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First Lisbon, now New York!

In 1755, a very powerful earthquake triggered the destruction of the city of Lisbon, Portugal.  Slippage along an underwater fault caused the water to be shoved out to sea.  Reports said that the wrecks of old ships could be seen on the bottom of the bay.  But then the massive wave--we now call them tsunamis--after being heaved out to sea, came roaring back, inundating great parts of the city.  It happened three times.   

 The physical destruction was enormous.  Perhaps as many as 50,000 people died, in Lisbon, and in other places where the tsunami roared in.  The psychological damage was probably greater.  For centuries, the church had taught people that God was in charge of everything, but that human sin--that so-called "apple" in the Garden of Eden, and lust and lasciviousness resulted in God's punishment.  

 But what human perversities cold have caused the Lisbon earthquake?  What had the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve done to deserve what had happened to Lisbon?  And if God was in charge, why did he destroy every major Catholic church in the city?  

 Those are foolish and absurd questions, engendered by a foolish and absurd theology.  

 But. . . . 

 But, if God is going to get credit for keeping track of every sparrow, why in heck doesn't he, or she, or it, get blamed for the destruction of Lisbon?  Or of what seems to happen to Haiti about once a month?  Or water down the New York subways, or across the Boardwalk in New Jersey?  You can't just invent an all-powerful, all-wise, all-knowing god, and give him credit just for the winning team on Sunday afternoon!  

 Of course, maybe God isn't all-powerful, all-everything.  Maybe God just likes slave owners, but not slaves.  Maybe not even God can resurrect the Minnesota Gophers!  

 I am not privy to God's secret plans, so maybe I just don't understand.  It is not of much consequence to me whether people want to give God credit for buttercups and lily ponds, but not for earthquakes and tsunamis.  But the people who do think like that ought to take a little time and think their way through it, before they tell us--as they are doing now--that the hurricane that heat the East Coast was caused by homosexuals and gays and same-sex marriages.  

 The Supreme Court has already ruled that money is free speech, and that corporations are people, so maybe they could rule that saying dumb things is not required.  

 God bless you, and God bless the United States of America, more than he blesses Canada or Mexico or Haiti.  

 (God is trying to tell us something about gambling and subways and houses built on sand, isn't he?)

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