Was the Haiti Earthquake God's Punishment?

How about it? Was the Haiti earthquake of January 12, 2010, God's punishment?

Jesus Himself made it clear that human tragedy and suffering are not always a sign from heaven that God is punishing people. He taught that it is wrong for us to play God and pass judgment in these situations.

Remember the story of Job? That's exactly what his friends did. They accused Job of being a sinner, telling him his afflictions were sure proof of his spiritual lack, that he must have sinned somewhere along the way. Having that mindset, we will have a hard time explaining the tragedy and suffering that struck the prophets and apostles, and even Jesus Himself.

When you study the passage of Scripture found in Luke 13:1-9, you will discover that Jesus not only taught the people it was wrong to pass judgment, but He also taught them where that kind of thinking would lead them. The only logical conclusion of their argument showed that if God does indeed punish sinners in this way, then they themselves had better repent because, after all, none of us is sinless for all have sinned.

So, according to Jesus, if they had their heads screwed on right, they should be thinking, "What right do I have to live?" and not "Why did these people die?" But, you see, it's far easier to talk about other people's deaths than it is to face our own sin and possible death.

The next time you hear of a calamity or disaster that has taken many lives, turn inward for a time of self-examination and ask yourself, "Why wasn't that me? Am I just taking up space on this planet or am I the person God wants me to be? Am I living out my true purpose in life?"

Recommended Reading: Why Does God Allow Suffering and Evil? and Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?

Voodoo in Haiti as seen through the eyes of a 30-year veteran missionary

Yesterday, I talked about two articles written by a youth pastor who had visited Haiti a second time, giving his impression of Voodooism in Haiti and comparing it to America. Today, I am posting a message from a veteran missionary, responding to the youth pastor's articles.

Dear Barbara,

Greetings from Haiti. Thank you for sharing these two blogs with me. I found them to be rather interesting reading. I always like to get the post-visit perspectives of people who visit and hear the stories that they have to tell.

Sadly, often many of these stories are impressions which have been made in the minds of very impressionable young people who do not understand the language and often get told very colorful stories by those who help them while they are here, for one reason or another.

Some of the details given have some basis in truth. A lot of the others seem to be sensationalizations of things which he was obviously told and made to sound much more commonly practiced than they actually are.

To say that the quake was a direct result of a group of pastors praying that Haiti would be released from a 200-year-old pact with the devil is, at best, wishful thinking - just like some have gotten on TV in the US and condemned Haiti, saying the quake was judgment from God.

I think that the blog is giving Satan much more credit than he deserves and that he not only loves getting credit but would do all he can to hold people in deeper bondage because of it if it were even remotely true. And if they were praying for God to break a pact of 200 years, would He destroy the very nation which had repented and was giving themselves back to Him through the prayers of these very pastors?

The glorification of the voodoo rituals (while may have some details of truth to them) can, in some instances, be seen in American church settings. I recall seeing a student who slithered under the pews at a youth camp back in the '70s. I sure don't go around saying that it's a regular occurrence to see such manifestations. I have also seen some mighty outpourings of the Holy Spirit and yet would not say that is the regular order of the day either. The truth is, it happens...on occasion...but not at every service - just like in Haiti with the voodoo services.

It is the truth that many are bound in darkness, both here in Haiti and in America. Many souls are lost and going to Hell and need to be saved. But to take and make such wide, sweeping statements, based on a couple of visits by someone who is not fluent in the language and knows next to nothing of the workings of Haitian culture - No way!!!!

I have been here since 1979, and we have done serious battle with the enemy over the years. And while I have seen our enemy manifest himself in various means during this time, I think that it is a totally unjust and irresponsible thing to make such wide statements concerning the nation of Haiti.

