Blaming God for Earthquake? Even Buddhists Do It

Here's a story I missed about the Japanese Earthquake. This happened back in March, right after the quake hit.

Although I don't share Shinto and Buddhist beliefs about karma and rebirth, I've always had a lot of respect for Eastern religions. They don't have a nasty penchant for proselytizing, and their ideas about sex and sexuality are quite reasonable. Best of all, they value learning.

But apparently they share at least one bit of craziness with evangelical nuts like Pat Roberson: a belief that human failings anger the deities that run this place, and that said deities get pissed and send earthquakes and hurricanes as punishment.

Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara was the latest celebrity to make the awful assertion that the Japanese 9.0 earthquake is our fault. He said,

"We need a tsunami to wipe out egoism, which has rusted onto the mentality of Japanese over a long period of time. I think the disaster is a kind of divine punishment, although I feel sorry for disaster victims."

According to the story on ABC News, Governor Shintaro later apologized.

I hope Governor Shintaro realizes the company he is now keeping. He is in league with

Evangelical Idiocy: The Death of America?

I've mentioned before that the question I get the most from family and friends is, "Why do you care so much about religion? Can't we just live and let live?"

Well, here's one of the reasons why I care: almost two thirds of Evangelical Christians are dangerously ignorant. (I want to call them dangerously stupid, but that would be too nice since it would relieve them of blame.)

A new poll about God and natural disasters revealed what I should have known already: Evangelical Christians are ignorant of science and technology. They believe things that can't possibly be true, and they vote. Not only do they vote, but some of them even get elected to positions with considerable power and responsibility.

Here is a sampling of this idiocy:

• Six in ten white Evangelicals believe that hurricanes, floods and earthquakes are signs from God that the End of Times is almost here. They don't believe in global warming. They don't believe earthquakes are just normal geology.
• A majority (53%) of white evangelicals believe that God punishes whole nations for the sins of some citizens.
• Evangelicals believe that God is actively controlling the world, and that everything that happens is because God deliberately made it happen.

What does this really mean? These might seem like harmless beliefs to

Missionaries are like Looters: Using the Japan Earthquake

What's the difference between a looter and anyone else that uses a disaster for his own gain? In my ethics playbook, a disaster calls for one thing only: help the victims. Everything else should be put aside while we pick up the pieces and try to put the victims' lives back together.

Apparently Christian minister Neal Hicks, who has spent thirty years proselytizing in Japan, doesn't see it that way. To him, the Japanese earthquake is an opportunity. The Japanese victims are vulnerable, and it's up to Mr. Hicks to take advantage of their vulnerability.

According to Hicks, there has not been anything like this since WWII that's prompted the Japanese to turn from their 'no-god' god to the living God. "The Japanese are once again shaken. They're asking eternal questions again. We have another window of opportunity, and there are missionaries in Japan who are prepared to communicate the Gospel."

"I think it is probably one of the most opportune moments--at least in the last 50 to 60 years since the war--that we've ever had," says Hicks.

If you believe as I do that a person's mental, ethical and spiritual needs are

Armageddon? Or Just an Earthquake?

Here we go again. God screws things up for no apparent reason, kills ten thousand, leaves hundreds of thousands homeless, and we have to clean up after him. He's angry! He's warning us!

Or ... maybe it was just another earthquake.

We need to set a new scientific standard: it's the smallest possible measurable increment of time known to science. It's defined as the almost-infinitesimal interval between when an earthquake ends and some religious ass declares it part of God's divine prophecies in the Holy Bible. Since the Japan earthquake, millions of blogs linking Japan and Biblical prophecy have popped up. It's disgusting.

Here's one of the worst, brought to you by the professional jerk known as Glenn Beck:

You can't see the connections here. I'm not saying God is causing earthquakes. I'm not not saying that either. What God does is God's business. ... But I'll tell you this. Whether you call it Gaia, or whether you call it Jesus, there's a message being sent! And that is, "Hey, you know that stuff we're doing? It's not really working out. Maybe we should stop doing some of it. *laughs* I'm just saying. ... Buckel up! Buckel up 'cause it's going to be a bumpy ride.

Beck ought to be ashamed of himself for capitalizing on the plight of the Japanese.

And so should everyone else who thinks this is Biblical prophecy. It's utter

New Zealand Earthquake: God Thanked ... for Building Codes!

