Explaining disasters

OSV.com ^ | 05-29-16 | Msgr. Charles Pope

[Salvation]

Explaining disasters While the loss of life stemming from tragedies is heartbreaking, we can’t fully understand God’s plan

Msgr. Charles Pope May 29, 2016

Question: Given God’s mercy, how do we explain devastating earthquakes and other natural disasters? It certainly tests our faith!— Gerald Olesen, Fortuna, California

Answer: Part of the answer we must accept is that we cannot really know the full answer since there is so much we don’t see or understand. This was the basic answer God gave Job, who asked the meaning of suffering in his own life. In effect, God challenged Job to explain how the stars were made, or the seas or any other natural wonder. And if Job could not understand those things, how could he think he would understand the meaning of suffering.

And thus, in understanding the suffering of natural disasters you mention, recall that in the natural order there is a cycle of life and a remarkable way that many of the troubles of creation also bring blessing. The molten and fiery center of our planet is responsible for earthquakes and volcanos. But it also has a critical role in creating a magnetic field around the earth that protects us from the harmful radiation emitted from the sun. Thus, were God simply to answer our prayer and stop some of these upheavals, other blessings might be lost and the loss of life might be far worse — even total.

God is like a master artist whose canvas is all of creation. We cannot see the whole picture. And thus, one dark pixel of the painting might alarm us, but if we could see the whole painting, we could see that it is an interplay of light and darkness that makes for a beautiful masterpiece.

We might also recall that God offered us paradise, but Adam and Eve (and we who have certainly ratified their choice) sought to live apart from that sheltered paradise, which existed only through trusting and obeying God. For Adam’s sin affected not only him but the whole of creation. God said to Adam: “Cursed is the ground because of you” (Gn 3:17). And while it is not certain if the Garden of Eden would have had no natural upheavals, it seems fair to say that our sin intensified the chaos of creation in some mystical way.

[who_would_fardels_bear]

Why are there any planets at all?

Is your only answer "Just because"?

[Izzy Dunne]

Why are there any planets at all?

That's way off topic, but my answer is "I don't know".

It has something to do with stars exploding, scattering heavier elements about, and they accrete into disks, and form planets. It goes on even today.

Not exactly satisfying, but the answer that "I don't know, therefore God did it" is even more ridiculous.

It's understandable for a primitive man who sees a lightning strike start a fire and wonders about it. "I can't do that", he thinks. "Nobody in my tribe can do that". "I haven't seen any other tribe that can do that".

Humans being hungry for explanations, he ascribes it to a "god" that he can't see and invents reasons for this god to do such things. It sounds loud and looks fierce, so he imagines anger is the reason and himself as the culprit and starts imagining ways to assuage this anger.

All very reasonable, for humans 10,000 years ago.

But at some point, the real explanation for lightning and thunder comes out, and the idea of an angry god with a plan just seems silly.

[who_would_fardels_bear]

"That's way off topic, but my answer is "I don't know"."

That is NOT way off topic. As I wrote in my earlier post the reason I believe there is a God despite the problem of evil is because I can't explain the existence of the universe any other way.

So I am left with a quandary: It seems as if the universe requires a creator who is unimaginably powerful, and yet there is evil in the world.

You seem to want to take the easy way out and just not think about why there is a universe in the first place. Just assume it was created by a random event or something.

Then you can just claim that there is no problem of evil, there are just random events that are sometimes good for certain people and sometimes bad.

You're basically begging the question.

[annalex]

The distinction is that we are not simply made and regarded good (as in Genesis 1:4-25) but we are in the image of God (Genesis 1:26); the rest is created for us (Genesis 1:28).

The subhuman matter has value insofar as it serves us. We have value insofar as we are lead to salvation.

Values are never absolute and so a lower value sometimes yields to make a greater value. In the example that you give, a natural disaster might weaken a faith that is already weak, but it forges a stronger faith in those who might otherwise not have an opportunity for growth.

[Arthur McGowan]

If you or I kill someone, you or I would be guilty of murder. If God kills someone, he is not guilty of murder, and it does not signify that God hates the person.

[Arthur McGowan]

If you or I kill someone, you or I would be guilty of murder. If God kills someone, he is not guilty of murder, and it does not signify that God hates the person.

[Arthur McGowan]

You did not notice the quotation marks around the word “floods.” Is English your first language?