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I think it so strange how these sicknesses come out of tornados because they rip the land to make sickness under the land air born, it really surprised me to learn that people who die from tornados are not just killed in the destruction but after the tornado is gone, they get sick and die.
Some pathogens can live in soil for up to 20 years. Which is why using human waste from hospitals as fertilizer on farm land makes SO much sense.
A friend of mine almost died from a rare flesh eating disease from it. A farmer who wanted the cheaper fertilizer that it is, had the truck sneak in at night and spread it, trying to hide it from his neighbors, but only 4 of them lived on this one dead end county road, and she was up and saw what was going on. ALL the wells and ponds in the surrounding farm areas became undrinkable, and because the EPA said it was ok to do, she had to send the water samples from their wells to labs in Cali because no lab around here wanted to be used in a lawsuit. Peace
One has to remember that, while an actual god may not exist, the concept of God does ... and billions believe it is more than just a concept but an actual entity. To make matters worse, people make decisions and alter their behaviors based on the existence of said entity. Therefore, God is real in a sense.
The issue isn't really about being angry at the God itself but at the concept of God. Unfortunately, the God of the Bible was written to be exceptionally cruel, capricious, malicious, and sadistic -- not to mention that God is an egomaniac, narcissist, megalomaniac, and an authoritarian dictator.
It *does* get upsetting sometimes wondering why on earth anyone would worship and praise such an entity, one that is so obviously lacking any moral standards that humans can even see much less recognize. Despite this god committing unspeakable atrocities, such as the infamous case of sending a couple of bears to tear apart 42 children merely for calling one of God's prophets "old baldhead," people continue to lavish praise and adoration onto this entity, claiming this God is actually good, just, fair, benevolent, compassionate, and the wellspring of love.
I think some atheists get angry at dealing with people who think nothing of turning morality on its head by claiming such a god is actually "good" when it quite clearly is not. It's really no different than getting angry at people who support Hitler or praise Al Qaeda for knocking down the WTC. The anger is shared between the perpetrator -- in this case, God -- and those that support the perpetrator.
I call it righteous anger and not of the religious kind. Anger at injustice and barbarism and psychotic behavior that harms many. Good people are angry at injustice and evil. It's what makes them different than evil people. The god of the Bible is a moral monster. It is good to be angry at the idea of an entity like that...unlike the fundies who would worship it no matter what it did. That's why Christian fundies are suffering from a moral sickness called Christianity.
So once again I am completely baffled about all the prayers believers wish upon others after tornadoes go through. Here are some things to consider.
1. All things are supposed to happen according to the will of this bible god
2. Some people's houses get destroyed while others are untouched. Impossible to know whether the ones destroyed had families that "sinned" more than the other families
3. So what exactly are the prayers for? That they "recover" quickly" from this disaster?
4. So god let's the tornado happen, and then the prayers are for this god to give them comfort?
This praying during disasters has to be the most idiotic thing. I never see any god walking around these disaster sites after it's hit. No sign whatsoever. The believers say this god is invisible but yet helping. Yes about enough evidence of helpful invisible pixies walking around helping. Ever notice how all the chainsaws cutting down trees and all the houses being rebuilt are the result of human activity?
Praying: Acting like you are doing something, when you are actually doing sh**.
I was reading a post in the Houston forum where a poster claimed that it was a miracle that his home did not flood.
I was amazed that this was the conclusion drawn vs. actually understanding why their home did not flood. Understanding the mechanics and physics behind why his home did not flood would put his miracle claim to rest.
My mother lives right on Bear Creak in a part of Houston that experienced serious flooding. Her neighborhood did not flood nor did she lose power. However within a few miles radius all around her there was flooding. Is this a miracle?...or the fact that a few years ago her neighborhood had all of the old drainage pipes replaced with giant Texas size drainage pipes and that the transformers were replaced with modern transformers. No miracle...just improved drainage pipes and transformers. An old section of her backyard fence did get knocked down by those darn tornadoes that were dropping down all around her!
Praying brings relief to those who feel helpless and it can actually sooth and calm them in a seemingly-hopeless situation. It's similar to mind over matter.
I was reading a post in the Houston forum where a poster claimed that it was a miracle that his home did not flood.
I was amazed that this was the conclusion drawn vs. actually understanding why their home did not flood. Understanding the mechanics and physics behind why his home did not flood would put his miracle claim to rest.
