The problem of suffering March 2011

Now here's a subject that deserves its own link and page
This months (March 2011) tsunamis, earthquakes in NZ (150 die) and Japan ( 6000die?) have , like the earthquake in Lisbon did in 1755 ( refer Camus: The Plaque) awakened the very big question in people's minds ( believers and non believers alike )
Does God care and or is or isn't' He' capable of intervention to protect 'the innocents ".

If it affects my thoughts, why not then everyone else's( eg we saw a disturbing cynical letter in our local paper from a friend on earthquakes and how as natural phenomema , God's case for care was , he suggested ' inadmissable" )

What a time to witness... we are tempted to think? What a time to say nothing comes back like a train ! But what can you say? Best we say nothing, but do what we can to relieve suffering. Our minds are even busier than our forebears because many of us know about physical factors that cause the suffering (plates,moon and solar heating variations to name a few ) and struggle even more than our forebears in faith to see how God could even be present.

But the same intense emotional response has attended the smaller natural, predictable and avoidable risk like floods around Brisbane. Even though they seem extreme to many, such events are predictable and avoidable risks. yet the focus is not on "why did the public authorities not warn and prevent" but on "how much we are doing to help - herocism" ; even herocism seems like a sort of stoicism in the situation --the dominance of emotion over reason is clear here . And its clearly a broadly based thing of the moment affecting church people too (Churches feel driven to give just like the public are).

Perhaps there is even a sense of doom existing across the world at this moment . After all .last year there was eco-collapse ( US and europe in particular ) and we are NOW ( at a public level ( seen it ourselves privately for decades) our awareness of the fragile quickfix nature of market talk nonsense ( speculation about profit not profit and production itself) of the decades previous .
As an earth science planner, I have enjoyed the chance to participate in a historic progressive trend that ought not to stop , but is increasingly being stalled by suspicion. Nature has suddenly become something 'we don't touch ". The earlier centuries progress in cooperation has clearly been in practically reducing people's exposure to risk--but that work is being stalled. In other words, the West has been good at avoiding exposure to flood, fire and plate damage but somehow we seem to have collectively at least, lost our nerve.
It seems to me the world has this hour this day this year ...lost its nerve.

As Christians we don't think technology will solve the problem ( J Ellul), but many outsiders do. . According to us it doesn't matter , and has never mattered, whether future energy comes from coal shale , tidal, solar or nuclear ; men will abuse the use of technology and thats the issue -- the real dangers of actual use ( not unimportant) are another less emotive issue. People will continue to die because men are careless and indifferent to the other .People won't die is we respect nature when we use it.( study science mate and show yourself approved !)
The prodigal son imperative is also big enough in the "technology stakes" to solve the main issues on earth - but its not applied widely enough . People in their haste and greed will not design and pay for protective concrete and protective professions (very clearly happening in Australia over the last 2 decades in environment) Romans 13 says government is not business but many parties on the left and right perceive that the best kind of government is business.

The world's trust in technology alone has been crushed . The world's faith has been betrayed . And it hasn't taken millions of people to die - just a few people on the screen and millions watching to unsettle the whole camp.
The most surpising thing at this very moment (panic about these things on the news is daily) is that, in an age of reason ( so called ), emotion is in the drivers seat
What do you think ?
How should we pray ? (we know what to do and perhaps are too busy to pray?) That God will use us and others at the impossible moment to create the impossible response - trusting in Him . What else can we do ?

Faith is entirely reasonable

Keep at it mate; it's entirely reasonable ! Romans 8:28 For I am persauded ....Yes, walking into it builds confidence through even great pain . Reason and experience do come together as you walk along in an amazing way which relates to both parts of reality . No pain - no gain.