Who are you angry with, Bob?

I was temporarily imitating Job, while putting my little twist on Ch. 38:

“Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.”

“Oh, go fuck yourself. You killed my family, and you tortured me, dickhead. You’re wrong, and you know it.”

See the resemblance?

Or: I was just expressing my frustration with xians who constantly refer to their concept of God as “loving.”

Drives me nuts. No, really, it does.

See the resemblance?

Yep. I missed the reference initially. Thanks.

This is another instance of where people will really not get into talking about or relating the extent of the horror to whatever God that they believe in, whether it’s the Christians or other.

Interesting to me, is that when perhaps eight or 10 people are killed in the United States, relating to a local tornado infested storm, the same thing occurs; most, if not all believers won’t link up any responsibility to their deity; but will talk about the mythical “Mother Nature” or the “Forces of Nature” and not even remotely venture in to the question of just who IS responsible, if one, indeed, is a believer in an “Almighty” God. Of course, isn’t “HE” supposed to be in COMPLETE control of everything? Of course, the media pays a lot of attention to those aftermath “miracle” stories.
In fact, I’ve noticed the usual interviewers almost coaxing those “thank God” comments out of the survivors accounts. And then there’s the usual ‘editing’ of material to highlight those so-called “miracle” accounts.
Like the person who’s house was blown away, but they happened to be in the basement and were saved by some “miracle of the Lord”; whilst their next door neighbor was killed by having a huge truck land on them!…Yada yada.
I’ll just bet, especially in this particular instance, that no one in the media is going to even remotely broach the, always lurking in the shadows, subject of religion. Obviously, the people living in that area are a mixed bag of Christians, Moslems, Buddhists, etc., but I don’t think the media is going to remotely raise the issue that we atheists here at GifS are so obviously aware of.
And of course, if an extreme wackadoo, like a Pat Robertson, makes any comments regarding any possible responsibility; it will always be humanity’s fault!
The gods…ALL gods…after all, always need a handy scapegoat as a cover for their “divine” mischief!
Yeah…and even that old traditional, mythical scapegoat asshole, “Satan”, Gob’s old gambling partner (in the Job story) would chime in to blame us poor humans…and most likely, of course, the gays!
Not only that; we atheists would get hammered for even bringing this whole subject up!
Just try doing it, I submit, with some of your sheeple “friends”, and be prepared to experience all the “love” you’ll get in return…?

I think, perhaps this is an issue/ catastrophe that we may want to step back from and realize the hurt before beginning a debate or complaint about it. By coming out just days after this occurs and already blaming or questioning is giving absolutely no thought or respect to those “downtrodden” who lost their lives, families, homes, crops, and everything else. undreds of thousands of people’s lives are being affected as you sit here and type about whose fault it was. If you want to talk religion, here is your stereotypical christian response: “It is our fault… All of our fault. It was our ancestors, their ancestors. God created us and loved us, and we turned our back and ran from Him, what else do we deserve besides death? Yet, we are still here, no?” So there you have it. There is my EXTREMELY BRIEF RANT on whose fault it was. I know you know it. You claim to be past Christians, current atheists, so there was no need to say that. SO I am done talking about religion. I hope we are giving this situation the attention it needs. There are PEOPLE in need ALL over the world. Right now, hundreds of thousands have lost everything and yet I find myself still sitting here debating a religious stance. I know I am the one who came to the site and read the article, but please please please… This is not about blaming people or religion… it happened.

Now what?
If there is no God, fine…
what is YOUR explanation.
Whose fault is it?
Nature?
That’s gotta be it,right?

Sorry to sound so frustrated… I really am not bashing, I want to hear your views on this…
Have a good day

Here’s a comment I lifted from PZ Myer’s blog:

Here’s a message about the effects of Nargis from someone still in Burma. Identifying information has been redacted for their protection.

=============================================================
Sorry to convey you the unpleasant news.

