I was having what I thought was a private conversation with someone who brought up the topic of God. Someone else was listening to this conversation and interrupted us with an explosion of; "I hate God because He hurts people!"
I asked why she would say that. She said; "Open your eyes! Look at all the thousands of innocent people who die in natural disasters all over the world! They call these disasters "acts of God"! What did they do to deserve this? Why doesn't God strike down those people who spend their lives killing other people?" I didn't have an answer for her. I needed to think about this one. That happened five years ago. If I were to meet her again now, I do have an answer.
Are the natural disasters we experience the revenge of God? Are those who perish in these disasters the victims of said revenge? To speak for myself, I cannot accept this to be a fact. My eyes are open. I see and hear every day of the atrocities that go on in this world around me. I have noticed that whenever someone is on the street beating the crap out of an innocent passerby, a gang member or even a senior citizen, there is usually a swarm of people surrounding him cheering him on. No one is doing anything to stop it. Sometimes these beatings end up with someone dead.
I have noticed that when one country declares war upon another, the citizens of said country are only too eager to support it regardless of the massive genocide that will occur because of it. All in the name of victory.
These are only two examples of how mankind is willing to reduce himself to bloodshed, if only to prove a point, mainly to his insecure self.
But I have also noticed that whenever there is a natural disaster anywhere in the world, which claims the lives of hundreds to thousands of innocent people, the entire world unites, comes together in love to give all that they can give of themselves, be it their time, money, homes, sympathies, whatever, they give it freely and generously to aid the victims and their families. Donations pour in from all over the world and the response is immediate. It is the love of God shining through mankind and it is beautiful to see this side of ourselves. It is God's way of saying; "This is who you truly are".
Are those who perish in these disasters "victims" of God's revenge? I have to say not. They are the Saints, the lambs, the ones chosen to participate in a divine sacrifice as an effort to awaken the love in mankind and bring him to this realization. It is right that we cherish and remember them. If it were not for this divine intervention from God, mankind may never know or experience the power of love, as we would be too busy killing each other in cold blood.