"The wrath of God is the only way I can describe it. I'm used to seeing roofs off houses, houses blown over. These houses were down to their foundations, stripped clean." -- Governor Phil Bredesen of Tennessee, after surveying tornado damage there. (depicted left are what remain of dorms at union university in jackson, tn)i respect people's faith, but why must we look to god as the chief or immediate if not only way to explain and/or describe natural disasters? isn't it a little self-centered to think that the complex systems of nature, however governed (directly, indirectly or not at all) by a higher power, have a direct causal relationship with human beings, that is, that storms are a form of punishment for our misbehavior? is our christian god really that mean and vengeful? did union university do something bad to deserve the destruction wreaked upon it, or are they sort of taking one for the team here?
