Andrew writes from Christchurch:
I had one night at home and the aftershocks were nasty (some at a depth of less than 1 km now!!) so I am at the airport heading to Queenstown again. The earth doesn’t shake, rattle and roll down there (yet!).
Nevertheless, that's not really what has Andrew upset: it's humanity's regrettable tendency to find fault and cast blame:
[H]ave you seen that awful website which thankfully is now down – www.christchurchquake.net – if you Google it you will find some pages cached and they are atrocious. Also a pastor of a mega church in Auckland (Max Legg) has been writing to politicians in NZ stating somewhat similar stuff – i.e. that the earthquake was a sign of God’s judgment on NZ for allowing homosexuals to have gay ski week in Queenstown for example. So by that logic we are to assume that every tornado, hurricane, cyclone, fire, earthquake, volcanic eruption etc is a sign of judgment? As a Christian, I am offended at such suggestions as there is only one sure thing about such disasters – i.e. that people should help each other and do everything positive that they can to support and help those in need rather than sitting back and speculating about judgment or other negative things. Besides, usually those who shout loudest with negative destructive comments are hypocrites and those who quietly get on with being constructive and showing true love to others are the real heroes.
I replied:
I hadn’t heard about that Web Site. Following your suggestion, I briefly-glanced at a cached page, and saw all I needed to see.
I agree with you whole-heartedly. There are many, many unsung heroes in Christchurch right now, earnestly trying to reassemble their lives, while remaining optimistic too. These are the people who deserve our support and respect.
Some people even find time for humor, in conditions that are grave. I was touched by this article (you may have already seen it) about a Christchurch bricklayer.
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