by Bohdan Rewko (Bo of T.O.)

Created on: January 19, 2010   Last Updated: January 20, 2010

Whenever disaster strikes, be it natural or of human making, the question invariably asked is, where is God? The greater the devastation, the greater it seems the numbers who want to weigh in on the subject.

Anyone following the stream of newscasts dealing with the human tragedy in Haiti after its severest earthquake in two hundred years, will eventually have heard some of the spiritual commentary accompanying it. This is because, in the midst of the prayers being raised and solicited, people always feel a need to interject God into circumstances beyond their control.

Unfortunately, controversy always erupts whenever the question of God's role in natural disasters is considered. It was true two thousand years ago and it is true today. Jesus once said regarding the age-old view that sinful behavior brings on God's judgment, "Do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but, unless you repent, you will all likewise perish". He followed this with a parable picturing God as a patient and loving God who does not wish to destroy, but is longsuffering towards the human race.

Normally, the first reaction of atheists regarding natural disasters is, how can there be a God? If He were alive, He would not allow such tragedies to occur. This view of course assumes that God needs to behave according to people's expectations.

The more widely accepted view is a little more reverential, as people who witness the awesome power of God in creation are a little more fearful. Most, whether they subscribe to a personal God or not, seem to have the attitude that if God is out there, He needs to at least be acknowledged and given His dues. No one has God figured out, so hedging can't hurt.

Controversy usually comes along when heavy-handed fundamentalist Christians get involved. A day after the videos and photos of the incredible devastation in Port-au-Prince started to appear around the world, Pat Robertson, a well-known Christian fundamentalist once again proved that being a believer does not guarantee wisdom or discernment. Mainstream Christian churches and organizations immediately distanced themselves from his comments, but that does not mean individuals were not on the same wavelength. His take on the disaster and the numerous prior disasters plaguing Haiti, was that Haiti had made a pact with the devil to free itself of French colonial rule. According to Mr. Robertson,

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