AIG: Hurricanes caused by sin.

[juliod]

I'm sure you all get Answers Update the newsletter from Answers in Genesis. Quite against my inclinations I have managed to get on their mailing list.

The main story (not very coherent) is the question about how god can let things like Katrina happen. Well, they have a good fundementalist answer: Hurricanes are caused by sin, not by planetary atmospherics.

As Pastor D. James Kennedy of Florida said recently (on a national television broadcast) about the book Why do bad things happen to good people? he answered: "They don't! There aren't any 'good' people!"

Now, the question is, is that attitude:

1) Reasonable and just?

2) Typical of christian theology?

3) Perverted?

4) Dangerously psychotic?

5) Other???

DanZ

[micatala]

Well, if we are looking particularly at Kennedy's statement, it seems to me it is 5 for sure with 'other' meaning ambiguous. What exactly does one mean by being a 'good' person?

I think we can all accept that 'bad things happen.' If there are any good people in the world, I think bad things happen to them to. Even in the Bible, bad things happen and they often happen to people that are described as good, perhaps the most striking example being what happened to Jesus.

As far as hurricanes being caused by sin, if we mean a particular sin or set of sins committed by a particular person or group of persons, then this is hogwash. About the only way you could interpret this statement and have it be even close to correct, in my view, is to say that we and the entire creation we are a part of is sinful in the sense that we are at least partly separated from God. One might suggest, then, that this implies we live in 'imperfection' and that bad things like hurricanes are part of this imperfection.

Of course, what AIG might mean is that God was punishing New Orleans in particular for something they did, like hosting a gay bash entitled "Days of Southern Decadence." If this is more like what they mean, then I think they are dreadfully wrong, and also (in my view) taking an un-Christian position.

[Cathar1950]

All the above?
I read Paul where he said that if you took the bread and wine wrong you died. Some things never change.

[USIncognito]

As Pastor D. James Kennedy of Florida said recently (on a national television broadcast) about the book Why do bad things happen to good people? he answered: "They don't! There aren't any 'good' people!"

Kennedy needs to own up to being a Calvanist rather than a Presbyterian. I've watched his "EVILution" shows and wasn't surprised that he spent about 45 minutes discussing communism and quote mining (I called him out on some C vs. E forums for his quote by Julian Huxley, the evidence pointed to it being bogus), and 12 minutes shilling a video, but nary a second was spent actually discussing evoluitonary theory.

One irony about Coral Ridge is that it's located just a bit up Route 1 from the James Randi Education Foundation HQ. If a hurricane hits Ft. Lauderdale, is it devine punishment for JREF's skepticism, for the hedonism of spring break or a chastizement of Kennedy for being a pretentious prig?

I'm still waiting for a meteor to hit Orlando because Disney allowed Gay Days and I'm not holding my breath for Dover, PA to suffer a catastophy.

[juliod]

What exactly does one mean by being a 'good' person?

He means that since Adam and Eve all humans are evil. Original sin, you know.

The point for this forum is that if A&E didn't do the apple thing there would be no hurricanes, volcanos, or death in any form. A reasonable proposition?

DanZ

[Cathar1950]

The "fall" is mostly a Christian idea largely from Paul.
I don't believe A&E happened. It is a myth adapted from other cultures or maybe their own ancient Canaanite and Mesopotamian stories. Maybe even from the Greeks golden age.
In the OT it was more like a promotion from gardener in a walled garden to the whole earth. They had thorns "back then" according to the story now mankind had to deal with them.
So no I don't take it seriously.
But if by one man sin entered the world then one man Jesus removes it has a limited analogy. Paul didn't always think clearly. Passion he had clear logical think he lacked. If you read Jubilees and Enoch among other writings you get all kinds of ideas. Paul seems to have ideas from these writing too. As well as Greek myths and knowledge of the mystery religions. Granted Paul struck some cords and at times he voiced poetic images that later were picked up by the gentile Christians.
The one thing that I do find admirable about Christianity even though it is found in Hebrew thought is the idea that loving Your fellow humans was a kin to loving God. A loving Father God is much better model then a jealous all powerful tyrant. Wisdom and the feminine wisdom(dove) seems to fallen out of favor replaced by a 3rd male person of the trinity.
Historically the Jewish prophets always blamed the Jewish people for their following other God for their calamities. Of course the writings of the prophets were edited by the priest that had a stake in the temple cult and sacrifices. David and Solomon both named there children after Baal.
YHWH was a storm God and sometimes God of the mountains El.
And some times El's son. There is not a straight monotheism thru out the OT. Josiah most likely started the first reforms with his desire to expand his kingdom and rule. The writings dealing with YHWH were the oldest but the God El was even older before committed to writing. The priest wrote and edited and Ezra put it all together under Cyrus at his command. Up to the 2nd century BCE they were still writing such as Daniel and Enoch.
The NT might be some ideas from the people who wrote the DSS(dead sea scrolls). Even Revelation may have had it start with these people.
All of the writing are due to influences from other cultures that were conquerers. The Persians Gave them the devil and dualism as well as hell and the after life. There is nothing clear cut. Paul even goes so far as to suggest that believers might be takeing the bread and wine with less then pure hearts and caused their own deaths. This was in response to Jesus delayed return.
But more un taxed books will be sold and fear will drive people to their churches where they will be feed lossy food.

[Woody]

Uuuuuuuh yeah

I think James Kennedy and Pat Robertson should get married

See ya'll and this thread in the humor forum