by Mitzi Saltsman

Created on: May 05, 2009

If you've ever watched an old 'Tarzan movie you will remember the scene where the hero, Tarzan, saves the beautiful, young woman from being thrown into the smoking volcano.

See, the tribesmen of the village had decided that the "volcano god" would only be happy if they appeased it with a beautiful, young woman. (That kinda makes sense to a lot of men!) In fact if you study ancient histories, you will find similar stories ... only not from movies. Many primitive drawings on cave walls tell the same sad, ancient tale. The ancient and even modern world wants to understand his surroundings and the suffering involved in it.

When natural disasters strike, we want answers.

As a spiritual person, I have two choices. One is to believe in the Creator, God of the Universe, the other is to not believe. In the Bible book of Romans chapter 1 and verses 19 and 20, the Apostle Paul wrote to the ancient Roman church, "For that which can be known about God can clearly be seen in the things that have been made.". In other words we see and know God because of nature. If we don't want to believe in God, we call nature by other names, like Mother Earth.

During a natural disaster we either blame God in anger or embrace God for comfort. It seems to depend on how well you know God. It's been my experience that less spiritual people, who often claim to not even believe in God ... will still blame God during a disaster. We want answers. We want to believe that we didn't deserve what just happened and we want to blame someone. In the Old Testament Bible book of Job, he did the very same thing.

In the opening pages of the book of Job, Satan is actually speaking with God and wanting to test Job. Satan says that Job only loves God because of the blessings God has reigned down on him. God gives Satan permission to test Job. We aren't told why. There is much speculation of why God would allow suffering and since we don't like it; we assume God has done something wrong. In fact Job friends come to "comfort" Job and instead rail on him for committing some terrible sin that God must be punishing Job for. Job insist that this is not true and finally cries out to God himself, wanting answers. "Why are you doing this to me?" "It's not fair!"

God never gives Job an answer although when God gave the writer of this book (presumably Moses) the wisdom to record the event, God simply reassures Job that "He is God" and Job is not. We often want answers during a disaster ... that are not given. When the prophets

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