by Megan Risley

Created on: March 17, 2009

I'm starting with the assumption that the "God" we mean is the Christian God, and if that is the case, then we can turn to The Holy Bible for a description of this God. It clearly states both that "God is love" (1 John 4:16) and that "there is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment" (1 John 4:18). This question implies that God's "judgment" is God's punishment for human sin, but the only thing punishment teaches is fear, and God cannot be both loving and a teacher of fear if God is love and love casts out fear.

God is love, and we, being the only creatures who bear the image of God (Genesis 1:31), have the ability to relate and love as well. An absolute requirement of this love is free will. God therefore gave free will to those God loved in order that they might love - both God and one another. "Free" implies a choice - a choice for either good or evil - and, a lot of the time, people choose evil. We are short-sighted, fearful and want instant gratification. We are prone to selfishness and greed. Essentially, we want what we want and we want it now.

The increase in natural disasters can thus be taken as a wake-up call. Instead of trying "appease" God so that God will "stop judging us", let us look at our actions and activities on the face of the earth. The human race has, in essence, raped and pillaged the planet almost to death. Regardless of what you think about the cause of global warming, it is happening. The ice caps are melting. The water is poisoned. The air is polluted. The climate is changing, and so are the wind patterns and air pockets. If you don't think people have the power to affect a planet, wait fifteen years, especially if things stay the same.

We have used our free will to ravage and mutilate our planet, and it is showing signs of giving out. We are consuming earth's resources as if there were 3 or 4 more planets available, and disregarding things as if there really were an "away" to which to throw things. The planet can't take our abuse, and it is letting us know. God is not supernaturally intervening and spinning up more hurricanes, or drying up water resources; God is letting us feel the consequence of our own action. "Inexplicable" diseases are being linked every day to toxins in our environment...techinical and industrial waste deposited by our careless, consumeristic lifestyle.

God actually already judged the world: God judged it guilty and declared it forgiven through the blood of Christ on the cross. God so loved the world that God is, even now, in Christ, reconciling all things to God's self. It is WE who are causing our own suffering: droughts (think about how much drinkable water car washes waste by contaminating with dift and grime and soap and then pouring it BACK into the water supply!), famine (genetics are not solely to blame for obesity, over-eating contributes!), poverty (Americans spend over $4billion a year on ICE CREAM while FAMILIES around the world live on less than a dollar a day), cancer (billions of pounds a year of carcinogens are being hurled into the atmosphere by the animal production for consumption industry [8% of California's pollution comes from COWS!], cars, ships and other transportation) and other impairments (they say that most water in third world countries has a high potential for causing birth defects - but who is polluting the water?) are the fault of human beings and their abuse of freedom, not God and God's wrath.

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