Tsunami: Please Explain God's Wrathful Intent

The purpose of intitiating this topic is for those who believe the recent Southeast Asian tsunami is an example of God's Wrath to answer a few simple questions, and for those who wish to engage in a debate specifically addressing the questions and their pertinent answers.The Questions:1) Is the recent tsunami in Southeast Asia an example of God's willful and wrathful intent to inflict punishment, vengence, or some other specific intent?2) If God intended punishment or vengence, for what specifically?3) If God intended punishment or vengence, why did He choose a disaster that disproportionately drowns or otherwise afflicts women, infants, the weak, elderly, and affirmed individuals rather than inflicting a punishment that specifically targets "evil doers?"4) If the tsunami is an example of God's Wrath, and God is an omniscient being, then He must realize the after-effects such as cholera, typhoid, starvation, death by thirst, diarrhea, dehydration, exposure, etc.; are those afflictions also God's intended wrath, and if so, are the relief efforts actually a work of mankind against God's Intent, hence "SIN?"If the Administrator allows this topic, please keep the initial replies confined to the questions posed in the OP at least until those initial questions are answered by other than "God works in mysterious ways," which will not be an acceptable answer in any case.Thank you for your participation regardless of from what point of view you may respond.Peace, Abshalom

Thread moved here from the Proposed New Topics forum.

No!

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

Seconded

I personally do not think this is God's wrath. I think, IMO - the weather has been getting worse all over the planet. I personally think that Jesus spoke of these things happening, but I don't recall him saying it would be God's wrath. (If I'm wrong correct me). Also - I am NOT one to say the "end is nigh" - like all the idiots do at the end of the centuries. So we have to be cautious about sauch things.But also - as you say, infants and women as objects of his wrath? I highly doubt it. I heard a man say that he watched his baby float away and could do nothing. How horrible is that? And christians have said such stupid things this past week. I feel sick, and luv babas, but babas have perished, and I have no gullible or stupid words to say about that. This message has been edited by mike the wiz, 01-07-2005 20:19 AM

One of the hard facts of life from a biblical or non-biblicl viewpoint is that nobody is promised tomorrow.My dad heard this particular line of reasoning being preached in a church one Sunday. Nobody is promised tomorrow; today is the day of salvation...ect. He decided to leave early that day.He was shot and killed 2 days later.*EDIT*But when we get to the tribulation period, that will be a different story.This message has been edited by Tal, 01-08-2005 02:27 AM

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Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" Isaiah 6:8
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i think if a god of any worth was really pissed, and really wanted to punish us for whatever reason... there'd be no questions about what was happening. if we're talking the god of the bible, this is a god who destroyed all but a boatful of earth's inhabitants in a single day. and tsunamis are all his wrath can muster? clearly religious people are just making stuff up to get converts.hey christians, instead of talking about how pissed god is and how it's the endtimes and whatever to gain converts, how about doing the sort of things jesus would do and find a way to help?This message has been edited by Arachnophilia, 01-08-2005 08:05 AM

ok, its been around 2 weeks since the tsunami, and not once have I heard any christian say that the tsunami was God's direct punishment. And how would saying that your God is an angry god who kills children help you gain converts? Oh ya, and we have found a way to help. My church (and probably many others) is collecting money to give to the Red Cross for tsunami aid. OK, when God is in the mood for some smiting, it's not like he is FORCED to be super-freakin-hardcore about it. Even Al McInnis takes wrist-shots sometimes (Al McInnis is the NHL player with the hardest slap-shot).Not everything bad that happens in the world is directly from God's wrath. The earth's plates shift, sometimes under water. Shit happens.

directly? no. but there's a lot of talk about endtimes and whatnot, imply heavily god's judgement: http://EvC Forum: Earthquakes And End Time Biblical Prophecy -->EvC Forum: Earthquakes And End Time Biblical Prophecy fear. fear converts more than anything else. see, god's only pissed at you if you don't believe in him. otherwise, you're off the hook. ask yourself honestly. were you converted out of fear? fear of judgement, uncertainty, etc? i'll admit, i was, and most christians i know were. that's good. i was trying to indict the kind who sit around prosletyzing instead of helping. no, but if it were the endtimes, we'd probably notice. precisely.

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fear converts more than anything else.

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I would say it is conviction. But that's from my experiences.

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Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" Isaiah 6:8
No webpage found at provided URL: www.1st-vets.us

I Christianity was a religion that did not promise an afterlife, or, better yet, promised a afterlife of toil and suffering, would there be many followers?If there wasn't a promise of reward or avoidance of punishment at the end of life, would there be as many believers?

SoulSlay: Thank you for your response.As you correctly assertained, what I am exploring in this thread is whether there are those onboard EvC who interpret the recent Southeast Asian tsunami as God’s Wrath for some human transgressions. I am not looking to discuss "signs of End Times, intent to convert souls by example, etc., as some of the other respondents would digress.While I already know that many Christians discount the idea that the tsunami was "God's Wrath," and have promptly organized tremendous relief efforts to help the hundreds of thousands of unfortunate folk in Southeast Asia, I still see articles in the newspapers, and even more bizarre stories online, where others who think themselves privy to God's intent, express rather radical convictions that the tsunami was a sign from above and specifically that it was a willful act of a vengeful god.Allow me to cite a couple of example.This first one is from some fellow, who the reader can see by his site’s subtitle God Hates Fags, is rather right-leaning in his beliefs:"The lands affected by this judgment from God aren’t just full of idolatry; we’re talking about places (think Thailand) that are hot spots where American businessmen travel for the express purpose of fornicating with young Asian children. It is a thriving industry over there; many of these girls are taken into that business when they are seven years old or younger. 'Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry: For which things sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:' Col 3:5-6. And you wonder if this is the wrath of God?"
Attention Required! | CloudflareAnd here’s an interesting twist where the author refers to a particular Hindu writer who ponders the tsunami as possibly a Vedic god’s retribution against Christian missionary successes in India: God's Wrath in India? --Religious voices blame tsunami on Christian, Hindu factors - BeliefnetI could go on and on, but the same information is available to all readers with a search engine. Additionally I will say that I have read some beliefs along the same lines in my local newspaper from preachers, but mostly along the lines of "End Times" signs rather than the more radical "Wrath of God" interpretations.Again, SoulSlay, thank you for your response. I hope others will participate by answering along the intended topic until we find whether there are folks at EvC who care to interpret or justify the tsunami as "God's Wrath" for specific transgressions, whether the after-effects of the tsunami also are effects of wrath, and if so, whether relief efforts are directly in conflict with God's intent before we go veering off into debate of end times, conversion through fear of God, and other topics that already are being debated in other threads.EDIT: Phatboy, thank you also for directly answering and pertinently addressing the OP.Regards, AbshalomThis message has been edited by Abshalom, 01-09-2005 11:36 AM

From TSUNAMI WARNING:"As I looked at the map of the affected area of this tsunami, it was clear to me that there were two characteristics of the worst-hit locations: 1) they were areas where there is severe persecution against Christians by fanatical Moslems (mostly) and fanatical Hindus and Buddhists, and 2) there were many luxury, sex-tourist resort areas included. Phuket, where many of the media talking heads wound up, is supposed to be the child-sex industry capitol in Southeast Asia.It may not be a popular saying, but this was definitely a judgment from God Almighty."

no, it's fear. fear of punishment, or death. the conviction you speak of is needless guilt, also a form of fear.