When the Terrorists struck on September 11, 2001, we asked ourselves "why" and some of us came up with the answer that there are those who hate us for what we are, namely a capitalist culture that believes in freedom and the free enterprise system. Others thought it was God's punishment. Then there was the Tsunami. The liberals criticized President Bush for not contributing enough tax-payer money for the relief effort. In the end, we and most of the European countries contributed billions of dollars toward the Tsunami victims of the mostly Islamic nations of South East Asia. Again, there were those that suspected that God was punishing the Muslims.
Now we have this hurricane that devastated New Orleans and the surrounding region of America's South, so we are all stunned, both liberals and conservatives, atheists and Christians alike.
The Christians want to know why is God punishing us? Is it because of the excesses of a sinful city or is it for the opportunity that we may minister to those less fortunate than ourselves?
The Liberals and atheists are now also providing humanitarian aid to the victims of the hurricane.
The whole nation is rallying together to help alleviate the situation. Congress has appropriated over fifty billion dollars toward the effort of clearing the rubble and rebuilding of the flooded city. and the region.
But the question remains, are we being punished? Well, it depends on your perception of if there is a God or if there isn't a God. If there is no God, then everything has a cause, even if the cause may be obscure or un-provable.
Hurricanes, Tsunamis, earthquakes strike anywhere; they are caused by random natural forces.
If there is a God, why are we being punished?
Was New Orleans like Sodom and Gomorrah? Or is it because of the rise of immorality in America, the abortion of millions of babies, the casting out of the Ten Commandments from the Justice System, the ban on prayer in public schools, etc, etc, etc?
Personally, I don't think God punishes; I think it is Satan that punishes. According to my interpretation of Scriptures, when God lifts His protection from a people or a region, then Satan does his thing; which is to deceive and kill, to mislead and destroy.
I believe that our only hope as Christians is to seek the Lord's Grace, because when we are under His Grace, then we have a chance to survive and learn by our mistakes.
Lot was saved from the destruction that befell Sodom and Gomorrah. Millions of people in New York City survived the 9-11 attack. Millions survived the Tsunami is South East Asia. Millions will survive the hurricanes that hit American shores. Our prayers and Christian testimony will alleviate the suffering of the victims of the disasters and catastrophes. Besides these there are also the thousands of criminals in all walks of life that prey on us individually.
We must seek the Lord's Mercy if we are to survive and endure to the very end.
Atheists have no recourse for the evils of this world, whether man-made or acts of nature. Since they don't believe in God, they don't believe there is a Satan either, and as for evil, well, that's just a term that they throw at people of faith, as ridiculous and illogical as that is.
Thus the atheists and liberals in Congress are blaming President Bush for not acting in time, for not doing enough for the victims of the Hurricane Katrina. Similarly, they blame him for liberating Iraq and calling it -- this great victory of America against terrorism -- an act of war.
Suicide bombers are blowing up thousands of people in Iraq, but the atheists and liberals in America are asking, "where are the weapons of mass destruction, where are the WMDs?" As they don't believe in evil, then the suicide bombers are merely the insurgents. Accordingly, the US is conducting a war in Iraq; they are not battling terrorists.
When you take morality out of consideration and deny the relevance of God to America, when you remove the name of God from the Constitution and the Pledge of Allegiance, then what you have is a system that doesn't make any sense; you must find a scapegoat for every disaster and evil that strikes America: "the catastrophe of New Orleans was caused by the Federal Government not providing the funds to upgrade the levies," "the attack of 9-11 against America was caused by the failure of the Intelligence Services." Some even say that the Bush Administration engineered the 9-11 catastrophe, so he would get re-elected.
If evil does not exist, then Osama Bin Laden is a freedom-fighter.
What I believe is this: when God removed His protection from New Orleans, the Hurricane Katrina became the tool of Satan. But Satan did not win because the Lord put it in the hearts of the American people to come together and do the work of healing and rebuilding. I believe Jesus touched the hearts of atheists and liberals, as well as the hearts of the faithful and the conservatives, to minister to the afflicted, both spiritually and physically.
I think just as we came out stronger after 9-11, we'll come out stronger after Hurricane Katrina.
To New Orleans will be added the legacy of the great Christian testimony that the people of America proffered.
Sept. 11, 2005
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