[lit-ideas] Re: Religious folk and Katrina
- From: Eternitytime1@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 2 Sep 2005 01:31:08 EDT
In a message dated 9/1/2005 8:37:02 P.M. Central Daylight Time,
aamago@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
A.A. Marlena, you've done a good job as G-d's representative on this list.
But, He doesn't care and you're not going to convince no matter what you say.
Besides, Milton already justified God's ways to man, so you don't have to.
Dear Andy,
I didn't think you had asked to be convinced as to whether or not G-d cared.
Certainly, the LAST thing I am about is to 'convince' or sway ANYONE to any
particular point of view--even the one to which I subscribe to this month.
(remember, I am part of the Belief of the Month Club)
But, I do have a 'fairness' piece--and I also don't mind trying to explain
further what i hear or see in regards to things like belief systems. I do
prefer to evaluate rather than judge.
I also don't have a problem with questions. I've had enough of them.
Sometimes I don't think I make things very clear--or that I understand the
'why' of
why you are asking. But, I do know lots of people who just like to ask
stuff and who really are not necessarily interested in the answer. I'm not
really
that sort--hate conflict far too much--but I do understand intellectual
curiousity. All that to explain why I am trying to at least explain this
point
of view.
I may (be forewarned <g>) share MY viewpoint someday. Maybe.
Since I thought you were just collecting information as to what people in
'that realm'--the 'red' realm were saying/doing, i am sending these thoughts
onward. (always reminding you and others that no one really speaks for
another--we can share what *we* believe or we can share what we *think* someone
else
believes--but we don't really KNOW.)
In fact, since we, ourselves, are constantly changing--inside and out--I'm
not sure that even when we share to or with another something intricate-that it
is necessarily the same thing that we will believe in the next few moments.
Sidenote: I attended a Unitarian Universalist church service on Sunday. It
was quite fun--truly, as their bumper sticker and billboard said: "A
Different Kind of Church". (I esp thought it funny when the minister was
describing
their billboard campaign that they did...one of them had something like "A
New Trinity: Truth, Justice, Love [or something like that--don't have it in
front of me, sorry]...and that he got a phone call from the people at Unity.
[Unity is different from Unitarian Universalist--though many people get mixed
up about them. Unity is more positive thinking stuff/higher power or Universe
oriented/peace oriented/conflict resolution kinds of beliefs. They do agree
with the UUs on things like gays are okay, social service nets are good, etc.
As he said, "Bless their peace-loving ways, they simply said 'We are so
sorry if we have done something to confuse people with our name and yours. Our
phones have been ringing off the hook by the fundamentalist churchgoing folk
upset about your billboard who think that we are you. We just wanted to call
and tell you that we are standing with you." (I really like Unity, too.
Their headquarters are actually in Kansas City, MO)
He also mentioned that asking questions is very important to them...and,
truly, I knew more people there than I would have thought. If you ever are
inclined to belong to a community of faith, Andy, you ought to go visit them
...
and as lots of them do NOT believe in G-d, higher power, or much of anything
except maybe science--you'd probably have a good time. I'm not as much 'in
your face' with the questions as they are and they are, supposedly, because to
them the asking of the questions is as fun as finding the answers--more of
the 'life is a process/journey/that sort of thing. I'm not into the process
or
the journey. I'm into the destination. I'd rather sit by the tree and look
at the waterfall than actually travel TO the waterfall...
Remember--this is for those who could not sleep or who are awakening and
want something kind of 'different' to read.
For more extensive info on who is helping and involved, see the National
Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD) at _http://www.nvoad.org/_
(http://www.nvoad.org/)
MOST of the people assisting and helping are faith-based. Now, maybe you
could argue that they would do so anyway--even if they were not
'faith-based'--for many perhaps are faith-based because the people need to be
able to say
that their desire to assist comes from 'somewhere' and they cannot accept that
maybe they are simply really nice and helpful people.
The 'fairness' piece in me simply has to state that, sure--there are stupid
people in all groups which are basically being 'Job's comforters' (to use an
analogy--library-types like analogies <g>) and blaming the victim(s).
Whether it be global warming--sure a major problem; the GLBT parade; the
pullout of Israel in Gaza [see the latest Intercessors for America Middle East
Alert which states THAT is the reason for the hurricane and loss of life in the
US's Gulf Region--I'd post it but it simply makes me too too cross to look
at again, or the fundamentalists of Kuwait...well, those are only a small part
of the religious or faith-based aspect of assistance.
Here are a few thoughts--for I began drafting a post detailing the history
of the top three relief agencies in the US: The Red Cross (Clara Barton was a
Unitarian Universalist, btw) But, really, as long as this -- I'm really
sparing you <wry look>
After the Red Cross, we have The Salvation Army (most people, I think, are
pretty familiar with their practical vein of faith--if not contact me off-list
and I'll give you more information).
The third largest relief agency in the US is that of the Southern Baptists.
And, truly, they are being SO practical right now. They are, actually,
assisting BOTH the Red Cross and the Salvation Army in terms of manning
stations,
providing food, etc.
In fact, these organizations were in touch with each other and dividing up
what each would do IF something bad happened BEFORE the hurricane happened.
Truly, they make me wish THEY had been in charge of FEMA...<sigh>
THEY have been the ones coordinating the transferring of people to all the
different cities--the Southern Baptists got 'food' and have been providing
over 300,000 meals a day--from the beginning they were able to put some of
that
into place.
