The lead story in yesterday’s paper was the devastating earthquake in Pakistan. Authorities are now predicting as many as 30,000 deaths as a result of the quake. The U.N. is reporting 2.5 million people in the affected area are homeless. Statistics of that magnitude are difficult for me to comprehend.
In the editorial section of that same paper were two opposing viewpoints on whether intelligent design should be taught in public schools, which caused me to wonder:
Would an “intelligent designer” create a world that has such catastrophic events like this weekend’s earthquake, Hurricane Katrina, or even just general drought and famine?
Would a designer with intelligence create a universe that can be so deadly to innocents like children, or the elderly?
Are these disasters proof of evolution and the randomness of nature?
For that matter, why does evolution and a belief in God (Allah, Jehovah, or whatever name you choose to use) have to be mutually exclusive?
No answers from me today, just questions.
I read an article in the WashPost yesterday asserting that both the Pentecostal revival in California at the turn of the last century and a a particularly nasty strain of Islamic Jihadism in Indonesia in the 1800s both started up after people believed the earthquakes were signs from God smiting the evil, and that it was their job to continue “God’s” works by eradicating evil/non-believers/sane/rational people.
Don’t know if it is true, but interesting to think about.
Evil and disasters don’t necessarily disprove an orderly creation of the universe. They simply happen. Without bad things happening, we would have no concept of good and bad.
As Augustine says (_Enchir_. xi): “Sice God is the highest good, He would not allow any evil to exist in His works, unless His omnipotence and goodness were such as to bring good even out of evil.” This is part of the infinite goodness of God, that he should allow evil to exist, and out of it produce good.
–Thomas Aquinas, _Summa Theologica_
Personally, I think that people claiming that God is insensitive or bad, or claiming that he doesn’t exist, merely on the pretense of the existence of evil, is quite selfish. Somewhat like a child who thinks a parent doesn’t love him/her because that parent refuses to buy or do everything that child wants. Just my thoughts.
Aside from that, nice site.