Yesterday afternoon, a friend of mine decided to take a quick two-hour nap. Approximately, thirty-minutes into her sleep, county tornado sirens pierced the air, awakening her. Seeing no immediate threat present, she informed all that this was her reminder from God to get up and attend a Bible study scheduled that evening.
Her comments mirror that within many faiths, that if something significant happened, it’s a message from God.
Maybe it would have behooved her to have read the news before making her announcement; that her very message from God resulted in severe storms, including a confirmed tornado, causing damage to restaraunt, a fitness club, an apartment complex, a condominium and a slew of automobiles. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.
I found it strange how somehow could confirm her ‘Yang’ while not accepting that that same message was another’s ‘Yin.’ For my friend, if such was the case, could all damage have been avoided by simply deciding to go to Bible study? And from a legal perspective, could a victim sue my friend for simply not deciding to attend Bible study outright?
From Noah’s fabled flood to 21st-century disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, some people still blame incomprehensible calamities on human sinfulness. Such interpretations often offend victims and for public servants, many such as Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara are forced to apologize for calling the disaster a “divine punishment” for Japanese egoism.
Maybe it’s better to remind everyone what causes a tornado. Tornadoes form in violent thunderstorms when sufficient instability and wind shear are present. When hot air near the ground has a cold air layer slide up on top of it, the weather becomes unstable. But when the air masses move quickly and are extreme, any opening for warm air to move up through the cold air mass is like water going down the drain in reverse. The air rises and is rotated due to the rotation of the earth. Basically, weather causes a tornado.
The relationship of Yin & Yang and illustrates interdependence between the ‘Yin’ and ‘Yang.’ Nothing is totally Yin or totally Yang. They constantly transform into each other. The weather is similar … bad weather is interdependent upon good weather and vice versa.
I’ve never seen a hidden message from God in a tornado or any other natural disaster. Personally, if God has such a message, tell Him to pick up the phone and call me.
So stop doing this, it’s offensive.