Reader "JJJ" sends this little tidbit.

Most of Christchurch, New Zealand city officials were praising engineers and architects last week after the city was hit by a massive earthquake that shifted the ground by fourteen feet. In decades past, the city's building codes were updated and many buildings were reinforced to better withstand earthquakes, and this foresight paid off big time. There was very little loss of life; the retrofitting was a huge success.

But the Angelican Dean of Christchurch, Reverend Peter Beck, had a different view:

"Thank God for earthquake strengthening ten years ago."

Wait a second ... thank God for the building codes? What about the earthquake itself, wasn't that God's work?

Pat Robertson, Why Have You Forsaken Us?

Pat, Pat, where are you in our time of need? There's been a huge earthquake in Chile, and we can't figure out why! What is God's plan in this? What did those Chileans do to deserve God's wrath? How are we to know who to blame without your words of wisdom, Pat? You're letting us down! Your sage and godly explanation of the Haitian earthquake was so satisfying. It made us feel better!

We're so worried out here in California – are we due for another Big Earthquake? When we heard about Haiti, it was scary. But then you explained about their pact with the devil, and we knew we were safe because we didn't do anything dumb like that.

But what about Chile? Maybe they tried to let gays get married or something, just like we did! Please, Pat, can you talk to God again and find out what the story is down there in Chile? And let us know, as soon as you can. We're worried sick!

NOT!

But there IS a fascinating story here: Another blogger published a satirical news release claiming that Pat Robertson did exactly that (blamed the Chilean earthquake on their worship of an ancient demon) and thousands of people believed it. Robertson has been so outrageous in the past that the readers read the false news and just said, "Oh, there he goes again!" He's made a fool of himself so many times that we don't even blink when he does it again.

James The Mysterioso Predicts... Pat Roberson will...

I have great psychic powers ... something is coming to me ... yes, I can see it now, my crystal ball is clearing ... What's this? Why, it looks like an evangelical Christian, talking on TV. Why, it's Pat Robertson, and ... the words aren't clear ... Wait, the great Mysterioso James hears his words! He's saying that the Magnitude 8.8 earthquake in Chile is God's punishment! For sin!

No, it's even worse, God has spoken, personally, to Pat Roberson! It seems God wanted Pat to know this is the Apocalypse! Two earthquakes, what could be clearer than that? The End of Times has started!

Will the prediction of the Great Mysterioso James come true?

Pat Robertson on Haiti: Bad Theology Too!

I thought I was done with Pat Robertson, but I found this, and it's so good I just have to share it. It's a letter to the editor (the actual author is Lily Coyle of Minneapolis). Enjoy!

Dear Pat Robertson,

I know that you know that all press is good press, so I appreciate the shout-out. And you make God look like a big mean bully who kicks people when they are down, so I'm all over that action. But when you say that Haiti has made a pact with me, it is totally humiliating.

I may be evil incarnate, but I'm no welcher. The way you put it, making a deal with me leaves folks desperate and impoverished. Sure, in the afterlife, but when I strike bargains with people, they first get something here on earth -- glamour, beauty, talent, wealth, fame, glory, a golden fiddle.

Those Haitians have nothing, and I mean nothing. And that was before the earthquake. Haven't you seen "Crossroads"? Or "Damn Yankees"? If I had a thing going with Haiti, there'd be lots of banks, skyscrapers, SUVs, exclusive night clubs, Botox – that kind of thing. An 80 percent poverty rate is so not my style. Nothing against it – I'm just saying: Not how I roll.

You're doing great work, Pat, and I don't want to clip your wings – just, come on, you're making me look bad. And not the good kind of bad. Keep blaming God. That's working. But leave me out of it, please. Or we may need to renegotiate your own contract.

Best, Satan

What can I say? The author says it all. Not only is Pat Robertson mean spirited and ignorant of science, he also doesn't even know his theology. Who would have guessed?

Catholics Nasty about Atheist Haitian Charity

Update: (1:17 PM Pacific Time) After a firestorm of criticism, Mr. Archbold has cut off comments to his blog and deleted most of the replies, including my first comment, which you can still find below.

Update 2 I received an email from the NCR's editor explaining that the comments were cut off automatically because there were too many, as an automatic anti-spam block. They adjusted their database and restored the deleted comments.

