A Tsunami Followed By A Wave Of Doubt

Bob Meyer | January 18 2005

Shortly after the tsunami disaster in Asia, which claimed the lives of about 150,000 people, predictably a lightbulb turned on spontaneously in the minds of those who are the customary cultural termites undermining religious faith. As the traditional attributes of The Almighty were faithfully being impugned, there was a seemingly impromptu concerted effort by infidels of various stripes, to run this rhetorical dilemma at "people of faith" who they knew. I was a recipient of several arrows extracted from their mutual quiver.

The accusatory thrust is something like this: If God is good, how can such a tragedy happen? If God is all powerful, why couldn't he stop the tsunami? Of course the idea here is to lead you down the slippery slope where you tumble into the chasm of unbelief.

But the best remedy for this type of assault, is to have considered these issues ahead of time. In a time of tragedy, the extreme emotional upheaval is too great at that time to have to begin considering the issues logically. For example, one ought to ponder carefully what they believe about death, before having to deal with the passing of a loved one. My own explanation of these events call for an answer that is philosophically cogent, even if it not always emotionally satisfying. I have had to deal with such occurrences, and this preparation has served me well.

Unfortunately, some who are figureheads within the Christian community, lack the contemplative resources necessary to bring exhortation and edification to their spiritual underlings when a crisis like this happens.

As a Christian, I am going to be consistent and look to the Christian worldview and theological exegesis of the scriptures for answers. As I pointed out to a skeptic, how does the death of people have anything to do with disproving the existence of God? Or whether he is good or omnipotent for that matter. After all, people die every day in great multitudes, and so many of these deaths represent a great personal tragedy to someone who is left behind. A similar question posed to me was also asked of Christ himself, when a tower in Jerusalem collapsed and killed several people. Everyone wanted to know whose fault it was, who had sinned? Were these people worse then others? Why was this allowed to happen? Jesus replied in Luke 13:4-5, no they were no worse sinners than others, but unless you repent you will likewise perish. No fancy philosophy about why a loving God allows bad things. He just said, you're looking at this issue all wrong-it could have easily been you-so what are you going to do about it? You can't do anything about death, but you can avoid the judgment.

From a Christian perspective, all of us are sinners in a fallen state and deserve justice. Jesus talked about the increase in natural disasters toward the end times, so a catastrophic earthquake is not something unexpected by the Christian. The Bible says that man is appointed once to die, then face the judgement. This is justice for all humanity. Thus God is all just. God is likewise an all-loving God, because he makes a way of escaping this hopeless cycle possible through faith in Jesus Christ. Once the most often quoted scripture, John 3:16 expounds on this most beautifully.

Furthermore, God's common grace is shed upon believer and unbeliever alike, as not all of us are consumed in these disasters, not all of us face poverty, not all suffer sudden calamity. Many who seem wicked indeed prosper materially. These situations should cause us to refocus on seeking God. He who seeks discovers that he is sought.

A few years ago when I was asked to do a eulogy for a deceased life-long friend, I reminded those at the funeral, that my friend had believed the apparent injustices and inequities visited in this life, are not necessarily rectified here, but in the life to come. Ultimately the justice and love of God are measured on the time frame of eternity, not by the snapshot of single events.

Now of course, many a skeptic will roll their eyes or shake their head at such an explanation. But it is helpful to observe the same dilemmas through the lens of their own worldview. As I pointed out to my inquiring skeptic: "You have missed the fact that your assertion has painted you in a logical corner. If you are claiming "God caused evil", you can't do so without first AFFIRMING the existence of God, which defeats your main premise. Are you giving up Atheism then to make this assertion? If you are claiming that this disaster is merely the product of undetermined naturalistic forces, then you must be content with a worldview that allows for No ULTIMATE JUSTICE, despite your best efforts to create a godless utopia!"

Man labors to build his perfect state without God, and nature mindlessly lays to waste his puny efforts. Seems he has little cause to complain about God's caprice then either. But he does so, and fails to see the irrationality of his own positions. He sees where some people live on when others are taken, and he shakes his fist at the apparent cosmic injustice. But then he arrogates the same decisions for himself when deciding which fetuses are wanted and which are aborted, and then calls this volition a virtue. Pro-choice exalts humanity, but it incriminates God? Curious indeed!

Calamity shows us the fragility of our physical lives, and why we must first seek the kingdom of God.