In North America, you throw salt over shoulders, knock on wood, avoid stepping on cracks or breaking mirrors, and are cautious around black cats and also leery of Friday the 13th, but it does not mean that the entire population of the United States of America, or Canada, or even half of Europe is deeply steeped in the practice of witchcraft and black magic; yet virtually everyone knows about these things. Well, guess what? It's the same with many of the things concerning voodoo in the Haitian culture. It is not nearly as widely believed or practiced here as the article would have you to believe.

I know several who have come out of voodoo, and I know several people who are still involved in it very deeply. I also know thousands who name the glorious name of Christ as their Lord and Savior, and I stand here to testify that it's been a lot longer than the past 6 months since the quake that Christ has been lifted up and glorified in this nation. It's been a lot longer than 6 months that churches have been filled with people seeking God. Yes, since the quake, there was higher attendance for a while, but it's gone back to pre-quake levels, I believe.

Yes, we have people meeting in fields, on piles of rubble and in the streets - but, of course, when your church collapsed, you sort of have very little other choice. I mean, I live in a shed (behind my earthquake damaged home), but that doesn't mean I've taken up yard work for a living.

Please note that I appreciate the author of the blog's willingness to come to Haiti and help. I just wish that he was a little less zealous in his wide statements and had taken time to get his facts straight.

Now tell me, who would you tend to believe? The youth pastor who made a couple of visits to Haiti and doesn’t speak the language or the missionary who has lived there among the people of Haiti 30 years and speaks their language fluently?

Voodooism in Haiti

Today, I came across two well-written articles someone had posted on their blog - one discussing Haiti's pact with the devil and the other relating story after story about Voodooism in Haiti, showing how it exposes spiritual deception in America. These compelling articles are well worth your time!

My Take on Haiti's Devil Pact and the Earthquake

Spiritual Deception in America Is Exposed by Haiti

The numbing effects of trauma

Haitians continue with their daily lives which are seeming to take on a bit more of a routine of sorts. They have come to accept the fact that their lives may never be quite the same again and that stress is a real issue which must be kept at bay even more so in these days than ever before.

There are thousands of people from the international community who are coordinating food and medical distributions on a massive scale. Missionaries are doing a lot of little things behind the scenes which help make their people’s lives a bit more bearable in the face of the enormous crisis which seems to never end.

People are still digging out from under the rubble. In some areas there are groups of people who are being paid to dig and other areas where they are not. It seems that almost
everywhere though that the shock of this event has finally passed and people are realizing that unless they dig themselves out it may never be done and so slowly people are trying to get it done.

One thing that I have to stress is that everyone in Haiti is a victim. Whether they lost everything or not, they suffered the trauma of the quake. Everyone knows the taste of blood in the back of their throats, what absolute fear of being crushed is like
but particularly those who were inside of large concrete structures which bounced around with them inside the buildings and who couldn’t walk, run, or even crawl to an exit because the ground was groaning and roaring, and rolling all around them.

The Haitian people all seem to do things much slower than before. Tempers flare in some, while others have gotten very quiet. Some wander the streets after having “checked out” from life. At the end of the day a person wonders what he did and why. It’s
often hard for them to remember what they did at all or the names of who they did it with.

Fortunately for most, it seems that the “down” days don’t last quite as long and things are starting to pick up a little. They no longer ask about people whom they haven’t seen for the past 5 months; if it is meant for them to see them again, they will discover them anew, and if not, it’s best left alone. They have all grieved beyond words and most can cry at the drop of a name or the telling of a fond memory of one no longer with them.

People are working through it slowly. Some travel to the Dominican Republic to buy hard-to-find supplies to bring back.

Please continue praying for Haiti and the Haitian people as they all work through this together. Tremors continue and people are still traumatized but they are moving forward.

One missionary reports that a further tremor opened new cracks in the mission home, including the cistern, which contained 3000 gallons of water they had just purchased – now all gone.

Haitians are grateful beyond words for the help sent by international communities and help provided by missionaries.

If you have not seen it yet, I urge you to view the great video produced by the Mennonite Central Committee, regarding Haiti's future. Watch Disaster to Decentralization now!