The ironic humour of it all

Thanks and credits for inspiration and for this rant go to Sister Stacey Patrick (Bellyache with the Sister). The wonderful Sister Stacey, harked upon a topic that had been ruminating in my cerebral wasteland for sometime, so rather than clog her comment section, I decided to post my own tidbit.

What with all these recent natural environmental events disasters Acts of God happening in the U.S, I got to wondering where the forgiving Christian God had gone with his miracles? Had he forsaken all the good, God-fearing, Bible reading Americans, like he did Christ on Golgotha? Why would he do something like this? Was he washing all the sinners from the land like he did during the Great Flood, or does he simply no longer hear the prayers of His people?

"The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him to His heart. So The Lord said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the ground, man and beast and creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them." (Genesis 6:5-7 RSV)

In the Bible it states that, "The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him. (Nahum 1:7)" It also claims "The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. (Psalms 145: 18-19)".

Hmmm...how interesting...

So I guess those who pray to God and go to Church will receive this "refuge" as he will hear their cries and save them. Pat Robertson claimed that his prayers to God helped prevent both Hurricane Gloria (1985) and Hurricane Felix (1995) from striking Hampton Roads, Virginia, the headquarters of Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN). The Virginian-Pilot who quoted him, further noted that "Robertson also believes that various natural disasters are signs of God's will and that the world will suffer more of them before the arrival of 'the end of the age.'" Halleleujia! That's quite the feat there Patty-boy. As Roma Downey says, "God loves you!"

Of course in typical Pat Robertson double-talk, back on May 01, 2005, when George Stephanopolous was interviewing Pat Robertson for ABC, he asked why a God "so involved in our daily life" would allow a tsunami to kill hundreds of thousands of people, Robertson than replied that "I don't think He reverses the laws of nature."

Hmmm, so which is it? Does God listen to us or not? Does God swerve hurricanes and earthquakes and natural disasters away from the praying peeps or not?

And, what does this mean for all those who were hit, or who did die? What does this Biblically represent when hurricanes, tropical storms and tornadoes are hitting all over the States - Either God really hates Dubya and is ignoring Roberstons' prayers, or Roberston simply isn't praying hard enough for the people of the world. Or, maybe it was Sunday, you know, the day that God takes a rest from all his work. Come on people, everyone gets tired. You really oughta give the big man a break once in a while - what with your constant prayers, whining and kvetching. He must get tired of it all and need at least 1 days rest, don't you think?

Of course, when the disaster does hit, it is blamed on the Gays, abortionists, feminists, non-Christians, heathens, but never on Bush, nuclear weapons, war, greed, false prophets or Benny Hinn. The hypocrisy just astounds me. I wonder if just maybe, and I know this is a big stretch of the imagination. But, what if - and this is a big IF - Hurricanes were actually just a natural occurrence where warm water, moist air and equatorial winds converge? Do you think God looks at his Microsoft Outlook Calendar, and says every July-to-October that there are more sinners this time of the year, so "lets wreak some havoc?"

But, I realise that can't be true, because Creationists and Intelligent Design proponents have empirical evidence in the Bible that these things are truly acts of gods mercy. You know, I may be a bit blonde at times, but I'm not an idiot. I have spoken and listened to many preachers and theologians speaking about the mercy of God - that God is not at the mercy of us, but that we are at the mercy of God.

Ummm, yeah, I think I'll pass on that thanks. All this simply tells me is that if we do not follow the will of God than we will be punished. I have enough things going on in my own life, that I don't need some unseen entity hovering around me granting and bestowing me mercy when He thinks I've prayed enough.

That's called vicious teasing or better yet, bullying.

Reminds me of when I was 9 years old. There was a bully in my elementary school, who would punch me and make fun of me, and beat me up on my way home. He would put me in a headlock and tell me to say I was a "cock sucker" or something like that and then steal something from me. If I agreed and said or did what he wanted, then I would be spared his wrath. I see no difference, other than that my bully in school was real and tangible and not a figment of my imagination. I know the difference, thanks.

Oh, and as for the bully? I realised that his idle threats could be matched and beaten by a well placed kick to his gonads. He too pleaded to God and Jesus Christ that afternoon, but I guess God was busy with other more important things.