The giving of groups that are faith-based and involved in this and many many
other disaster relief work [here and overseas] is simply fascinating to me.
(inspiring, too, actually--for some of the groups involved are the Religious
LEFT as well as the stereotypical Religious RIGHT [though not too right, if
you know what I mean <g>]
some are:Operation Blessing, America's Second Harvest. These groups are not
just asking for money, but for volunteers--and are coordinating their
efforts with FEMA and each other as to where to put people and resources:
Adventist Community Services, Catholic Charities, Christian Disaster Response,
Christian Reformed World Relief Committee, Church World Service, Convoy of
Hope,
Lutheran Disaster Response, Mennonite Disaster Service, Nazarene Disaster
Response, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, United Methodist Committee on
Relief.
The Episcopal Relief and Development and other Episcopal agencies, United
Jewish communities, Brethren, United Church of Christ, World Vision [Christian
based], etc. are also very busy with relief efforts.
FEMA is having firefighters [at least from here] etc. go get shots, etc.
[three day process]
while these organizations had the foresight to have volunteers already
prepared. Cell phones are down and coordinating without communication is
hard--the
Salvation Army sent a call out and is coordinating the whole ham radio
operator world and they responded.
One interesting point of view which, I think, is a better description of
what the 'traditional' Christian believes in terms of 'why this' is explained
in
this open letter to the Baptist world...
What SOME of the more conservative-leaning Christians believe (which is not
what ALL believe--and not what a liberal leaning Christian might believe--esp
not the ones I know) is that after Adam and Eve got kicked out of the Garden
of Eden (ie The Fall), the "world" was not ever the same--and that the
scriptures which talk about how "all creation groans" is because it wants
things to
go back to what it was supposed to be like...
MY viewpoint is NOT this one. But, it would seem to be a fairly clear
representation of what the 'word on the street' would be with the primarily
'red'
version of the fundamentalist or conservative type [Catholics may have their
own reasons--and many of them are 'red' too...)
Signing off as a Blue in Red Land and wishing she and her son had joined the
Civil Air Patrol instead of the Boy Scouts so that she could be down there
helping right now...
Marlena in Missouri
FIRST-PERSON: Christ,
Katrina, and my hometown
By Russell D. Moore
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (BP)--In a very real sense, my hometown no longer exists.
And I watched it all on
CNN.
I am from Biloxi, Miss. My family members are there now, enduring the
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina despite pleas to evacuate. The house I grew up
in is
a complete catastrophe, but at least it was not completely swept away. And as
I spend most of the night praying and flipping from CNN to FOX News to M
SNBC, I am reminded of how unnatural
natural disasters really are.
The news reports, both nationally televised and through the south
Mississippi grapevine, sound almost like a bad apocalyptic novel. Beauvoir, the
Biloxi
home of Confederate President Jefferson Davis, was destroyed. This old Coast
landmark had stood since 1854. The home of my friend and former boss, U.S.
Rep. Gene Taylor, was destroyed and
washed away. He and his wife, Margaret, have lost everything. The mausoleums
in some of the graveyards are said to have opened, with coffins and bodies
floating down the streets. I watch the news reports, watching the place where
I proposed to my wife, the place where I surrendered to ministry, the place
where I ran down the beaches with my brothers, and all of it is gone.
As Christians we know something about Katrina that the rest of the world
just can?t know: This is not the way it is meant to be.
The Psalmist reminds us that God originally put all things under the feet of
Adam (Psalm 8:6). But the writer of Hebrews reminds us that we do not yet see
all things under the feet of humanity (Hebrews 2:8), although we do see a
crucified and
resurrected Jesus (Hebrews 2:9). The apostle Paul likewise reminds us that
the creation itself groans under the reign of sin and death, waiting for its
rightful rulers to assume their thrones in the resurrection (Romans 8:20-23).
The storms and
the waves are one more reminder that the "already" has not yet been replaced
by the "not yet."
Against the backdrop of the hurricane, consider the contrast between the
prophet Jonah and the Messiah Jesus. Like Jonah, Jesus is confronted by a
seemingly murderous storm, with his fellow travelers convinced they would
perish.
Whereas Jonah the sinner could only still the storm by throwing himself into
its midst, Jesus exercises dominion over the winds and the waves with his
voice. Mark reminds us that the boat's occupants remarked: "Who then is this,
that even wind and sea obey him?" (Mark 4:41).
The CNN meteorologists can explain the hurricane only in terms of barometric
pressure and water temperatures. We know, however, that at its root this
natural disaster isn't natural at all. It is a creation crying out, "Adam,
where
are you?"
My hometown isn't there anymore. But, then again, it never really was. The
hope after Katrina is not for civil defense and architectural rebuilding. It is
for Biloxi, Miss., and all of the created universe, to be redeemed and
restored in Christ.
There will come a day when the curse is reversed, and the Gulf Coast along
with the entire cosmos fully reflects the glory of a resurrected Messiah.
And John sees in his vision that, on that day, "the sea was no more"
(Revelation 21:1). He also sees that in the Holy City, "nothing unclean will
ever
enter it" (Revelation 21:27). That includes the curse of Eden and all of its
children: including a hurricane named Katrina. On that day, and not until
then,
nothing will ever threaten the New Jerusalem, our hometown. --
--
Russell D. Moore is dean of the School of Theology and senior vice president
for academic administration at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
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