shouldn't the same logic apply?

[RamboPreacher]

On other forums and some here, there were those that were talking about Japan being judgement from God. judgement of His righteousness to the ungodly.

what about the southern areas in America that have been devastated by tornadoes? is that God's judgement as well?

My prayers and support go to those in need in Japan and now, especially in the areas that have loss of life in this continued time of need. I never agreed with the above thought or paradigm. all these things should point us to our finite and frail lives and that we need salvation. we need restored relationship with God. We ALL need Him. For God so loved the world...

[dolfan]

I'm a dummy's dummy. On the whole, I know zilch. All I can do is spout an opinion or two....hundred.

What we (all of us) saw after Katrina and what we (those of us living in these destroyed communities or only 5 minutes from them) see in Alabama, what we saw in Japan as well, is this -- Everything that we have come to rely on for our being, from the structures of society and government on down to hard infrastructure like power, water, phone, internet, etc., is a veneer that covers over our real need for Christ. We are depraved and wicked people whose very souls are so twisted and deformed from the design of our Creator, that we are personally comparable to the destruction we see in Japan, Alabama, and saw in (mostly) Mississippi and in New Orleans. We are undone and inhospitable persons in total need of only one matter: the redemption of our souls to Christ. Every invention of human origin -- whether tangible, intangible or corporeal or incorporeal, to spout off some legal jargon -- is already a destroyed "thing", its doom a fait accompli, a done deal.

Here's the big picture:

"For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is." 1 Cor. 3

Gold, silver, precious stones -- the work that, built upon Christ, tried by fire, will be rewarded.

Wood, hay, stubble -- the work that is destroyed, but for which the believer shall still find preservation.

What sort of work is this which we invest our whole selves in preserving? We cannot improve upon the church. Eph. 2:19-22. Ancillaries are not only unnecessary, but distracting if not destructive. No founding father's blood was spilled to redeem us from sin. No charter of government, however ingenius, is life-giving, powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. No bureaucracy or regulation can compare to the effectual, fervent prayers of those made righteous in Christ, or to the outpourings of love through the church to people in serious need.

That brings me full circle. In this tornado disaster in Alabama, it has been people acting from genuine concern and in many cases abandonment of their own needs for the benefit of others. It has been almost reflexive, little direction needed. I wouldn't want to confuse this with the nature of actions by those who name Christ and acting for His sake in responding to these disasters, BUT I will say that what I have witnessed in the past few days (and others have on other disasters in other places and times) has been as close to what I would envision an effective, mobilized, selfless body of Christ to look like as any image I could drum up in my dummy mind. But, even these actions are not the actions of the church, solely.

My hope, my deep yearning, is for the church to be that body of people who -- in prosperity and in want -- act with selflessness. These responses by volunteers are moving, beautiful, admirable. But, even this is not the "that" we see when we read of the natural responsiveness of the body of Christ to the needs of people in the NT.
These occasions, however, can be viewed as God's making it obvious to us who believe in Christ that what we build upon the foundation of Jesus Christ will face a similar day of testing whether it will stand or face destruction. Frankly, I'm seriously aware that my own work up to this point in time will not endure that testing.

[RamboPreacher]

agreed dolfan.

it is interesting to me that the ones that proclaimed "God's judgement" on the unrighteous in Japan - are not saying the same thing for the folks in southern USA.