Massive earthquake, tsunami strike Japan

March 11, 2011 By Fred Clark 121 Comments

Give. Pray. Hope. Remember. Love.

News item: “Red Cross responds: region on tsunami alert”

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies describes the situation:

A massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake – the seventh largest recorded in history – struck the eastern coast of Japan at 14:46 local time today, 11 March.

The earthquake’s epicentre was located 130 kilometres off the eastern coast of Japan, and some 373 kilometres north-east of Tokyo. A number of severe 6.4-magnitude aftershocks have followed.

Within minutes, the quake had triggered a tsunami that hit the eastern coast of Japan with 7-metre-high waves, which pushed inland and left a trail of destruction.

So far, at least 28 people are reported to have died, with many more injured or missing. The earthquake triggered fires and caused severe damage to buildings, leaving 4.4 million households without electricity.

The Japanese Red Cross immediately began an assessment exercise from its national headquarters and at branch level, mobilizing its staff and volunteers. The National Society deployed 11 national disaster response teams to carry out assessments and provide first aid and healthcare in the affected areas. …

For an alternative view, see below.

WorldNetDaily item: “‘Left Behind’ author sees Bible all over disaster”

Tim LaHaye, the best-selling author of the “Left Behind” series of Bible prophecy novels, was one of many visiting the island of Maui who had to be evacuated to upper floors of the Marriott Hotel today.

He said being caught in the crossfire of the fourth largest earthquake in modern history helped prepare him for two prophecy conferences he was scheduled to address in Hawaii.

“The Bible tells us in Matthew 24 that one of the signs of the last days – one of the birth pangs to occur – is an increase in earthquake activity and intensity,” LaHaye told WND. “We’re seeing that happen here. It’s not just earthquakes, but hurricanes and all kinds of natural disasters.”

The article then quotes Matthew 24:4-14, in full, regarding it as teaching that earthquakes and calamity are strong evidence for just the sort of God they believe in. And then the article concludes with:

LaHaye told WND he and his wife, Beverly, who was traveling with him, were feeling safe now that the tsunami threat in Hawaii had subsided.

And down in the hollow space where the soul is supposed to be, this seems to be how the “Bible prophecy” heresies condition their adherents to respond to earthquakes, hurricanes and all kinds of natural disasters. Such things should not be viewed with horror and empathy and a generosity proportionate to our gratitude. They should just be seen as exciting — as gleeful reminders that every moment we are closer to the day when we will be proved right and others will be proved wrong.

“Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.”

Filed Under: Uncategorized 121 Comments
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  • http://pecunium.livejournal.com Pecunium

    Sgt. Pepper: I see. Somehow I misread (which I see on re-reading) your comment not as being a comment on Paul’s understanding, but on his desire to see mind/body divorced.

    This, as you may infer, is not my take on Paul. My take on him is, and has been for a while, a bit conflicted.

  • Sgt. Pepper

    @Pecunium
    No worries. The misunderstanding led you to recommend a book that you otherwise probably woul’dn’t have mentioned. I read a review of it and it looks really interesting. So as soon as the paperback comes out in August I’ll snaffle a copy.

  • Anonymous

    That was my reaction to LaHaye’s comments as well. It’s as though human suffering is a mere speed bump on the road to heaven.

  • Anonymous

    Nenya,
    The red cross has a safe and well site you can check to see if your friends are safe and well.
    https://safeandwell.communityos.org/cms/index.php

    Quite likely you knew that, but just in case you didn’t, there it is.

  • http://brandiweed.livejournal.com/ Brandi

    There are times when I’ve gotten that vibe off of CS Lewis as well. (To be fair, in The Screwtape Letters he’s adopting the POV of a being who finds the concept of fleshly incarnation vaguely disgusting– but then there’s the ending of The Last Battle…)

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=752002772 Andrew Glasgow

    Y’know, LaHaye should have immediately followed this statement with, “But of course, ny thoughts and prayers are with the many thousands of Japanese people who were *not* lucky enough to escape the tsunami.”

    Except, lying is a sin, you know. So, that’s why he didn’t say that — because they aren’t.

  • Albanaeon

    Wow. It seems no matter what you follow (LaHaye or Ludlow), to some, ideology is more important than people. That these people have influence and power to make it so is the truly scary thing.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=752002772 Andrew Glasgow

    Perhaps the pay could be assets-dependent. If you have a zillion dollars in the bank, you get nothing. We don’t want legislation to be solely composed by those who have enough money to not have to worry about getting paid…

    …because just look at the mess it’s gotten us into so far!

    Alternatively, there could be a way for politicians to voluntarily give part or all of their salaries towards reducing the deficit or paying off the national debt or something.

  • Nenya

    @thebewilderness: Thank you for the Red Cross link. Unfortunately I don’t know enough of the required information for the family in question (no phone or address) and can’t remember the parents’ first names. (The adult children’s names I know, but the family surname is like searching for “Johnson” in Canada.) But maybe my mom can make something of it. Thank you.

