Was Hurricane Helene an Act of God?
It matters how we think about disasters
“I don’t believe in an interventionist God…but I believe in love and I know you do too” Nick Cave, 1997, Into My Arms
I’m with Nick.
I have no use for a God (or gods) who would decide to send a disaster like this. This is a deal breaker for me.
When the hurricane was predicted to dump rain on Tennessee, Republican Governor Bill Lee declared a day of “Prayer and Fasting,” but did not issue a formal declaration of emergency (unlike surrounding states) until after flash flooding had already wreaked havoc.
This tells me that Governor Lee believes in an interventionist God. His belief delayed much-needed Federal aid and may have further consequences for affected areas.
When a hurricane is viewed as an “act of God,” it kind of implies that God had a reason for sending the hurricane. So maybe we drag our feet on responding to it. Maybe we send thoughts and prayers. Maybe we secretly think that God is delivering vengeance.
This is all so f***ed up, I don’t want to write it. But these stories are locked into me from childhood. I need to get them off of me!
In the Bible, we have the famous story of Sodom and Gomorrah, where God was upset about the…