According to experts, it will take years to reconstruct Rgn and other towns as all infrastructures are collapsed now. It will take at least 40 days to reinstall electrical lines. Main water supply system is damaged and the whole city cannot get any water now. A bottle of watter cost 800 kts and there is no more stock now. Fuel price is 10,000 kts per gal tonight. Bus fare from downtown to Insein is 2000 kts. An egg cost 300 kts, and all food and commodities cannot be bought easily.

About half of housings are damaged in Rgn. Hlaingtharyar, Shwepyithar and Dagon are most hard hit. Some quarters were blown away completely. But there are very few information available, as people cannot move around even in your own quarter.

In Phyarpone, Pyinsi village out of 3000 villagers, only 700 left behind. They lost the rest. In Hainegyi, there are 95,000 homeless on the town alone. No relief assistance is available. I think hundreds of thousands of people’s life are at stake, if no rescue program start in time. Kyaiklatt and Lapputta are the hardest hit, it is said. Many villages are still under flood and no food or water is available.

In Rgn, all the roads are still blocked with fallen trees. There is no public conveyance system. Almost all phone systems are dead, except very few CDMA lines which are reconnected this evening. All trees from U Wisarra road are uprooted. All big pagodas are damaged.

Only Kabaaye road is cleaned today. Prome road is still closed. No news from Daw Suu [Aung San Suu Kyi] compound yet. NLD signboard [Aung San Suu Kyi’s coalition] is blown away. All advertisement signboards were fallen and all satellite antennas fall down from roofs.

There are news that hall no 1, Insein jail was burnt down to ground during the storm. Cannot confirm yet, as everyone is still busy repairing their own house and try to make their way out. The whole city is totally paralyzed and people are panic of extensive looting in the coming days.

There is no hope to get food for majority of the population. There is not even enough candles to buy. All hospitals are hit hard too and medical personnel cannot attend the patients.

I heard SPDC [the government’s State Peace and Development Council] refuse some aid offers. They will not rebuilt Rgn but encourage people to move to Naypyidaw.

It is unthinkable to survive with no food, no water, no medecine, no roof, no electricity, no phones, no transport, no fuel or candle, (No job, no money, no hope) and no help.

I will update you more soon.

Sobering first-hand account of the devastation. The death count can only compound under the conditions described. Katrina was mild in comparison. The person offering this account seems resigned to the idea that no help will come. What a truly wretched situation to be in.

Ben, we bring up the blame issue because we (atheists) are usually the ones getting blamed, along with gays, feminists, abortionists, etc. for natural disasters because let’s face it…Pat Robertson and the late Jerry Ass-well never seem to have anything better to do.

You’re on to one thing, rather than pointing fingers (because obviously its no one’s “fault”…its a natural fucking disaster) people should just be concerned about helping those in need, period, end of story.

However, this discussion is only taking place because most Xians want to assign blame or responsibility when it works for them, but they can’t take it when it makes thier all-loving, all-powerful, and all-knowing god look like a giant prick who should be tried and executed for crimes against humanity.

Hello Ben, and welcome…

I think, perhaps this is an issue/catastrophe that we may want to step back from and realize the hurt before beginning a debate or complaint about it.

Ben, I think it should be noted that the hurt I feel personally for these people is slightly larger and deeper than you think. In fact, I’d even go so far as to say that the intense pain I feel causes me to speak out in the way that I do.

By coming out just days after this occurs and already blaming or questioning is giving absolutely no thought or respect to those �downtrodden� who lost their lives, families, homes, crops, and everything else.

Come on, Ben. You know that’s just not true, and that one’s feelings of sadness could prompt writing, thinking, talk, and doing.

If you want to talk religion, here is your stereotypical christian response: �It is our fault� All of our fault. It was our ancestors, their ancestors. God created us and loved us, and we turned our back and ran from Him, what else do we deserve besides death? Yet, we are still here, no?� So there you have it. There is my EXTREMELY BRIEF RANT on whose fault it was. I know you know it. You claim to be past Christians, current atheists, so there was no need to say that.

