# Does God Punish Us Through Disasters ?



## Archived_Member16 (Oct 15, 2005)

*http://www.canada.com/vancouver/vancouversun/news/story.html?id=b7070289-3b62-4575-b1da-3971e8a0563b*

*Does God punish us through disasters?*
Rachel ZollAssociated Press
Saturday, October 15, 2005

They're sometimes called "acts of God" and, when disasters strike, it's not unusual for people to read a divine punishment into earthquakes, floods or other natural cataclysms.

Now, with the unrelenting devastation of the last few months, a few religious thinkers have done the same in response to the Indian Ocean tsunami, hurricanes Katrina and Rita, mudslides in Guatemala and the earthquake in Pakistan.

They have proclaimed these events as heavenly retribution for sins ranging from legalized abortion to U.S. support for Israel and the war on Iraq. Conversely, one Israeli rabbi said the American storms came because the U.S. government pressured the Jewish state to withdraw from the Gaza Strip.
The vast majority of theologians reject this thinking, however, and The Associated Press decided to examine why this is so.

What follows in question and answer format is a summary of the prevailing thought on the question of God's place in disasters, based on interviews with some theologians and public statements of others:

Q: Does God cause natural disasters?
A: Theologians, citing the biblical Book of Job, say people can never understand how God uses nature. Albert Mohler Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, notes that God rebuked Job's friends who contended that he was being punished for misdeeds. Commenting on Katrina, Mohler said, "We have no right to claim that we know what this storm means."
He's in agreement with Rabbi Jerome Epstein, executive vice-president of the United Synagogue for Conservative Judaism, which represents conservative synagogues in North America.
"I would hate to ever become so haughty as to think I know what God does or what God is thinking. That's beyond man or woman," he said.

Q: Was God trying to express displeasure with sinful behaviour, for example in New Orleans, which has long had a reputation as a party town?
A: Jamal Badawi, director of the Islamic Information Foundation, said there are examples in the Qur'an -- and the Bible -- of punishments inflicted on nations because of tyranny or rejection of God. But Badawi said these episodes are history and do not necessarily explain the meaning of disasters today. "The absence of that direct indication in the Qur'an means one cannot really say," he said.

Q: Do the sins of humankind play any role in the disasters at all?
A: Christians believe the root of evil in the world is humanity's fall into original sin. But Chap Clark, a professor at Fuller Theological Seminary, an evangelical school in Pasadena, Calif., says the explanation cannot stop there. He said people need to acknowledge their responsibility for environmental degradation, poverty and other problems that contribute to disasters. "We've been called to be stewards of what God has given us," Clark said. "We are responsible to do everything we possibly can to help one another, to relieve the pain."

Q: The outpouring following the tragedies has brought together people of different races and faiths. Did God inflict the disasters to unite humanity?
A: Terrence Tilley, a professor of religious studies at the University of Dayton, a Roman Catholic Marianist school, said the overwhelming generosity shown to victims regardless of background was a bright spot in the devastation, but it would be wrong to say God caused widespread suffering in order to achieve this goal.

© The Vancouver Sun 2005​


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## devinesanative (Oct 23, 2005)

The followers of Islam are Strong Believers in Allah .

Why Earth Quake Occurred in Pakistan ?


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## jasi (Nov 5, 2005)

please understand one thing once for all that i and nobody has born yet who can talk about the God. it is as it is to our wonder the universe and happinings good or bad.

there are set of rules and way of living dictated to us from different prophets and our teachers to follow the rules and you will have better soiciety.

it is absolutly individual's choice . like it says in "JAP JI SAHIB" KARMI APNI APNI KE NERE KE DOOR. 
WHAT EVER ONE SOW That  IS WHAT ONE REAP.BUT WE have  BEEN ADVISED"JINA NAM DHIAA GAYE MASKAT KAL"so repeat HIS name in appreciation and keep on repeating day and night.

WE JUST HAVE TO REMEBER (HIS) NAME AND PRAIS HIS CEATIONION
BAD OR GOOD. SOMETIME IS BAD IS GOOD HAPPENING AS LONG YOU HAVE COMMITED TO THE RIGHT. this is the essence of whole thing.greed and power- hunger is been going on since the creation of mankind and it will be continue. 
the most important tragedy to day is with having  all the wealth in the world there are millions of  babies and people are dying. aid and wars are booming.
we spent more money on arms building than redicating the povert from the face of earth. 
why do not we become a crusaders of this issue and get rid of poverty in the world. that is what we suppose to be doing for our human brothers and sisters.

it is not our to judge or balme the GOD and talk about HIM as we are just small particles on this earth. it is like a river talking about the ocean but when it emerges into the ocaen ,loosse its identy just become a ocean. same we are emergin to HIM and we are no more us. 

WAHE GURU JI AND WAHEGUR JI KA KHALSA.


MESSAGE TO ALL KHALISTANI: 

PLEASE UNDERSTAD THAT OUR GURUS AND ESPECIALYY SHI GUR TEG BAHDUR JI IS CALLED "HIND DE CHADDER" AS HE SACRICED HIS LIFE  FOR HINDUSTAN NOT FOR A STAT AMRITSAR TO AMABALA . . SO FEEL PROUD THAT WE BELONGS TO SUCH A GREAT NATION WHERE WE HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH SO MANY PROPHETS AND POETS.TNINK BROAD BEYOND POLITICS AND CONCETARATE ON OUR GURU'S MASSAGES.WE HAVE TO GET RID OF CAST SYSTEM AND OTHER DISCREMINATION AND POVERTY. THERE ARE LOTS OF OTHER ISSUE TO CONCENTARE THAN HAVING YOUR OWN COUNTRY. YOU HAVE A COUNTRY WHER YOU WERE BORN AND OUR GURU'S WERE BORN . DO NOT FOLLOW THESE PRETENDING PRTECTIONIST OF OUR FAITH.
SIKHS DO NOT NEED MEDIA FOR YOUR ARDAS TO SAT GURU BECUSE IT IS DIRECTLY ACCEPTED ACCORDING TO OUR GURUS.
LOVE FOR ALL.
SAT SHRI AKAK JI.


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