  • Anonymous

    In all honesty, I don’t have a big problem with politicians making what they do. They have highly responsible jobs; jobs in the private sector with commensurate levels of responsibility would pay in the millions per year. Also, a significant pay cut for politicians would mean that people who already have responsible jobs, e.g. doctors and lawyers, would have to take a significant pay cut to enter politics and thus would be less inclined to do so. Since we want smart, competent, highly trained people in politics, it makes sense to pay politicians enough that smart, competent, highly trained people will be willing to run for office.

  • LE

    Crap – hit like instead of reply. Not that I mind – I don’t disagree.

    Anyway, I was replying to say that they can. Anybody can. If you want to contribute to paying off the national debt the Treasury Department takes donations.

    Sorry – not sure how to embed a link, but it’s here:
    http://www.treasurydirect.gov/govt/reports/pd/gift/gift.htm

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Sue-White/1605859612 Sue White

    Since we want smart, competent, highly trained people in politics, it makes sense to pay politicians enough that smart, competent, highly trained people will be willing to run for office.

    So, when are they going to start running? :-D Do people really get into politics for the money? Are smart people more motivated by a big paycheck? I’m not sure that I’d want doctors running for office anyway.

  • Anonymous

    Well, Obama would be an example of a smart, competent, highly trained person in politics.

    I would say that smart people are not more motivated than others by a large paycheque, but nobody wants to take a pay cut to enter politics unless they’re so rich that the money doesn’t matter (in which case they’re usually business executives rather than academics or professionals).

  • Matri

    I dunno. I’d rather have academics and professionals than business execs. Academics know how there’s always too much month at the end of money. They know how it is working two or more jobs just so the checkbook balances, and maybe not even then. They know how underappreciated 99% of the population is, despite being the important half without which the country wouldn’t exist. Heck, they actually finished school. They can most definitely tell an ass from a head.

    Business execs? *looks at the bailout* Ehh, just No.

  • Anonymous

    I know that a lot of non-religious humans do it, too. Nobody can just state, “Wow, that’s horrible. I’m glad it’s not me.” Or just quietly appreciate their luck in that it isn’t them. It’s a fear of the unexpected and of death. Everyone is prone to these feelings; I won’t lie and deny that there have been times when I’ve thought it, too. The difference is that I don’t turn it into a major belief system. I recognize that bad things can happen to me and they probably will at some point.

    To me, using religion in this way is far more insidious – not only does one have to deal with, say, cancer, they have to deal with the loss of faith that inevitably happens – from God allowing them to be ill when all they’ve been is a good servant to God, to other people imploring them to find the sin that caused this and repent, that they weren’t faithful enough. No one will ever be faithful enough to stop random bad events from happening, because they are random and unpredictable…and the religious leaders keep hawking it because it’s profitable. Everyone wants a surefire way to prevent randomness, and you can’t prevent it, but the purveyors of these religions keep selling their brand of Christianity like it will prevent the unexpected and random. Religion isn’t insurance and it should not be treated as such.

  • Anonymous

    That’s my point, Matri. Academics and professionals are more likely than business execs to be around the same income range as politicians are now, meaning that if politicians’ salaries were cut dramatically, academics and professionals would risk having to take a financially significant pay cut to enter politics, and thus be less inclined to do so than they are now. Business execs have so much money to start with that reduced pay for politicians wouldn’t be that much of a disincentive for them to enter politics, because the reduction would be such a small fraction of their overall income.

  • Matri

    With their greed the way it is now, I’m fairly certain a pay cut is sufficient deterrent to drive them from politics. The Tea Party and Republicans will even help.

  • Jesus69

    Tim LaHaye: Asshole, what a Christian.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Roger-Weir/850595113 Roger Weir

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlnQHRM78BM&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL

    The horrible earthquake in northern Japan– 3-11-2011 is already being heralded as a sign that we are in the last days! Dispensationalists will be telling us more and more that such events are sure signs that the end is near. But, that is not true!
    In this video, I prove that the horrible devastation of the Japanese quake is not a sign of the imminent end, and, it is not a judgment from God on Japan! This is a special, important video!

  • Matri

    I’ve been reading through a few articles and skimming the headlines, and there’s one thing that’s been nagging at me.

    And I’ve only just figured out what it is: There haven’t been any reports of looting or vandalism.

  • http://blog.trenchcoatsoft.com Ross

    And I’ve only just figured out what it is: There haven’t been any reports of looting or vandalism.

    I recall hearing someone — possibly here, now that I think of it — tell an anecdote about a visit to Japan. He was marveling to his guide about how the vending machines (Japan being a vending-machine-heavy culture), despite their number and variety, were all in working order, and he hadn’t seen any overturned or otherwise vandalized. And he suddenly found that he could not even find words to explain to the guide the entire concept of why one might expect vending machines to be vandalized; from the american’s perspective, vandalizing vending machines is just something you do. Something that’s fun for rowdy teenagers. The japanese guide couldn’t comprehend how that could possibly be fun, while the american tourist couldn’t quite comprehend how this needed explanation.

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