You’re right, Ben. We all know the drill for the “reasons given” — but, more important, we all know that those reasons are complete bullshit, and that there are people out there (perhaps yourself, I don’t know) who think, falsely, that those reasons suffice. And then these people (perhaps like yourself) use such bogus excuses to justify not only their beliefs, but to then force their beliefs on others through social policies, both local and national.

I hope we are giving this situation the attention it needs. There are PEOPLE in need ALL over the world. Right now, hundreds of thousands have lost everything and yet I find myself still sitting here debating a religious stance.

I think some things need to be clarified here. Are there people in need all over the world? Yes, of course. Should we help them? Of course we should. (I just sent something to Oxfam, and I would hope others would, too. Hey, it’s a start.)

It’s as if you’re claiming that the people who read this blog are just sitting around complaining about the fact that over 15,000 people died, and not doing anything about it.

Ben, what the hell do you think we do all day?

Granted, I’m sure some blog readers might in fact be lazy-asses and not do much of anything. But don’t just assume that, because of the post, that’s what’s going on here.

I know I am the one who came to the site and read the article, but please please please� This is not about blaming people or religion� it happened.

Ben, I embrace your empathetic reaction to this tragedy, and we all feel that way, I’m sure. (I find it very refreshing that you indeed feel for these people, as I do.)

But remember what kind of site this is, not just the fact that you came here. It’s just an atheist site. It’s not a site for “lazy atheists who don’t do anything but complain.” It’s just a place for people to go when they’ve had too much and they want to get something off their chest. That’s all it is.

Now what?
If there is no God, fine�
what is YOUR explanation.
Whose fault is it?
Nature?
That�s gotta be it,right?

Ben, people died from processes that we’re only now slowly starting to comprehend. We need to try to control them and stop them. But, for now, all we can do is just help people as best we can — and not help them because of some old and dysfunctional ideology.

OK, guys…totally OT?
(Then again, maybe not…it does play with the “Star Wars” galaxy shtick!)…
Yeah…and for some comic relief?…
I’m guessing that probably most of you have seen the latest Barack video; but just in case you haven’t,

here’s the YouTube/Google link to a rather hilarious little Star Wars takeoff gem…
“THE EMPIRE STRIKES BARACK”:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7766861575959546230&hl=en

I’ve also been following the aftermath of this cataclysm in the media; it’s a horrible tragedy for the poor people involved, and I do hope they’ll receive the help they need.

However, Ben, what we do or don’t do in the “real world” about this catastrophe is irrelevant to the concept of “Bad God” (a.k.a. maltheism or dystheism) that Bob is blogging about. You yourself, in fact, have agreed with this concept by pointing out that the character of God as portrayed in the Old Testament is not just loving but also unfair and wrathful to a degree that puts Emperor Palpatine from the Star Wars series to shame.

Quite frankly, it makes him just as horrible as some of the bloodier pagan deities, and perhaps even worse because of the awful doctrine of original sin (Karen, above, describes it very well in my opinion). Tragedies like the Burmese cyclone sharply delineate the cognitive dissonance going on in the abrahamic brain: god is all-good and all-loving, but yet he causes such pain, suffering, and death, even on babies and children, just because way back when some chick ate a fruit he told her not to even though he knew she was going to and he was going to have to punish her descendants forever and ever for it, and he himself planted the damn tree in the first place just so that he could tell her not to knowing all the while that she would any-

Gah! Do you get it, now? Bad God! Bad, bad God!

If we’re gonna blame it on anyone, let’s blame it on the greedy capitalists devoid of the ability to forward think any further than the next dollar- or “Republicans”- who’ve turned down opportunity after opportunity to get a handle on carbon emissions resulting in the gradual warming of the seas and the increasing intensity of these seasonal storms. Is that okay, Ben?