Natural Disaster, Human Error or Act of God?

The lightening strikes I heard this morning got me to thinking about the difference between an act of God and natural disasters. The laws have a definition of an act of God related to natural disasters and the Bible claims most any tragic event, man made or otherwise, can be an act of God. So what is an act of God then?

I get pretty riled up when people like Pat Robertson claim that natural disasters, like Katrina, are an act of God for the sins of the people. Granted, sinful acts are committed in big cities, but sinful behavior can and does happen anywhere, just like acts of Godliness. So why would God wipe out the good with the bad during a so-called act of God?

Natural events like storms, earthquakes, etc., have happened on earth long before humanity arrived on the scene. Once man started to manipulate his environment, he has sometimes set himself up for an accident, and so brings disaster upon himself. An example would be a poorly constructed dam that bursts and wipes outs some towns and kills a bunch of people. This would be man's fault in such a case with a cause and effect that is obvious.

God, as an all powerful and omnipotent being, could wipe out a people with any scenario, man made, natural, or even super natural, but how are we to tell the difference? Personally, I think that the Old Testament acts of God are mostly a reaction to disasters that comes from fear and guilt, not from the hand of God. Granted, some things seem like an act of God because the chances of an event happening a certain way are astronomical, but the earth is a naturally a violent place and disasters are common place here.

No one can be completely safe from disaster or these so-called acts of God. So is it luck, fate or ultimately our fault? Natural disasters are certainly a hell on earth, but did we do it to ourselves by angering God, or by simple human error, like building a city in a bad spot, or is it just bad luck?

I feel that humans are two narrow minded and short sighted to be able to determine the difference between an act of God or a natural disaster, so unless God some how makes it perfectly clear that he is pissed off at us, a disaster is an unbiased event that catches people off guard. Then again, if you believe in an active God, then all events, good or bad, come from God no matter what. I tend toward a "watch maker" type of God that put the universe into motion and lets it run by itself unless he must intervene for some reason, but I don't see any reason why God would do so. God just gives us the rope, then we decide to put it around our neck or not in many cases.

So, any perspective on this ATS?

Must have ben quite a storm it missed us in Southwest Michigan but as they say God works in strange ways. You should probably call your insurance agent I'm sure he has it all in writing they know everything.

Acts of God are real. Even my insurance company says so. And even my next door neighbor a few weeks back said so. He had some dead trees that hang over my property line. I warned him what would happen if one ever fell on anyone in my yard. He basically said that if that happened he would be off the hook because that would be an act of God. I suggested that he be god like and have the things removed.

Reminds me of a quote from Aristotle...."All earthquakes and disasters are warnings, there is too much corruption in the world."

a reply to: mikell

It was pretty bad because of the lightening, but the rains and winds weren't bad at all.

The strikes were pretty close and shook the house, but I never bothered to look. I did listen carefully and imagined them as upside down mushroom clouds descending down from the sky. It sounded quite powerful and got me thinking.

a reply to: orbitbaby

The idea of an act of God (or gods) is an old one indeed. People seemed to have carried the guilt of corruption since the beginning.

Natural disasters are natural disasters.

In order for the planet and athmosphere to be the way it is , we need earthquakes, storms etc. If we didn't have them, the world would function differently, maybe causing much more death and pain.

It's just the way it has to be. (IMO)

originally posted by: mikell
. . . You should probably call your insurance agent I'm sure he has it all in writing they know everything.

I used to insure my home when I first moved in, but after a few years they jacked it up with no real reason in my opinion. Plus, I have always took care of any damages myself to avoid a rate increase, so I canceled. I live in a dump anyway, if it burns down or gets crushed by a tree, I'll be lucky to escape, and will be hard pressed to start again, but that would be my fault of course, not God's.

I take a lot of precautions though and like they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

originally posted by: pennydrops
Natural disasters are natural disasters.

In order for the planet and athmosphere to be the way it is , we need earthquakes, storms etc. If we didn't have them, the world would function differently, maybe causing much more death and pain.

It's just the way it has to be. (IMO)

You bring up another good point. A disaster to humans is probably a blessing for something else, be it another species or the very planet itself. It is a point of view perspective in most every case I would think.

Even Jesus played down the direct connection between a person's sin and the natural disasters that he experiences;
"Those eighteen upon whom the tower of Siloam fell and killed them, do you think they were worse offenders than all the others who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, No." Luke ch13 v4

One counter-example is the locust-plague in Joel, but I think this illustrates two important qualifications;
1) God has sent this against his own people.
2) He has also sent them a prophet to explain what is going on, so that they can learn from it.

Most natural disasters don't fit those conditions, and I don't think we shouid see them as having a deliberate purpose.

P.S. In the insurance context, I think the term "Act of God" was originally a euphemism for "We can't insure these, because we don't know enough about them to calculate the odds".

a reply to: DISRAELI

Thanks for the verses, I was hoping to see some of that. Star for you too.

Could natural disasters be an act of God? Sure, but are they? Almost certainly not.

God wrote the world. He can manipulate it any way He chooses. That means He can create or manipulate natural disasters to serve His ends if He needs to, but at the same time, these things also happen as a consequence of the natural workings of the world.

God being who and what He is, He doesn't tend to violate His own rules on a whim. And if He were to do so, there would be clear warnings beforehand. Otherwise, there would be no real way to know whether this storm or that one, this earthquake or that one, were His express working or simply a consequence of nature.

Most people who claim a natural disaster to be an act of God do so to serve their own ends. After all, I remember it was the fashion for while to try to claim that all the hurricanes that hit Florida in that one season were "God's wrath" for them not clearly electing Al Gore in 2000.

a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck

For legal and insurance purposes, and act of God, refers to a "God of Nature" or the "Natural God". The US Bill of Rights confirms "Natural Rights".

a reply to: windword

I'd certainly have to look into it, but I thought that the Bill of Rights mentions a Creator.

Very interesting point though, thanks.

a reply to: ketsuko

Yeah, good point.

I didn't know that Gore was that important to God. Sounds like Robertson has some competition concerning an act of God.

a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck

Look at this way. Would insurance companies pay out if "they" believed that whatever destruction they were asked to cover was purposely cause by God as a punishment to the policy holder for evil deeds?

a reply to: windword

They would probably add that in as a condition of the contract, but if they were faithful to the infernal one, they might cover you to thwart God's will. I do get your point though.

originally posted by: MichiganSwampBuck
a reply to: mikell

The strikes were pretty close and shook the house, but I never bothered to look. I did listen carefully and imagined them as upside down mushroom clouds descending down from the sky. It sounded quite powerful and got me thinking.

That was the idea behind the creation of Zeus,
I think it's in human nature to feel guilty about something, when we embrace the power of nature.

ps.did you filmed any of these? I love these situations so much, every time I see a lighting strike or hear the thunder, I'm in extacy contition

a reply to: Dr1Akula

I was half awake in bed at the time and fascinated by the proximity and power of the thunder, so I never thought of video.

There have been times when they've hit a lot closer, living in the woods gives lightening a lot of targets. Never been hit directly, yet.

originally posted by: DISRAELI
Even Jesus played down the direct connection between a person's sin and the natural disasters that he experiences;
"Those eighteen upon whom the tower of Siloam fell and killed them, do you think they were worse offenders than all the others who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, No." Luke ch13 v

What He was downplaying is the idea that the worst offenders always get hit and those that didn't must be ok to some degree.