Act of God - 5

Natural Disasters

One of the most often leveled accusations against God is his allowing natural disasters to happen – resulting in the deaths of millions of people throughout history. We think of plagues, earthquakes, tsunamis, and floods which have ravaged our planet and taken untold lives. Surely God has the power to prevent such horrors from happening? The question can be asked – Is God under any kind of obligation to prevent such catastrophes – particularly if – like the ancient nation of Israel – mankind in general ignores God, and chooses their own selfish ways of living – often at risk to themselves and others?

On a natural scale, it is worth noting first that our planet has undergone many major changes over thousands of years. This is particularly true of the past century or so. In fact many natural disasters today are directly linked to mankind's selfish misuse of the planet earth.

But, before considering the whys of disasters, let us first deal with the idea that God uses them to punish sinners - as many religions still teach today. While it is true that God did use natural phenomenon in the past to deal with tyrants and oppressive nations, those events were selective, supernatural in timing and scope, and preceded by clear warnings. They were also exacting and selective in who they destroyed. Jesus - when confronted with this issue – said something very revealing. Speaking of a local disaster, where a tower fell and crushed many people, Jesus asked those around him - “Do you imagine that these Galileans were proved worse sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered these things? No indeed” - (Luke 13.3). This reveals one simple truth about disasters – natural or man-made – that “Time and unforeseen occurrences befall us all” - (Ecclesiastes 9.11). Sometimes a person is simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

When the Bible describes the destruction of the tower of Babel, it tells us that God wanted humans to spread out, not to cram themselves into great cities – living on top of each other, polluting the air and soil. But, mankind have resisted this command – to cultivate the whole earth, and to take care of it - and have concentrated their habitats into certain metropolises containing millions of people in a small area of a few miles. Furthermore, mankind insist on building cities in known areas of natural hazards – on earthquake fault lines, and vulnerable sea inlets.

When mankind greedily strips the earth of all it’s natural resources, trees, coal, oil, metals etc., there are consequences. It is now an established scientific fact that our climate is being damaged by human activity. Taking millions of tons every day from the earth's soil leaves vacuums and holes, while pumping billions of gallons of gases and chemicals into our atmosphere poisons the air that all living things breath. There are countless underground nuclear detonations every year, and there is growing evidence that all of these human activities causes subsidence, plate movements and other geologic disturbances. Humans have exploited all living things, consuming them greedily, hunting them to extinction, using them for sport, research, clothing, cosmetics, and just pure entertainment. Many of the diseases of our modern era are caused by the unsanitary conditions we keep animals for food. Modern intensive farming methods mean that the soil is depleted of nutrients, and soaked in chemicals – many of them cancerous. And again – the Bible warned against all these things. Under the Mosaic law, a piece of land was to be rested – lay fallow- every seven years, and fruit tress were not to be picked for the first three years of growth.

In contrast to the voracious appetite of mankind for products and services and the complicated lifestyles we lead, the Bible advises “Keep your eye simple” and to “Be content with sustenance and covering.”

Jesus warned that one of the signs of the last days would be “Earthquakes – in one place after another." Confirming this, the Italian journal Il Piccolo reported: “Our generation lives in a dangerous period of high seismic activity, as statistics show.” On the average, about ten times as many have died each year from earthquakes since 1914 as in previous centuries.

Humans have brought the earth to a point of calamity. We are now witnessing records in all aspects of meteorology and natural disasters. The majority of victims of earthquakes, volcanoes etc. could have been spared suffering if homes and cities were not built in areas at risk from natural events (Both California and Tokyo are built on known seismic fault lines). Buildings are built so high or so shoddily that they are inevitably destined to crumble. Warnings to evacuate are often ignored.

The Bible reveals that – in the beginning, the earth was very different to what it is today – that earth was not plagued by disasters, and that everything God had created was “Very good.” The first humans lived in peace and security, with God's complete protection. And the Biblical promise of God himself, both to the ancient nation of Israel, and to those awaiting the fulfillment of the kingdom promised in the near future – that God himself will take control of the natural world, bringing it into harmony, as it was in the beginning. Jesus – demonstrating by miracles what God would do on a global scale in the future – calmed a storm on the sea of Galilee. He cured deadly diseases, and fed thousands of hungry people. In fact, one of the most remarkable prophecies in the Bible is that - “God will bring to ruin those ruining the earth” - (Revelation 11.18). This is significant because, not only does it show divine understanding – at a time in history where pollution was non-existent as yet, – but that God will not allow selfish human rulers to destroy our beautiful earth – either by nuclear weapons, or environmental destruction.

Today mankind tinkers with secrets it does not fully understand. We have split atoms – at great risk and devastation. We have meddled with genetics – trying to manipulate, and reverse the natural order of things. We have attempted to create slaves – by means of Artificial Intelligence. We have programmed seeds to grow in a manner that is unnatural, and damaging to the soil. We have pushed the boundaries of moral decency – engaging in violent and depraved sexual acts – unthinkable even to ancient nations. This we do under the banner of freedom of expression. Had God not dispersed the ancient people of Mesopotamia – when they tried to build the tower of Babel- to challenge the authority of God himself, mankind's level of “progress” - and all it's consequences – would be far greater. But God did not allow it. In Genesis – God informs us that one of the main reasons He dispersed mankind from a central location, and created multiple languages, was so that such extreme ideas and practices would be inhibited, and slowed down. Otherwise – the Bible tells us that - “Nothing would be unattainable for them.”

No, mankind cannot hold God responsible for natural disasters – especially when we show such gross disrespect for life, nature, and the earth, and we reject God's guidance in life.

But, there is one area of suffering which is cited most often when discussing God, and that is disease. Why does God allow diseases to run rampant in life? That subject will be discussed in our next chapter.