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 18170
Notice How to Upload Pictures in webpages 2016.07.06 운영자 2018.10.19 32311
Notice How to use Rich Text Editor [3] 2016.06.28 운영자 2018.10.19 5896
Notice How to Write a Webpage 2016.06.28 운영자 2020.12.23 43813
8782 누룽지/ Nurungji, be aware!   [2] 2020.02.23 이병붕*63 2020.02.27 18862
8781 A Story about Kaesong Factory Complex (NY Times) [1] 2013.05.04 이한중*65 2013.05.04 18809
8780 [Medical] COVID-19: Anticoagulation Even After Discharge [1] 2020.05.01 이한중*65 2020.05.01 18526
8779 Camping at Acadia National Park III [16] 2012.11.16 황규정*65 2012.11.16 18249
8778 미 북한공격, 남한 국민은? [7] 2020.09.18 온기철*71 2020.09.20 18220
8777 [Poem] Feeling Is ... [1] 2016.05.18 이한중 2016.05.18 18218
8776 How to write your comments onto a webpage [2] file 2016.07.06 운영자 2016.11.20 18170
8775 [오페라 아리아] '오 나의 사랑하는 아버지' [16] 2010.09.10 김명순*70음대 2010.09.10 18161
8774 Anton Schnack, his life <k. Minn> [4] 2012.03.07 민경탁*65 2012.03.07 18134
8773 [LPGA] 박세리,국민에게 희망 주던 한국골프 개척자 [5] 2016.10.11 황규정*65 2016.10.12 18052
8772 Medicare fund will last extra 12 years — maybe [4] 2010.08.05 운영자 2010.08.05 18042
8771 Andrew Yang had the right idea! [1] 2020.07.29 이한중*65 2020.07.30 17971
8770 신라어와 중국어; 신라와 연나라 [7] 2020.10.15 온기철*71 2020.10.16 17917
8769 Understanding the Rise of China [5] 2011.03.07 운영자 2011.03.07 17869
8768 Nella Fantasia [2] 2017.06.12 운영자 2019.03.17 17828
8767 "제 장례식에 초대합니다" - 이재락*54 [17] 2012.08.12 운영자 2012.08.12 17793
8766 Beethoven's 5th Symphony by Carmel A-Cappella [2] 2015.09.20 김성철*67 2015.09.20 17774
8765 A philosophical approach to routines [1] 2021.02.07 이한중*65 2021.02.07 17672
8764 Shortage of Primary Care MDs [1] 2019.12.30 이한중*65 2019.12.30 17491
» [Video Essay] God and The Tsunami [2] 2011.03.15 운영자 2011.03.15 17474