Faith from Disaster?
Katrina
Victims seek God
by Sean Bray, Writer
09.22.05All of America remembers
September 11, 2001. The entire world remembers December 26, 2004. Even events
as far back as September 8, 1900, when a category 4 hurricane slammed into
Galveston, Texas, killing between 6,000 and 12,000 people, are remembered, if
only in the back of our minds. But now a new event has been added to the
collective consciousness of not only the United States of America, but of the
world. On August 29, 2005 Hurricane Katrina made landfall over New Orleans,
Louisiana. As of September 6 the official death toll was at 83 persons, but
that number is expected to rise as the clean up continues. This does not
include the expected two hundred billion dollar recovery effort, according to
Keloland.com, and the immeasurable emotional, cultural, and spiritual damage.
It is at times like that major
questions of faith arise. Strengthening of faith from disaster is not an
unusual occurrence. We all remember the immediate outpouring of prayer and
service on September 11, 2001 from not only within our own borders, but also
from the whole world. We all sought a higher answer to the questions of “why?”
from whatever god each worships. According to a National Public Radio report by
Barbara Bradley Hagardy, “Reconciling Religious Faith and Natural Disaster,” the
number of people in the Indonesian area rushing to attend Hindu and Buddhist
temples seeking forgiveness was staggering.
But what about here and now?
What about those who are suffering through the loss of loved ones, homes, jobs,
and whole communities as a result of Hurricane Katrina? What about those who
seek desperately for someone or something to blame?
Perhaps it is no coincidence
that FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, sought out faith-based
groups around the country for aid. Much has been done by faith-based groups
around the country to help those affected by Hurricane Katrina. Be it through
the massive donations of food and other supplies from churches like Denton Bible
Fellowship, or through the housing of evacuees like the First Baptist Church of
Keller, or simply through prayer, the outpouring has been enormous. Stories
such as those heard from 9-11 and after the tsunami tell of a people that, when
in pain, seek after an answer that they themselves or those in charge cannot
give. For many, churches, mosques, and temples offer at least the hope of
providing those answers. The same is true with Katrina. With people being
housed in churches, Christian camps, and other places of public worship, it is
no wonder that many come to faith in light of tragedy. But for many, the
question still remains. Why?
The answers to that question, no
matter how deeply grounded in faith one becomes may never come. We might seek
all of our lives and never find what we are looking for. It is put best by
Barbara Hagardy. “Theologians say there is perhaps a common strain among
religions. When it comes to tragedy, some answers cannot be known in this life.”
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Evacuees seek faith and God in the midst
of a disaster (AP)
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