Nature has many ways to kill us. But none are as sudden and catastrophic as a major earthquake. They demolish not only buildings, but something very basic within the human psyche.
The Greeks believed earthquakes were the result of a vengeful Poseidon smashing the earth with his trident. The book of Revelations is full of seismic upheaval: "I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became as blood."� In the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, religious Indonesians thought they'd been punished for straying from the path of true Islam. Pat Robertson became an instant figure of Internet ridicule on Wednesday when he suggested that the earthquake in Haiti resulted from a Napoleonic-era "pact to the devil."� But he is hardly alone: Throughout human history, in all parts of the world, the devastation wrought by earthquakes has been so enormous as to be inexplicable as anything but a manifestation of divine wrath. In the wake of the 1755 Lisbon Earthquake, no less a thinker than Voltaire questioned his faith in a benevolent entity, posing theological questions that persist to this day: What kind of God destroys schools alongside prisons, mansions alongside hovels, the good alongside the wicked?
In the case of Haiti, epicenter to what will likely become the most deadly earthquake in the history of the Americas, that question is particularly apt. Even before the earth moved, the country was the impoverished, chaotic hellhole of the Western hemisphere. To send another horseman galloping into its capital seem a species of sick, cosmic joke. All great tragedies test humanity's faith in a higher power. But some, like this modern day reprise of Lisbon, more than others.
These existential challenges are timeless. But something important has changed in the last two-and-a-half centuries: humanity's power to send help from foreign shores. In the Lisbon earthquake, as in all others before and since, many of the victims died not from the physical trauma of caved in roofs, but in the aftermath "” from exposure, starvation and, most commonly, disease. Western governments, including Canada's, have the power to limit the death toll, by sending water-purification equipment, doctors, medicine, food, and temporary shelters. And body bags, too "” which for all their macabre symbolism, save as many lives as any other medical technology, by arresting the spread of plagues that concentrate in dead flesh.
Unlike the victims of the Indian Ocean tsunamis, or those of the massive 2005 Kashmir earthquake, Haiti's homeless and wounded are relatively close to us, accessible, and geographically concentrated. We can save lives by mobilizing quickly and getting our medical teams on the ground as soon as possible. Our military "” as many soldiers as we can spare "” must also be part of the response. Haiti was already largely lawless in many areas, and looting will no doubt be widespread soon, if it isn't already.
God may have abandoned Haiti. But we shouldn't.
National Post
Read more:
Canada, U.S. rush aid to Haiti
Death and devastation overwhelm rescue workers
Gallery: Tens of thousands feared dead on Haiti
How Canadians can help quake victims
Photo: A woman looks on at the devastation caused by an earthquake that hit Port-Au-Prince on Tuesday. (Thony Belizaire/AFP/Getty Images)
... This is a difficult position to take.
... However, it is easy to say that "we" should not abandon another nation suffering from natural disaster.
... However, this is being deceitful and simplistic. The Post's true request is that all working Canadians be forced to finance this charitable effort.
... How much should we contribute? For how long? A token contribution? Should we be forced to rebuild their country? How many troops? How long should they be there... years?
... It is easy to write that we "shouldn't abandon" any country in need around the world. However, it is not being honest, open, or clear.
"God may have abandoned Haiti."
Highly doubtful.
King David wrote that God is with us even if we make our bed in hell. This means God is near to all the victims of the earthquake and was near to Haiti prior to.
The question is whether or not Haiti is close to God or whether or not people have abandoned Him.
If you take the time to research the Christian God you will find that he abandons very, very few. It is the human tendency to abandon God and His standards; not the other way around.
Perhaps Haitians, and everyone for that matter, might call upon God rather than berate Him for once?
That insufferable moron Pat Robertson dares to make capital out of this tragedy. May the God he has a false conception of damn him. Horrible man.
Ambrose99,
Of course Pat Robertson's assertion is problematic to say the least.
But he's no worse than the hoards of Global Warming alarmists who blame practically every negative occurrence in the globe on the alleged 'sins' of industrial man.
Ambrose says something smart. Mark it on your calenders.
Umm, if you choose to build a city right over top of a fault line, what do you expect ?
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