Should we put our faith in God after seeing the result of "an act of God" in Japan

mravaya

This is my question, now I need answers...................

Biggins

mravaya wrote: »

This is my question, now I need answers...................

Its mother nature being its usual self.
No more, no less.

karma_

If God is willing to prevent evil, but is not able to
Then He is not omnipotent.

If He is able, but not willing
Then He is malevolent.

If He is both able and willing
Then whence cometh evil?

If He is neither able nor willing
Then why call Him God?

Epicurus

Sykk

mravaya wrote: »

This is my question, now I need answers...................

You've come to the right place

Saadyst

From wiki:

Most Japanese people do not exclusively identify themselves as adherents of a single religion; rather, they incorporate elements of various religions in a syncretic fashion[1] known as shinbutsu shūgō (神仏習合 amalgamation of kami and buddhas?). Shinbutsu shūgō officially ended with the Shinto and Buddhism Separation Order of 1886, but continues in practice. Shinto and Japanese Buddhism are therefore best understood not as two completely separate and competing faiths, but rather as a single, rather complex religious system.[2]
Japan grants full religious freedom, allowing minority religions such as Christianity, Islam and Sikhism to be practiced. Figures that state 84% to 96% of Japanese adhere to Shinto and Buddhism are not based on self-identification but come primarily from birth records, following a longstanding practice of officially associating a family line with a local Buddhist temple or Shinto shrine.[3][4][5][6] About 70 percent of Japanese profess no religious membership,[7][8] according to Johnstone (1993:323), 84% of the Japanese claim no personal religion. And according to Demerath (2001:138), 64% do not believe in God, and 55% do not believe in Buddha.[9] Japanese streets are decorated on Tanabata, Obon and Christmas.


Explain it all really doesn't it!!!


/bait

goose2005

Yeah, because nothing bad has ever happened before

Dravokivich

calling it an "Act of God" is merely a do-over so Insurance companies won't payout...

If you want to find god... I suggest a pilgrimage of some sort...

Biggins

Saadyst wrote: »

/bait

:pac:

5starpool

God, schmod.

Black Swan

mravaya wrote: »

This is my question, now I need answers...................

You don't need to look to a deity for answers. Just Google "Pacific Rim of Fire." They have been studying it for years, and what happened in New Zealand and Japan recently was sad for the populations affected, but geologically normal.

mravaya

Aidan Creamy Neurology wrote: »

No.

Well so far the best answer..............

Agricola

T'was the divil's work

philologos

mravaya wrote: »

This is my question, now I need answers...................

Why would you need a natural disaster to tell you that?

seamus

Thousands of people are dead. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions have been left homeless.

What gives you the impression that there's a God to have faith in?

RonMexico

Yes

Deus Ex Machina

This is why the whole "works in mysterious ways" clause was written into the contract. They've thought of all of these questions ahead of you, and they have a specious answer for each one. You have to decide to have faith, it isn't a position you reason yourself into.

keano_afc

Do the same people that blame God when something bad happens praise Him when something good happens in their life?

MrStuffins

Of course we should. It was his way of telling Atheists he exists.

Biggins

keano_afc wrote: »

Do the same people that blame God when something bad happens praise Him when something good happens in their life?

Indeed, when its bad, its "gods fault".
When its good "its their own luck!"

sbsquarepants

MrStuffins wrote: »

Of course we should. It was his way of telling Atheists he exists.

In hindsight, maybe a billboard campaign would have been better. A few radio adds maybe!

keano_afc

Biggins wrote: »

Indeed, why its bad, its "gods fault".
When its good "its their own luck!"

Exactly.

"How could God let thousands die?"
"What about the thousands that He saved?"
"...eh, that was the emergency services and their own luck"

gargleblaster

keano_afc wrote: »

Exactly.

"How could God let thousands die?"
"What about the thousands that He saved?"
"...eh, that was the emergency services and their own luck"

why would he save some but let others die?

FortuneChip

gargleblaster wrote: »

why would he save some but let others die?

Control

ixoy

keano_afc wrote: »

Do the same people that blame God when something bad happens praise Him when something good happens in their life?

Conversely: Do the many people who say "thank God" when they find out certain people survived,etc. not blame God for creating the situation in the first place?

Brenireland

Your only really going to get one answer to your question,considering the huge majority on here are Atheists

bullmccabe2010

Yes, as you have been spared.

Everyone is being blamed for this including the whales and dolphins who were sick of being slaughtered.

It happens. Has before and will again.

pragmatic1

Really. We're back to the stone age again are we. How about earthquakes happen all the time. Its just that this time it happened in a built up area.

krudler

ixoy wrote: »

Conversely: Do the many people who say "thank God" when they find out certain people survived,etc. not blame God for creating the situation in the first place?

saw this all week on facebook "prayers are with people in japan" fat lot of good praying will do after what happened. praying is basically doing absolutely nothing while thinking you're doing something.

LighterGuy

Weather one wants to believe in god or not is their choice.
However, one thing I hate is that when a person chooses not too but then when they are sick or need a miricle.. who do they turn to.

