In the wake of the horrific human tragedy in Haiti, there has been an outpouring of support for the victims, including the prayers of millions.
And, in the face of such unfathomable pain and suffering, it is understandable that some desperate Haitians would think that God is angry at them or that God has “really got it in for Haiti.”
That is exactly what Pooja Bhatia heard from some dazed survivors while hiking through the ruins of Port-au-Prince Tuesday night.
In an Op-Ed for the New York Times, Bhatia writes:
The day after, as the sun exposed bodies strewn everywhere, and every fourth building seemed to have fallen, Haitians were still praying in the streets. But mostly they were weeping, trying to find friends and family, searching in vain for relief and walking around in shock.
If God exists, he’s really got it in for Haiti. Haitians think so, too. Zed, a housekeeper in my apartment complex, said God was angry at sinners around the world, but especially in Haiti. Zed said the quake had fortified her faith, and that she understood it as divine retribution.
After describing the extreme misery and the devastation, Bhatia concludes:
Why, then, turn to a God who seems to be absent at best and vindictive at worst? Haitians don’t have other options. The country has a long legacy of repression and exploitation; international peacekeepers come and go; the earth no longer provides food; jobs almost don’t exist. Perhaps a God who hides is better than nothing.
I will not pretend to understand the “workings” of God or of faith.
Nor will I pretend to understand, or accept, why natural disasters invariably seem to impact the poorest of the poor the worst.
I am not “overly religious,” but the following words I found at a site, “Conduit” in a post with the same title, seem to make sense in these confusing times:
No one in the impoverished nation of Haiti has sinned worse than those of us in the extremely prosperous nation of the United States. We’re all sinners, we all stand on a level ground before the cross. We must all call upon the name of the Lord and be saved.
As I said, it’s understandable that some desolated Haitians might feel that God is angry at them or that “he’s really got it in for Haiti.” I hope that someday they they will regain their faith.
What is absolutely not understandable is that a supposedly Christian, a Man of God, would claim that the devastation, the human misery that has befallen Haiti is because the ancestors of these despairing people made a “pact with the devil…”
God have mercy on the people of Haiti and on Pat Robertson.
Note: The Conduit is a Christian non-profit organization based out of Franklin, Tn. “The Conduit partners with organizations that are providing basic living needs such as food, clothing, shelter and medical care.”
Image: Courtesy Christusrex.org