My mother lives right on Bear Creak in a part of Houston that experienced serious flooding. Her neighborhood did not flood nor did she lose power. However within a few miles radius all around her there was flooding. Is this a miracle?...or the fact that a few years ago her neighborhood had all of the old drainage pipes replaced with giant Texas size drainage pipes and that the transformers were replaced with modern transformers. No miracle...just improved drainage pipes and transformers. An old section of her backyard fence did get knocked down by those darn tornadoes that were dropping down all around her!
Praying brings relief to those who feel helpless and it can actually sooth and calm them in a seemingly-hopeless situation. It's similar to mind over matter.
Prayer is a placebo, security blanket and back-up plan to many people. Just my 2 cents. Also, worthless in my opinion. Actions get things done on this planet, not wishful thinking or prayers.
Prayer is a placebo, security blanket and back-up plan to many people. Just my 2 cents. Also, worthless in my opinion. Actions get things done on this planet, not wishful thinking or prayers.
I see them as only valuable to the person doing the praying.
I agree with taking action vs. praying being the only action.
Some things we can't take action on but praying will do nothing either.
I just can't pray away the 3 monster hurricanes that are brewing towards the Gulf. I also can't take action against stopping them either. Unfortunate things happen all the time on this earth. It's just the reality of life on planet earth.
So once again I am completely baffled about all the prayers believers wish upon others after tornadoes go through. Here are some things to consider.
1. All things are supposed to happen according to the will of this bible god
2. Some people's houses get destroyed while others are untouched. Impossible to know whether the ones destroyed had families that "sinned" more than the other families
3. So what exactly are the prayers for? That they "recover" quickly" from this disaster?
4. So god let's the tornado happen, and then the prayers are for this god to give them comfort?
This praying during disasters has to be the most idiotic thing. I never see any god walking around these disaster sites after it's hit. No sign whatsoever. The believers say this god is invisible but yet helping. Yes about enough evidence of helpful invisible pixies walking around helping. Ever notice how all the chainsaws cutting down trees and all the houses being rebuilt are the result of human activity?
Praying: Acting like you are doing something, when you are actually doing sh**.
Wow. Jaded much?
Also, you need to tell those ppl off. They sound like Calvinists with their fatalism.
Jesus himself talks about both manmade and natural tragedy. Luke 13:1-5. Such people aren't worse sinners. He says this in no uncertain terms.
Consider the people in Haiti. They basically have a perfect storm of poor conditions, they have poor building materials, crappy government, and they have overdeveloped and torn out much of the erosion control grass. They are generally screwed every hurricane season. It wouldbe easy to dismiss these ppl as worthless mooches on disaster relief, but honestly it's not about God's punishment.
A prayer, properly done, is an expression of sympathy. These people in Haiti are bad off, God please help them. That's what the prayer is for. Improperly done, a prayer is to make the person praying feel better.
Not all disasters are cut and dry. Consider a volcano eruption. It scorches the land completely, but then later this land becomes very fertile soil. The survival of a person is not about whether God wanted them to die, but whether they planned properly. Are you on sandy or rocky soil? How sturdy is your house (Haiti should switch to concrete, honestly)? Are you built right under a volcano?
Prayers do work. But as important is how you prepare. God does not send disasters to punish us, but to help us grow.
As an extra side note, after several hours passed (they don't want us to doublepost, but I believe this forum also locks edits after one hour).
Consider the following:
Quote:
Exodus 12:1-14
The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt: This month shall mark for you the beginning of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell the whole congregation of Israel that on the tenth of this month they are to take a lamb for each family, a lamb for each household. If a household is too small for a whole lamb, it shall join its closest neighbor in obtaining one; the lamb shall be divided in proportion to the number of people who eat of it. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a year-old male; you may take it from the sheep or from the goats. You shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembled congregation of Israel shall slaughter it at twilight. They shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the lamb that same night; they shall eat it roasted over the fire with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted over the fire, with its head, legs, and inner organs. You shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and you shall eat it hurriedly. It is the passover of the Lord. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike down every firstborn in the land of Egypt, both human beings and animals; on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live: when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.
This day shall be a day of remembrance for you. You shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord; throughout your generations you shall observe it as a perpetual ordinance.
We have two distinct messages here. One, the fact that God does protect those who prepare for a disaster. And two, disasters tend to happen because they are supposed to happen, that days of the Lord are meant to be remembered. Remember the volcano eruption that I spoke of earlier? What happens if people continually pray for eruptions not to occur and they continue not to occur? Well, first off this land loses its volcanic soil. The land isn't quite as fertile. They run out of food. They lose their faith (as a consequence of a prayer they themselves made that was answered), and eventually the ebb and flow of the water wears away at the island.
These are things that HAVE to happen. God doesn't do them out of a need to be cruel.
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