Who is at fault?

Hurricane Katrina has wrecked havoc of unknown proportions to parts of the United States. The human suffering is unprecedented. Some people out there are saying that this disaster is a punishment by God to the residents of that area of the country. From a Christian perspective, can it be said that Hurricane Katrina was meted out by God as a punishment to the victims? The answer is a resounding NO!

During Jesus' time, a man was born blind. People asked Jesus "Whose fault is it that this man was born blind, himself or his parents?"

The questioners didn't even see the possibility of any other answer. Someone had to be "at fault". There had to be some sort of Divine Punishment for this tragedy. We are the same today. We desperately want to know that the victims of this natural disaster are somehow at fault in order to guarantee that we will not be next.

The fallacy in that thinking is this: The residents and visitors to Louisiana and Mississippi were no worse sinners than any of the rest of the country. We are no "better" than they were. We are all called to get out of ourselves and help them in any way we can.

Jesus' perspective shows how revolutionary He was. He said that the man was born blind not because of any sin of his or his parents'. He was born blind so he could be cured by Christ as a witness to all.

We are called to respond to such disasters by giving aid, not by judging. As Father Jim of Dappled Things says, reward and punishment are "what heaven, hell, and purgatory are for." They are not for us, here on Earth to meet out like we are God.

God causes it to rain on the just and the unjust alike.

Jesus, in Matthew, chapter 5, verse 45

Who is at fault?

Hurricane Katrina has wrecked havoc of unknown proportions to parts of the United States. The human suffering is unprecedented. Some people out there are saying that this disaster is a punishment by God to the residents of that area of the country. From a Christian perspective, can it be said that Hurricane Katrina was meted out by God as a punishment to the victims? The answer is a resounding NO!

During Jesus' time, a man was born blind. People asked Jesus "Whose fault is it that this man was born blind, himself or his parents?"

The questioners didn't even see the possibility of any other answer. Someone had to be "at fault". There had to be some sort of Divine Punishment for this tragedy. We are the same today. We desperately want to know that the victims of this natural disaster are somehow at fault in order to guarantee that we will not be next.

The fallacy in that thinking is this: The residents and visitors to Louisiana and Mississippi were no worse sinners than any of the rest of the country. We are no "better" than they were. We are all called to get out of ourselves and help them in any way we can.

Jesus' perspective shows how revolutionary He was. He said that the man was born blind not because of any sin of his or his parents'. He was born blind so he could be cured by Christ as a witness to all.

We are called to respond to such disasters by giving aid, not by judging. As Father Jim of Dappled Things says, reward and punishment are "what heaven, hell, and purgatory are for." They are not for us, here on Earth to meet out like we are God.

God causes it to rain on the just and the unjust alike.

Jesus, in Matthew, chapter 5, verse 45

Some thoughts on cults

The word "cult" conjures up images of people with shaved heads, weird tattoos, robes and sandals panhandling in the airport. But there can be cults and cult-like factions even within the boundaries of more mainstream groups. It can be easy to be taken off guard if we are not looking for the warning signs.

Two big warning signs of a possible cult or cult-like group are isolation and apocalyptic paranoia. Isolation can be easy to spot if it is "traditional" physical isolation. More insidious is the psychological isolation that is common with the advent of the internet. A person could possibly have a job, get out of the house each day and still be bombarded with cultic e-mails that they are expected to read. These diatribes are often circular and illogical with black and white thinking that the reader is expected to believe without question.

Another form of isolation can be hyper group activity. After an initial "love bombing" in which the perspective group member is surrounded by unprecedented expressions of love and friendship, he or she is pressured to do things with the group almost every day, to the exclusion of family and friends who are not members. Any attempt to deviate from this required schedule is seen as proof that the person is spiritually "doomed". Continued lack of attendance will often result in a sort of extreme "shunning." "Friendship" is based on group membership only.

Apocalyptic paranoia is another means that cult like groups use to control their members. Certain prescribed activities pending the near end of the world take up increasing amounts of the group members' time. Again, any deviation from this is highly frowned upon. The implication is that those who don't prepare, will not only be sorry when these horrible things come to pass, but that if the person in question doubts the authenticity of these dire predictions, they are not in the "special" inner circle that the group represents. This inner circle is seen as having unique information (often from God) that no one else can have.

These dire predictions often turn out to be either so muddy as to be impossible to prove, or conversely, always possible to be able to believe. When the predictions are specific (often a date is given) and nothing happens, the group must backpedal and come up with an alternative prediction.

