Dave Wheeler wrote:
> What a shocking disaster occurred over Christmas in Asia. On this
> morning's Christian "Thought for the Day" on the radio, the speaker
> made sure he distanced God from responsibility for the events, saying
> that events such as this are natural and "just happen". At last it
> seems that Christians are coming round to we atheists' way of
> thinking: things are natural and "just happen".
>
> The alternative, as the radio speaker realised and wished to avoid,
is
> to believe that God caused or tolerated such an event. Of course, to
> believe in an omnipotent God and to believe he did NOT cause the
> event, leaves room only for God tolerating the event.

Of course God tolerated the event. He tolerates death, doesn't he?
Death is death. Only temporal creatures live under the illusion that
death today is somehow different than death tomorrow. Only the foolish
love something which they cannot keep.

> This is
> tantamount to causation in any case, since an omnipotent God could
> prevent such (non-Freewill associated) events.

God could prevent death, too. Of course, Christianity says that this
life does not matter, it is the life beyond death which matters, and
those that love their temporal lives here shall lose them. Through
Jesus Christ, God provided a solution to death, and thus in the end
does not tolerate it, but has triumphed over it. Those who mourn the
most are those without hope. 

Zach
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