"Acts of God"
A commentary by Edmond D. Macaraeg
United Church of God pastor, the Philippines
Posted November 19, 2009
 The
Philippines (particularly Metro Manila and much of Luzon Island) was visited
by a series of destructive typhoons recently. On Sept. 26, Typhoon Ketsana
poured 16 inches (40 centimeters) of rain in about six hours, flooding
80 percent of Metro Manila.
Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro said troops, police and civilian
volunteers had rescued more than 4,000 people—many clinging to
each other on roofs. Pictures also showed people clinging to electric
posts and wires, and a video clip showed vehicles floating and swirling
in the flood waters. More than 250,000 were driven from their homes,
and the government declared a state of "calamity." Ketsana
is reputed to be the worst typhoon in more than 40 years.
While Metro Manila was still reeling from Ketsana, with tens of thousands
still in evacuation centers, exactly a week later a second typhoon named
Parma struck northern Luzon. It dumped an additional 36 inches (92 centimeters)
of rain as it hovered for about a week. All together about 55,000 houses
were destroyed and over 600 people were killed.
The continuous rains forced administrators to order the release of
great volumes of water from three dams in Luzon. As a result, Rocky
Baraan, provincial administrator of Pangasinan, said 32 towns and two
cities in that area had been flooded, with about 35,000 more people
fleeing to evacuation centers.
Meanwhile, the four access roads to Baguio City (a famous mountain
resort) had become impassable, causing food supplies to dwindle critically
low. By the end of that week, U.S. military helicopters helped by dropping
food and other supplies to that area.
One of the most disaster-prone countries in the world
An excerpt from a 2004 briefing regarding the Philippine Disaster Management
System presented by Police Superintendent Romulo A. Esteban and Col.
Danilo Fabian of the Philippine Army states: "There are about 300
volcanoes in the Philippines...twenty-two (22) are
active. An average of 22 tropical cyclones hit the
Philippines every year, five (5) of which are destructive."
According to the Red Cross, 5,809,986 Filipinos were killed or injured
by natural disasters and man-made calamities in a span of 10 years. "The
Philippines is a natural laboratory for floods, typhoons, monsoon rains,
earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and landslides," Philippine National
Red Cross governor Dante Liban said (Philippine Daily Inquirer).
Expensive insurance claims
Lawrence
Agcaoili, writing for the Philippine Star, on Oct. 22
reported: "Insurance claims from the damages on real estate
properties and motor vehicles caused by [both storms]could reach at
least P15 billion [about $320 million], Insurance Commission
chief Eduardo Malinis said yesterday…
"The 87-member Philippine Insurers and Reinsurers Association
(PIRA) earlier said only 25 percent of all insured motor vehicles in
the Philippines have 'Acts of God' coverage. In Metro Manila,
only 10 percent or 30,000 of the 300,000 motor vehicles are covered
by 'Acts of God' coverage."
"Acts of God"?
Most insurance policies carry an exclusion from claims considered "acts
of God." This is a legal
term to denote events outside of human control, such as sudden floods or
other natural
disasters, for which no one can be held responsible.
But Philippine Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr. is planning to file a
bill to remove this exclusion in comprehensive car insurance policies
(Maila Ager, Inquirer.net, Oct. 9, 2009). He claims that "the
widespread heavy flooding in Metro Manila and nearby provinces was due
partly to man-made causes. 'In other words, the non-cleaning of
drainages, the precipitate opening of the dams are acts of men, not
of God.'"
His point has validity. Besides, I believe there is a substantial
error in the common use of the term "acts of God." Why?
"Acts of God" pictures our Creator and benevolent God as
ruthless, evil, uncaring, unloving and destructive. This term is obviously
contrary to the true nature of God. Scriptures like
John 10:10 contrast two beings. One kills and destroys, while the other
gives life and gives it more abundantly.
Indeed, there is an invisible spiritual power, who also claims to be "god" and
who manifests the very nature of being ruthless, evil, uncaring, unloving
and destructive to all of humanity. In 2 Corinthians 4:4 Satan is referred
to as "god," and this present age is also described as
evil (Galatians 1:4).
  If the true God is good, loving and powerful, why does He allow sufferings
and calamities? To understand this dilemma, please download or request
your free copy of our booklet Why
Does God Allow Suffering? And to identify the perpetrator of
calamities, please also download or request Is
There Really a Devil?
Related Resources
Disastrous
Weather—Acts of God?
Permitting God into the weather picture isn't fashionable. Nor do weather
forecasters admit a divine hand might be at work behind the scenes.
Natural Disasters: A Biblical Perspective
Following are points we should keep in mind concerning the biblical
perspective on tragedies, regardless of their scale or circumstances
Superdisasters:
Growing Weather Danger?
Recent massive storms have brought dramatic increases in deaths and damages.
What's behind this deadly trend?
Why
Do We Blame God for Catastrophes?
When an accidental death occurs or a weather disaster or earthquake
demolishes buildings and injures or kills people, is it fair to classify
such troubling events as deliberate acts of God?
Natural
Disasters: Will We Ask the Crucial Questions?
A native of New Orleans assesses what happened there with Hurricane
Katrina—and why.
Are
We Living in the Time of the End?
We certainly live in troubling times. The world is filled with war,
terrorism, unrest, poverty, corruption, crime, natural disasters and
the like. Are these signs that we are in the prophesied time of the
end?
Is
God Indifferent to Human Suffering?
If God is all-powerful, He could easily prevent disasters such as earthquakes,
hurricanes, tsunamis, tornadoes, floods, droughts and volcanic eruptions.
But He lets them happen. Why?
Why
Do We Blame God for Catastrophes?
When an accidental death occurs or a weather disaster or earthquake
demolishes buildings and injures or kills people, is it fair to classify
such troubling events as deliberate acts of God?
|