Tahuti

Whenever I picture God in my mind, he looks something like this.

slavetothegrind

LighterGuy wrote: »

Weather one wants to believe in god or not is their choice.
However, one thing I hate is that when a person chooses not too but then when they are sick or need a miricle.. who do they turn to.

House!

remember....everyone lies!

LighterGuy

slavetothegrind wrote: »

House!

remember....everyone lies!

House?

slavetothegrind

House MD. show on telly, ye may not have seen it:(

Overheal

the whole premise of this thread is some etymology which labels natural disasters as Acts of God, coined by the origins of the insurance industry hundreds of years ago.

I could call it an act of nature. and in fact I will. Therefore no i dont need to put my faith in god.

Jazzy

we need to put our faith in these guys
http://www.churchofreality.org/images/super-best-friends.jpg

Archeron

slavetothegrind wrote: »

House!

remember....everyone lies!

I was going with Ghostbusters.

gargleblaster

Overheal wrote: »

the whole premise of this thread is some etymology which labels natural disasters as Acts of God, coined by the origins of the insurance industry hundreds of years ago.

i think it was actually coined by theologians hundreds of years before that.

Sam Vimes

keano_afc wrote: »

Exactly.

"How could God let thousands die?"
"What about the thousands that He saved?"
"...eh, that was the emergency services and their own luck"

So, just to be clear:

1. The earthquake isn't god's fault, despite the fact that he created the world and designed it in such a way that earthquakes happen
2. The dead aren't god's fault, despite the fact that he could have saved them all if he so chose or prevented the earthquake in the first place.
3. Everyone that survived is someone that he "saved", even the ones that were pulled from the rubble by emergency services who would otherwise have died.

Just to be clear that that is in fact what you are saying

eyescreamcone

LighterGuy wrote: »

Weather one wants to believe in god or not is their choice.
However, one thing I hate is that when a person chooses not too but then when they are sick or need a miricle.. who do they turn to.

There are no miracles so don't waste your time praying for one.
If you're sick, try to find the best doctor/medical team that is available and hope that science is advanced enough to help your ailment.
If science can't help then you've a problem because no amount of prayers/masses etc will do you any good.

Rented Mule

mravaya wrote: »

This is my question, now I need answers...................

Can we sue god's representatives on Earth to pay for the damages he caused ?

Sam Vimes

LighterGuy wrote: »

Weather one wants to believe in god or not is their choice.
However, one thing I hate is that when a person chooses not too but then when they are sick or need a miricle.. who do they turn to.

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=147970&stc=1&d=1297702918

Tahuti

Sam Vimes wrote: »

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/attachment.php?attachmentid=147970&stc=1&d=1297702918

You've heard of placebo surgeries then?

Sam Vimes

Tahuti wrote: »

You've heard of placebo surgeries then?

Yes I have. What's your point?

coddlesangers

eyescreamcone wrote: »

There are no miracles so don't waste your time praying for one.
If you're sick, try to find the best doctor/medical team that is available and hope that science is advanced enough to help your ailment.
If science can't help then you've a problem because no amount of prayers/masses etc will do you any good.

For me, an interesting take on this is that many people ascribe actions to God only when they are good ones. For example, you hear people say "thank God our prayers for xyz worked, he didn't die in that car / plane / train crash" whereas you never or rarely hear anyone raging against God when someone kicks it in a car / plane / train crash. Which is always slightly surprising to me - but I think a huge part of human nature among those who have a religious core.

Tahuti

Sam Vimes wrote: »

Yes I have. What's your point?

Just sayin'.

Your caption says 'It's simple, really'

But it's not always so simple in reality.

Questions of God's existence aside, science doesn't always have the answers, and faith isn't always a bad thing.

Crapcom

Thanks God i'm atheist

Feeona

Sam Vimes wrote: »

So, just to be clear:

1. The earthquake isn't god's fault, despite the fact that he created the world and designed it in such a way that earthquakes happen

3. Everyone that survived is someone that he "saved", even the ones that were pulled from the rubble by emergency services who would otherwise have died.

If god made the world, that means he made everything in it, including the emergency services. Ergo, god saved the people.

He also made the 'glass half empty/full' analogy, so we could describe peoples' attitudes to good and bad luck in a succinct manner.

HooterSnout

I love that a lot answered no using a drawing depicting a humorous situation, often accompanied by a caption :pac:

strobe

mravaya wrote: »

This is my question, now I need answers...................

Which god?

Sam Vimes

Tahuti wrote: »

Just sayin'.

Your caption says 'It's simple, really'

But it's not always so simple in reality.

Questions of God's existence aside, science doesn't always have the answers, and faith isn't always a bad thing.

The placebo effect definitely exists and if you want to say that praying has the same effect as taking a sugar pill I have no problem with that

Sam Vimes

Feeona wrote: »

If god made the world, that means he made everything in it, including the emergency services. Ergo, god saved the people.

He also made the 'glass half empty/full' analogy, so we could describe peoples' attitudes to good and bad luck in a succinct manner.

Absolutely. God made the emergency services but he also made the earthquake. I don't mind people thanking god for the survivors as long as they also blame him for the dead. Unfortunately this never happens