Matthew Archbold over at the New Catholic Register wrote a snide and offensive blog this morning, criticizing Richard Dawkins and all atheists for setting up a atheist/humanist charity to help Haitian earthquake victims. If this were some random blogger, I'd pay it no mind. But this is the oldest Catholic newspaper in the United States. In a nutshell, Archbold claims:

• Dawkins is ... intent on proving that atheists can be as good as Christians.
• [Atheists are] desperate to prove that they’re as good (and usually better) than us religious types.
• Dawkins is only proving that he can be good without acknowledging God.
• Atheists can't define good and evil, and are only borrowing from Christianity.

And Archbold closes with this:

But we’re glad for the help anyway. Thanks.

Got that? We're glad for the help. We. The Catholics and Christians are in charge here! I guess God, after causing this earthquake that may have killed upwards of 200,000 people, has assigned the Roman Catholic Church to fix the mess that He created. And we atheists are welcome to help out a little if we like. This is offensive in the extreme.

Here's what I wrote on Archbold's blog comments:

First, each and every one of your claims has been resoundingly refuted long ago, by Mr. Dawkins himself and many others. You should take the time to research the target of your essays before you publish them. Second, in this crisis, I applaud EVERY organization, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, atheist or any other faith, that helps. The last thing we should be doing is criticizing one another’s charities. And third, would you give your donation through a Muslim organization if none other were available? I doubt it. Why do you think an atheist would want to sponsor the Catholic Church’s efforts? We could go into all of the problems suffered by the Church over the last few decades, and illustrate why an atheist might not want to donate, but that would be counterproductive to the real cause: Getting help to Haiti. Shame on you for posting this snide essay. You should instead be encouraging any and all of your fellow humans who want to help.

Mr. Archbold owes everyone, not just atheists, an apology. This is a time to pull together. This is a time when atheists, Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Jains, everyone, should work to save Haitian lives, not criticize each other. If there's competition, it should be friendly and good spirited.

Pat Robertson on Haiti: Why Religion Hates Science

Pat Robertson's idiotic claim that God caused the Haitian earthquake got me to thinking about just how much religion preys on ignorance.

Consider for a moment what Robertson is really saying. He claims God was angry about the Haitians making a pact with Satan about 250 years ago, around 1800. Now earthquakes don't just happen – it's not like God stomped on the ground really hard and everything jumped around. No, this earthquake has been brewing for ... wait a second, since 1843 when the last earthquake struck Haiti! (It killed 10,000 people. Maybe that was God's first blow against these sinners.)

But wait, there's more – it seems God screwed up. He blasted the place a couple times before the Haitians made their pact with Satan! According to Wikipedia, there was a magnitude 7.5 earthquakes in 1770, thirty years before the Haitians' pact, and another before that in 1751 that flattened the city.

In fact, it turns out God had to start his revenge on the Haitians hundreds of millions of years ago, when He created the geology of the area!

But wait a second ... it's that very geological fault that raised Haiti from the ocean floor in the first place. So if God hadn't need to get revenge, there wouldn't have been a Haiti in the first place, the French wouldn't have colonized it, killed the natives, and brought African slaves there, and they wouldn't have had to make that pact with Satan. So God's revenge is also the cause? My head is spinning.

Of all the things I dislike about religion, its reliance on ignorance is the worst. People with even a modest education in science can't stomach this Biblical literalism nonesense. It's so silly it's laugable ... except that so many people believe it.

Worse, religious leaders count on the fact that most of their followers don't understand even the most basic aspects of science. And to ensure their own survival, they actively oppose education, because they know that their superstitions will wither in the face of facts.

Robertson's childish notion of God is just an extreme view of what most religions claim: God alters the laws of physics in the universe that He created, just to reward or punish humans. Here we are, on a tiny planet. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, contains at least 200 billion stars, and there are many billions of other galaxies, which means there are an estimated nine billion trillion stars total. That's a big universe, yet God is over here in this corner, willing to change the fundamental laws of physics for the universe just because we're praying for our football team to win.

This is why religiousness falls with education, and why evangelicals are so opposed to real science. Their millenia-old ideas just can't stand up to the truth.

Unfortunately, people like Robertson prey on ignorance, and they're good at it. Education is the answer, but it will take time.