Catholic Church. "Our belief is in a God of love, who suffers with us, not an avenging deity."
A Church of Scotland spokesman dismissed the comments about not observing the fourth commandment, calling the event a natural disaster.
A survivor of the tsunami had a more vehement reaction.
Alasdair Stewart, 51, nearly lost his life while scuba diving off an island in Thailand.
"I feel Mr. Macleod's comments should be treated with total contempt. He has no idea what we went through," Stewart told the Scotsman. "The man is a disgrace and should be ashamed of himself."
There have been news accounts about Muslims who believe the tsunami was divine retribution for sinning, but they have cited prostitution and heavy drinking instead of Sabbath observance.
Some have even gone so far as to claim God signed his name as Allah in the waves off the Sri Lankan town of Kalutara, as captured by satellite photography.
Waves off Kalutara, Sri Lanka, said to resemble name of Allah in Arabic, inset (photo: DigitalGlobe)
This clearly spells out the name 'Allah' in Arabic," Mohamed Faizeen, manager of the Centre for Islamic Studies in Colombo, told Agence France-Presse. "He sent it as punishment. This comes from ignoring His laws."
"Allah first sends small punishments – like loss of business. If we ignore the warning, He sends bigger ones – loss of life. If we still ignore the warnings, the big punishments, like earthquakes and tsunamis will come."
Bump
Link goes to a differetn story. I wanna see "Allah" spelled out in the wacves.
No hate here. There are nutjobs, however, who actually pervert the true meaning of the Bible.
'Sabbath-breaking 'caused tsunami'
This moron claims to be a minister and doen't even know when the sabbath is.
Thanks for the ping. The minister has obviously confused the first day of the week with the 7th day, God's sabbath.
Even if he had it right about the sabbath then Christ himself explained natural disasters thus:
Luk 13:1 There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.
Luk 13:2 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?
Luk 13:3 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
Luk 13:4 Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?
Luk 13:5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.
In other words, those who died in the tsnumai weren't any worse sinners than anyone else. We're all going to die in some fashion. Only Christ will give us life if we repent of our sins.
~~~ and another ding-bat pontificates. ;):)
:}}}}}}}}}}}}}
This is bogus. Even if it was the greatest natural disaster of all time.
:):):) LOL!!
Don't miss this one.
If so please, please post the cartoon he drew of God sitting at his PC with his finger poised over a keyboard key labeled "SMITE!" whilst a cross-hair is hovering on the screen on some dofus walking down the street minding his own business.
The people who believe the slop posted in this article think that Larson's cartoon depicts reality. What more is there to be said?
http://graphics.ctyme.com/jpeg/smite.jpg
Sorry; it was a piano on a rope, not a cross-hair.
thanx!
There's crazy, as in a lil' bit crazy, and then there is Nucking Futz.
There are two possibilities: (1) God caused it. (2) God chose to allow it to happen. As you say in your post, God is sovereign. Nothing happens because He was overpowered, outsmarted, or taken by surprise. The Good News is, He loves His children. Not all humans are His children.
Amen! :-)
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