Haiti, God, and Our Response

The recent catastrophic events in Haiti have had an incalculable human toll as survivors and rescue workers try to sort through the devastation while doing whatever they can to keep the survivors alive in the midst of shattered infrastructure and the absence of basic necessities such as clean water, medicines and electricity.

Our first response should be to do what we can in the short-term to alleviate the suffering. My wife and I have given to World Vision's earthquake relief efforts which are aimed towards distributing life-saving relief supplies – including food, clean water, blankets, and tents — to children and families devastated by the earthquake and aftershocks in Haiti. Of course, there are many other worthy places to send support, such as the Red Cross, Mercy Ships, and Doctors Without Borders. If you have the means, please consider giving to any of these groups which are dedicated to helping those who are most in need.

There has been much talk about God in the midst of this tragedy. Some of it has been incendiary, such as Pat Robertson's comments (by the way, I recommend Christine Flowers' excellent editorial from a Christian perspective, pointing out that (1) Robertson doesn't speak for most Christians and (2) it's irritating how the media tends to shamelessly pull out the most over-the-top examples when it comes to representing that particular faith) that God was, in part, bringing judgment upon Haiti for historical sins as a country. Others have been inspiring, such as reports how how the Haitians' faith have been unshaken, even strengthened by the catastrophe. Some of it has been cynical, as was an Op-Ed column which expressed perplexity on why Haitians would believe in God who (in the columnist's mind) either hates Haitians or has deserted them. And then the contributor arrives at the cynical (at best) or extremely condescending (at worst) conclusion that the Haitians simply have no other options.

The topic of God doesn't even escape readers' reactions to news of the tragedy. I was looking at some comments on the Internet following a news report on the disaster. One person has posted: "God be with the Haitian people. I will be praying for all of you." Another person felt the need to counter-post something along the lines of: "Prayer = Doing nothing for a god who doesn't exist. Don't waste your time, do something meaningful to help." Ah, that's nice.

Some of the God-talk has been sincere soul-searching and questioning from those who count themselves as religious. Even a Christian friend asked me, "Why would God allow such a tragedy to befall a country that already has so little?" The person wasn't hating on God or doubting His existence or love - it was a agenda-less question. It's a complicated answer, one which goes to the heart of "Why does a loving God allow suffering?" I won't get into the response here (many authors such as C.S. Lewis and Philip Yancey have written whole books about this), but I'm sympathetic that those answers can at best difficult and at worst unsatisfying given our limited human wisdom and sense of justice. But it would be wise to cling onto the promise that God is good, loving and redemptive even as we grapple and mourn over these things.

For people of faith, I believe our best response is to do what we can to help - that can include giving to groups who are on the ground providing relief, going there to help first-hand (if that's a possibility) and yes, praying for healing and comfort for a people who are shattered. There may be a time to understand what a particular tragedy might mean from a theological / redemptive history sense, but my sense is (1) now's not the right time and (2) it's probably best left to the afflicted to take the lead on that.