Pope Benedict XVI Blog

Was Hurricane Katrina a chastisement?: Theologians and politicians weigh in

SpiritDaily

POLITICIANS JOIN ARCHBISHOP IN CALLING A STORM A PROPHETIC EVENT

By Michael H. Brown

I don't get to see television very often, but from I understand a state senator from Alabama, Henry E. "Hank" Erwin Jr. [left], was pilloried the other night in one of those programs where the name of the game is pillorying.

In this case it was for Senator Erwin's view that Hurricane Katrina was God's response to the "gambling casinos, sin, and wickedness" of the Gulf and the senator was attacked by both "left" and "right" for that "radical" viewpoint.

It is curious how frenetically the devil attacks notions of chastisement. Sin and wickedness? "It is the kind of behavior that ultimately brings the judgment of God," Senator Erwin had the nerve to say in a nation where even the churchgoers have forgotten what it says in the Bible.

In New York, a discussion among Protestant theologians led by Bill Moyers seemed to purvey the collective discernment that the hurricanes were no chastisement because -- said one participant -- the Lord would not have done so without warning.

Without warning? How many times have we received warnings! "Warnings year after year by godly evangelists and preachers went unheeded," wrote Senator Erwin for a column in a local paper. "So why were we surprised when finally the hand of judgment fell? Sadly, innocents suffered along with the guilty. Sin always brings suffering to good people as well as the bad. America has been moving away from God. We all need to embrace godliness and churchgoing and good, godly living, and we can get divine protection for that point. The Lord is sending appeals to us. As harsh as it may sound, those hurricanes do say that God is real, and we have to realize sin has consequences."

Meanwhile, back in New York, Moyers made the point that it's dangerous to "read the Bible as literally true," and this report comes at the same time that bishops in England, Wales, and Scotland reportedly advised their flocks not to take the Good Book as an historically accurate document, including the predictions of Revelation.

Fortunately, other Protestants, including Franklin Graham, son of Billy, have differed:

Shortly after the storm hit New Orleans, Graham said, “There's been Satanic worship in New Orleans. There's been sexual perversion. God is going to use that storm to bring a revival. God has a plan. God has a purpose.”

Such is also emphasized by Archbishop Philip M. Hannan, who led the New Orleans archdiocese for 23 years and is still such a visible figure that many refer to him as the "pope of New Orleans." He called the hurricane a "Divine chastisement" and urged Catholics to make sure that others -- especially children and grandchildren -- understood God was sending a message; only if we do, he said, will we correct what he called our nation's "low level" of morality.

Ah: no wonder the devil's frenzy!

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posted by Dr. Denice Hanley, DPM, M.Div. @ 5:30 PM