Yet more discussion...
Tsunami leads to debate over God
The Indian Ocean tsunami disaster has led to debate among religious leaders over whether the mass destruction was a warning from God.
Anglican Dean of Sydney, Phillip Jensen, triggered the debate after saying disasters were part of God's warning that judgment was imminent.
Another church figure and a representative of the Islamic community described the disaster as God's way of testing humankind.
Chief executive of the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils, Amjad Mehboob, told AAP: "It's a test - he wants to see how we react to this."
"If we react with compassion, our hearts are filled and we do something about it, then that act in itself is something God is wanting to see in us.
"We turn to God, we become God-conscious and when we become God-conscious we do good and not bad, we seek good in others."
But he said it was not possible to give a satisfactory reason why the disaster occurred.
"Only God has the full knowledge of why it has happened," he said.
South Sydney Anglican Bishop Robert Forsyth said Jesus Christ used the example of disasters to bring people to God.
"Without explaining the disaster, even Jesus drew peoples' attention to let the disasters be a warning to them of their own mortality and their need to be right with God," Bishop Forsyth said.
"So at this point the Dean's point is echoing the point of Jesus."
Leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, said in a statement on the disaster it was only natural that people were beginning to wonder how a loving God could allow such a tragedy to occur.
"Faced with the paralysing magnitude of a disaster like this, we naturally feel more deeply outraged - and also more deeply helpless," he said.
Dr Williams said it was time to respond to the disaster with passionate engagement.
Meanwhile, moves are under way to set up a national inter-faith appeal for disaster victims.
The appeal will be launched in Canberra on Friday.
posted by mockkie @ 2:43 pm
2 Comments:
I think the tsunami is a warning from God. Revelation speaks clearly about death and destruction of those who reject him as King - he gives us many warning and opportunities to repent and turn to him, so when Christ returns we have no excuses.
PS. Mock this is nate from WS.
Hey nate!
Happy New Year! Welcome to my blog!
Yeah i totally agree that the tsunamis are an act of God, just as much as everyday tides, sunrises and sunsets, earthquakes and storms are acts of God..
But seems that our society is blinding itself to this fact.. trying desperately to cling onto the lovey dovey Father Christmas image of God... denying that God could be a wrathful God who displays it through such calamities..
Only last night on talk back radio i heard the DJ catagorically denying the fact that these are acts of God.. calling it rather acts of nature..
isn't this a contradiction? is not God the God of nature as well? or does he just sit back and let his creation go about its merry way doing whatever it wants.. as though the earth is programmed with some random number generator that determines when such "freak" occurances of nature happen...
Post a Comment
<< Home