logo

English
                 

Essay [Video Essay] God and The Tsunami

2011.03.15 07:56

운영자 Views:17474



God and the Tsunami
By Minyanville Staff - March 15, 2011 02:11 PM

DailyFeedThe news, footage and photographs from Japan have been overwhelming and often unbearable, no matter how close one's connection to the Tohoku region or one's distance from it. For many people the disaster raises serious philosophical issues, for the faithful (of any religion), doubts.

In the days following the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, in which more than 300,000 people lost their lives, Tom Honey, the Canon Pastor of Exeter Cathedral, in the UK, found it necessary to address the question that many were asking then, as they are now: How could God let this happen? His response, in which he challenges the notion of an "almighty" being, feels relevant again today.

Click on the video below to hear his moving lecture.


Honey's talk may be thought-provoking and helpful to audiences in the West of any religious order, and perhaps even non-believers. In Japan, however, where there isn't a tradition of putting one's faith in a single all-powerful God, the question of "why" is less likely to dominate the public conversation.

The world has been watching in astonishment as the Japanese react to the disaster with patience and a stoic attitude, but it's helpful to remember that what we're seeing is not a lack of emotion. As Glenda Roberts, an anthropology professor at Tokyo's Waseda University, told the AP: "It strikes me as a Buddhist attitude ... Westerners might tend to see it as passivity, but it's not that. It takes a lot of strength to stay calm in the face of terror."

Additionally, as Honey says, quoting the Archbishop of Canterbury , "The people most affected by devastation and the loss of life do not want intellectual theories about how God let this happen. If some religious genius came up with an explanation of why these things do indeed make sense, would we feel happier? Or safer?"

Probably not.

No. Subject Date Author Last Update Views
Notice How to write your comments onto a webpage [2] 2016.07.06 운영자 2016.11.20 18166
Notice How to Upload Pictures in webpages 2016.07.06 운영자 2018.10.19 32306
Notice How to use Rich Text Editor [3] 2016.06.28 운영자 2018.10.19 5890
Notice How to Write a Webpage 2016.06.28 운영자 2020.12.23 43810
1502 [연재수필] 갑자기 눈물 한줄기가 뺨을 타고 ... [6] 2011.03.25 이기우*71문리대 2011.03.25 7699
1501 The story of the "Fukushima Fifty" [2] 2011.03.24 운영자 2011.03.24 4807
1500 피천득 / 이 순간 [6] 2011.03.23 Sukjoo#65 2011.03.23 12029
1499 [아침논단] 용기있는 변절과 비겁한 지조 [4] 2011.03.23 황규정*65 2011.03.23 7241
1498 대통령의 말씀에 거의 100% 반대한 분 [7] 2011.03.22 이기우*71문리대 2011.03.22 6539
1497 중국의 소수민족(퍼옴) [2] 2011.03.21 계기식*72 2011.03.21 10124
1496 3월 11일 [2] 2011.03.21 이기우*71문리대 2011.03.21 6367
1495 한국 꼴찌 의과대학 E-News Letter [3] 2011.03.21 운영자 2011.03.21 8473
1494 Dance of the Hours [4] 2011.03.20 김영철*61 2011.03.20 10459
1493 For Discovery, a farewell spin [2] 2011.03.19 이기우*71문리대 2011.03.19 3859
1492 BEAR Quintuplets [3] 2011.03.18 황규정*65 2011.03.18 8316
1491 일본 국민을 세계가 찬탄하는 것에 대하여 (옮긴 글) [4] 2011.03.18 계기식*72 2011.03.18 6505
1490 [연재수필] "앙가르쳐주우~지.." [5] 2011.03.18 이기우*71문리대 2011.03.18 6877
1489 Bryce Canyon National Park : 추억 / 김종목 ♫ [5] 2011.03.18 이기우*71문리대 2011.03.18 8176
1488 Top 10 Most Fuel Efficient Cars 2011 2011.03.17 Rover 2011.03.17 3535
1487 [re] UN: Radiation to Hit U.S. By Friday 2011.03.17 운영자 2011.03.17 9493
1486 The Joy of being a Muslim Wife [1] 2011.03.16 김영철*61 2011.03.16 3742
1485 'Arirang'....Kim Yuna [1] 2011.03.16 김영철*61 2011.03.16 10554
1484 What happens to Japanese Radiation Leak 2011.03.16 운영자 2011.03.16 6665
1483 법정스님 오디오북 '연꽃 향기를 들으면서' [5] 2011.03.16 황규정*65 2011.03.16 11295