The sad thing is that very often, these groups exist within, or on the fringes of, a mainstream spirituality. Sometimes groups that are not religious at all in nature can have cult like behaviors. It is even possible for an individual to have a cult-like hold on another person in an abusive relationship.

Many of us today are searching for a spirituality that will take us to a higher power. It is prudent to keep your eyes open when searching. There should always be some legitimate way to get your questions or concerns answered.

Some thoughts on cults

The word "cult" conjures up images of people with shaved heads, weird tattoos, robes and sandals panhandling in the airport. But there can be cults and cult-like factions even within the boundaries of more mainstream groups. It can be easy to be taken off guard if we are not looking for the warning signs.

Two big warning signs of a possible cult or cult-like group are isolation and apocalyptic paranoia. Isolation can be easy to spot if it is "traditional" physical isolation. More insidious is the psychological isolation that is common with the advent of the internet. A person could possibly have a job, get out of the house each day and still be bombarded with cultic e-mails that they are expected to read. These diatribes are often circular and illogical with black and white thinking that the reader is expected to believe without question.

Another form of isolation can be hyper group activity. After an initial "love bombing" in which the perspective group member is surrounded by unprecedented expressions of love and friendship, he or she is pressured to do things with the group almost every day, to the exclusion of family and friends who are not members. Any attempt to deviate from this required schedule is seen as proof that the person is spiritually "doomed". Continued lack of attendance will often result in a sort of extreme "shunning." "Friendship" is based on group membership only.

Apocalyptic paranoia is another means that cult like groups use to control their members. Certain prescribed activities pending the near end of the world take up increasing amounts of the group members' time. Again, any deviation from this is highly frowned upon. The implication is that those who don't prepare, will not only be sorry when these horrible things come to pass, but that if the person in question doubts the authenticity of these dire predictions, they are not in the "special" inner circle that the group represents. This inner circle is seen as having unique information (often from God) that no one else can have.

These dire predictions often turn out to be either so muddy as to be impossible to prove, or conversely, always possible to be able to believe. When the predictions are specific (often a date is given) and nothing happens, the group must backpedal and come up with an alternative prediction.

The sad thing is that very often, these groups exist within, or on the fringes of, a mainstream spirituality. Sometimes groups that are not religious at all in nature can have cult like behaviors. It is even possible for an individual to have a cult-like hold on another person in an abusive relationship.

Many of us today are searching for a spirituality that will take us to a higher power. It is prudent to keep your eyes open when searching. There should always be some legitimate way to get your questions or concerns answered.

Victims of Katrina

I wanted to post something about the devastation that Hurricane Katrina has left in her wake. About 15,000 people have taken refuge in and around the Louisiana Superdome and even they will soon have to be evacuated.

There is no usable drinking water and gas lines have been broken and are leaking. The destruction has been likened to the recent tsunami in scale.

For the rest of us, the effect of Katrina falls under the category of daily annoyances as gas prices hit $3 a gallon and beyond.

A Penitent Blogger has a helpful and informative post outlining specific organizations who are organizing relief efforts, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Charities and, of course, The Red Cross.

Please keep all the victims and relief workers in your prayers.

Victims of Katrina

I wanted to post something about the devastation that Hurricane Katrina has left in her wake. About 15,000 people have taken refuge in and around the Louisiana Superdome and even they will soon have to be evacuated.

There is no usable drinking water and gas lines have been broken and are leaking. The destruction has been likened to the recent tsunami in scale.

For the rest of us, the effect of Katrina falls under the category of daily annoyances as gas prices hit $3 a gallon and beyond.

A Penitent Blogger has a helpful and informative post outlining specific organizations who are organizing relief efforts, including the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic Charities and, of course, The Red Cross.

Please keep all the victims and relief workers in your prayers.

Is Christianity OK on today's campus?

In another Catholic Review article, David A. French, president of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) says that

"American universities are on the leading edge of censorship of religious individuals in this country."

I don't doubt it, despite the fact that I graduated from a secular college more than 20 years ago. Religion, especially Christianity is seen as nothing more than institutionalized hate crime, and not as a spiritual path that people are allowed the freedom to follow by our Bill of Rights.

In spite of it all, though, I do believe that things are improving somewhat, at least in some universities across the country. There are issues that were not even touched upon 20 years ago that enjoy a great deal of publicity on campus now, such as drunk driving.

Let's add religious tolerance to the mix!