Tornadoes and other natural forces don't obey a god or man's begging

Published as Local Editorial View in the Duluth News Tribune, 4 June 2013

Our News Tribune published an editorial from the Oklahoman newspaper, headlined, "Another storm, another prayer for God's mercy on Oklahoma."  This was on May 22 in the wake of a deadly tornado.

The editorial implored, "Have mercy__once again__on Oklahoma __oh, Lord!"  The editor apparently wanted a god (he didn't say which) to undo the destruction that this god and its forces caused.

Tornadoes often are viewed by scientifically ignorant folks, such as opinion editors, as acts of their particular all-seeing, all-knowing, all-causing god, who can be nasty or nice.  In this case, the "show of celestial fury" was nasty, but the editor begged for nice.  He stated that we are at the mercy of "forces that do not answer to man"; then he wrote that we can ask for mercy from the forces if we "stay attuned to a Greater Power that rules our lives and calls forth nature."

His Greater Power called forth nature's storm, so it did what it intended doing to our lives__no more, no less.  Asking a god to refrain or relent is impudent defiance of that god's will.   Such pretzel thinking.

It wasn't stated which of the world's several thousand gods was involved with the Oklahoma tornado.  But America has plenty; alas, they deny and despise each other.  And their devotees carry out their commands to kill and burn.

Consider the word of one god.  "If a man not abide in me he is cast forth as a branch...and men cast them into the fire, and they are burned,"  it reads in the New Testament gospel of John.

Consider this god's report in the gospel of Matthew that he will cause "brother to deliver up the brother to death...and the children shall rise up against their parents and cause them to be put to death."   Or, also in Matthew,  "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth:  I came not to send peace but a sword.  For I am come to set a man at variance against his father."

And, of course, according to this god, we must put to death homosexuals, supposed witches and believers in other gods.

Consider another current god whose holy book, the Quran, in its chapter of Sura, declares, "Allah is an enemy to unbelievers, ...Slay (unbelievers) wherever ye find them and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution is worse than slaughter, ...Fight against them until idolatry is no more and Allah's religion reigns supreme."

So much for the "religion of peace."

Consider the Boston Marathon bombing, New York's 9/11 tragedy and President George W. Bush's god telling him to bring shock and awe and death from us to innocents in Iraq.  Christianity vs. Islam vs. Judaism: needless slaughter.

Wake up and wise up, folks.  Natural forces do not obey anyone's gods or human begging.  Wasting thought, energy and money appeasing gods is gross ignorance.  We have important work to do.
Rather, let us help the injured, console the grieved and rebuild more sturdy structures, perhaps with storm cellars a la Dorothy's home in 'The Wizard of Oz."  Didn't we learn from that fine movie that the god guy in the green palace is a fraud?

Most adults gave up Santa and the Tooth Fairy, even if not their invisible frauds in the sky.

Ask your religious leaders to tell the truth to you and the children.  Many of them want to tell the truth but believe you expect them to endorse god magic.  So they present the nice parts of their holy books.  Help your leaders tell it all in truth, and have them see what they can do to help humanity past tribal ignorance.  Jews, Muslims and Christians needn't hate and kill.   Stop frightening children with hell.  Tell them of our evolutionary animal origins, with urges we must control, and of our developed brains that can help us cooperate and thrive.

DR. WILLIAM VAN DRUTEN of Duluth is a retired psychiatrist and founder of the Lake Superior Freethinkers.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I read this in the Tribune and thank you for writing it. Effective communication on such a sensitive issue should be treated carefully and I believe you have achieved this. I hope to hear more from you. Belief is not a bad thing unless it's harmful to others. Then it's time to re-evaluate our thinking. Thanks again. Jerry

Bill van Druten said...

Bill is correct about all of this. I believe in Bill although I recommend not believing fully in anything. I have said, and I expect that I am right, that we aught believe nothing except provisionally on the basis of the best evidence available. I 'accept' the best that cosmological science has determined about how this huge, exciting, mess in the sky has come about.
I accept is provisionally as the best that quantum mechanics, etc. can demonstrate. Gods and primitive foolishness, I do not accept. What of our current understandings may seem primitive in future, I remain open about.
Bill, hey we have the same name!

Bill

Bill van Druten said...

Oh, yes, Bill is correct about what Bill said about Bill's report.

Bill

Bill van Druten said...

Jerry, belief in unfounded, self confounding, god stuff IS foolishness.
We know better and we must teach children better! Please!
Bill

Post a Comment

Blog Archive

Devotees