So my tbm relative that feels the need to brag about "inspiring" church news recently posted on Facebook that all of the LDS missionaries serving in Japan were safe and accounted for. I had to resist the urge to write a comment on there like, "So glad to hear that! It must have been because they were being watched out for while all the other wicked Japanese people were being swept away and killed all around them." Do people actually believe that God was watching out for a select few missionaries while deciding to kill thousands of others in the area? The thought makes me sick, but I think for some that idea might actually be faith promoting. Do people actually believe that the earthquake and tsunami were the result of wicked behavior by people in that region and that they somehow deserved what they got? Of course, no one who believes this will actually say it out loud (Thank Humanity), but I think the number that feel this way is actually pretty substantial. Makes me wonder why they don't come out and say how they feel...it's like the unspoken, but commonly understood, way things are for the believers.
Of course, then you hear about the people that feel that these are definitely the end of days because of all the natural disasters that are occurring with more frequency than ever before. Is that the case, or is it just that we hear about things more because we are more connected via technology than ever before? I think it is more the latter than the former. But, I guess I could still be wrong and Jesus and company will be back from heaven any day now. Which I might be able to get on board with if the same thing hadn't been preached on and off for about 2,000 years now. It's gonna happen any day now, though. Really. For reals this time. Any day. Just wait, you'll see. OK. Well, in the meantime, I'm sending my thoughts and donations to the people of Japan because I don't believe they did ANYTHING to bring this on themselves. And I am not going to be giving any donations to the LDS sponsored relief fund because, frankly, I don't trust those guys with money I give to them. I wonder if they will not disclose what happens with those funds like they they don't disclose what happens with everybody's tithing donations?
Do people actually believe that the earthquake and tsunami were the result of wicked behavior by people in that region and that they somehow deserved what they got?
ReplyDeleteI'm sure some people do, but anyone who's paying attention knows that the rain falls on the just and on the unjust.
Here are some rough numbers I've just run...
ReplyDeleteThere are 6 missions in Japan, which makes about 600 missionaries. The population of Japan is about 127 million. So far, there are about 20,000 dead, injured, or missing, but this number is expected to increase.
Given these numbers and assuming a completely random effect on the population (actually not a bad assumption, seeing as the missionaries are mixed fairly evenly into the population), there is about a 90.9% chance that no missionaries would be injured, missing, or dead. However, if the casualties were to increase to, say, 40,000, there is only an 82% chance of no missionary casualties.
The formula is (1-(casualties/population))^missionaries.
Wow. God sure is amazing, making the most likely thing happen, against all odds.