Why does God allow natural disasters?

[devogue]

Wow, how original!

There's a thread like this started by an ignorant atheist in every place they go. Fuck me, it's this sort of shit that enables christians to poke fun at atheists as misguided and ignorant twats.

But, as for those who believe in an all-good, all-powerful agent-God, we've seen that they face a question that remains pressing after all these centuries, and which is now horribly underscored by the horrors in Haiti. If a deity exists, why didn't he prevent this?

E mail Herr RatZZinger for an easy answer.

(Hint: the sky-daddy does not agree to look after people like an over-protective parent, ensuring they never come into harm's way. Also, a lot more people died from preventable disease and road crashes in the past year than died/will die in Haiti, yet I don't see to many idiot atheists asking why the god allows traffic crashes.)

Yeah, but still.

[Mallardz]

God doesn't allow it.
God did it!

[klr]

Wow, how original!

There's a thread like this started by an ignorant atheist in every place they go. Fuck me, it's this sort of shit that enables christians to poke fun at atheists as misguided and ignorant twats.

But, as for those who believe in an all-good, all-powerful agent-God, we've seen that they face a question that remains pressing after all these centuries, and which is now horribly underscored by the horrors in Haiti. If a deity exists, why didn't he prevent this?

E mail Herr RatZZinger for an easy answer.

(Hint: the sky-daddy does not agree to look after people like an over-protective parent, ensuring they never come into harm's way. Also, a lot more people died from preventable disease and road crashes in the past year than died/will die in Haiti, yet I don't see to many idiot atheists asking why the god allows traffic crashes.)

That's because this is headline event. Religious people do engage in the same same soul-searching after a lot of fatal traffic crashes and deaths from disease, but this is usually only done by those close to the event in personal terms. As for "idiot atheists" (love the gratuitous ad-homming by the way ) asking questions: We are for the most part just responding to what religious people have said. We wouldn't be making an issue of this if they weren't.

A lot of people do indeed act (and believe) as if God can and does directly intervene in personal affairs, and on request. Haven't you ever seen people pray for intercession? Nothing Pappa Joe says is going to shake that belief amongst Catholics (never mind anyone else). Many Catholics couldn't really care less what he says anyway.

[Trolldor]

North korea is best Korea.
Or do you not classify the deification and prayers to their Glorious eternal leader as a religion?

[charlou]

Derail regarding guidelines, behaviour, etc will be split. I'll post a link here when done.

[charlou]

Guideline, behaviour, etc, derail can be found here: http://rationalia.com/forum/viewtopic.p ... 05&start=0

[AshtonBlack]

North korea is best Korea.
Or do you not classify the deification and prayers to their Glorious eternal leader as a religion?

Yay!!! I get to quote myself!

"Dogma is the enemy, not religion, per se. Rationality, genuine empathy and intellectual integrity are anathema to dogma." - Me

[Trolldor]

Religion requires dogma to function, or it's not a religion.

[klr]

Guideline, behaviour, etc, derail can be found here: http://rationalia.com/forum/viewtopic.p ... 05&start=0

I still have at least one post in that thread that belongs in this discussion.

[AshtonBlack]

You can have dogma without religion, but not a religion without dogma. I agree!

[charlou]

Guideline, behaviour, etc, derail can be found here: http://rationalia.com/forum/viewtopic.p ... 05&start=0

I still have at least one post in that thread that belongs in this discussion.

I know ... Sorry, klr, it's difficult to tease these derails apart sometimes. It's a pity the interesting points (and they were interesting) being made and discussed were peppered with and overshadowed by gratuitous insults and arguments about those.

[Hermit]

I copypasted the article provided by KLR and another one about Pat Robertson's take on the disaster in another forum. One of the replies to that was along the lines of "oh, another excuse to bash religion."


:pissed:

[maiforpeace]

I copypasted the article provided by KLR and another one about Pat Robertson's take on the disaster in another forum. One of the replies to that was along the lines of "oh, another excuse to bash religion."


:pissed:

We are a nasty, sorry bunch, aren't we?

[Pappa]

I copypasted the article provided by KLR and another one about Pat Robertson's take on the disaster in another forum. One of the replies to that was along the lines of "oh, another excuse to bash religion."


:pissed:

Are you surprised though? That seems to be what moderate xtians think of most anti-religious thought.... it's just nasty shouting to them (plus they get terribly offended too).

[klr]

I copypasted the article provided by KLR and another one about Pat Robertson's take on the disaster in another forum. One of the replies to that was along the lines of "oh, another excuse to bash religion."


:pissed:

Are you surprised though? That seems to be what moderate xtians think of most anti-religious thought.... it's just nasty shouting to them (plus they get terribly offended too).

So they can spout off whenever they like, but if we should so much as ever raise a finger about it ...