Acts of God?

People who believe in the Biblical end times must be putting their affairs in order and getting ready for the rapture. First the cyclone in Myanmar with over 30,000 dead and counting. Then over the weekend, tornados in the Midwest killed 21. Monday we heard about the big earthquake centered in Chengdu China. The initial death toll is 12,000 and rising.

Insurance policies used to refer to these kinds of events as acts of God which is an insult to any concept of the Divine that I would choose to have. The acts of God are the people digging through the rubble, providing food and shelter and donating to support relief efforts. Even so, human ego adds to the misery as the totalitarian government in Myanmar tells the world that it values isolation and control even if it costs the lives of its citizens.

If there is a judgment day, it is now as we watch the most effective relief efforts being made by Buddhist monks, the same monks who brought non-violent protest in support of democratic reforms and social justice. I wonder what the neo-atheists like Christopher Hitchens and Sam Harris have to say about this interplay between the spiritual and secular worlds.