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Christianity portrays God as an intelligent, all-powerful being. And the Christian Bible teaches that "God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God" (1 John 4:16).
Yet natural catastrophes such as hurricanes, tsunamis and earthquakes are often labeled "acts of God." This carries with it the implication that mankind's Creator is personally responsible and accountable for the loss of life, material devastation and suffering that natural catastrophes leave in their wake. The anguish they cause leaves a lot of people very perplexed about God's attitude toward human suffering.
One woman standing in the midst of the New Orleans devastation told a reporter, "God doesn't live here anymore." When asked why God allows such a disaster, a priest's reply can be summed up: There is no answer.
Is that true? Is there really no answer? Must we remain completely in the dark concerning God's reasons for not preventing catastrophic destruction, loss of life and incalculable misery? Or could it be that God has already revealed His reasons for not always intervening and that we simply haven't paid close enough attention to them?
Shared responsibility
A realistic assessment of responsibility for the death and suffering caused by natural disasters—especially those that are predictable—should always include a review of our personal and collective responsibility to prepare for the unexpected.
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