Re: Praying for Rain

[Greg Crawford]

(Apologies if a similar post appears, as my previous post did not appear on the list.)   Well, it rained on Sunday here. It's still raining! Did Sydney get any rain?   It seems the governor of Florida, Jeb Bush, (now where have I heard of that name before?), declared that Hurricane Charlie was an act of God to show he's more powerful than us mere mortals. Sounds a bit like "shock and awe" to me – God in the image of Jeb’s brother. But if God gets the blame, it might let Jeb off the hook for accusations of inadequate emergency preparations.   As I continue to think about the issue I wonder about the rain and the weather on the other planets in our solar system. Those with atmospheres all experience weather. That Great Red Spot on Jupiter is a hurricane that’s been going for at least hundreds of years. Random events ruled by chaos theory or divinely ordained events? Perhaps God showing the non-existent Jupiterians that he’s the boss.   It reminds me of the claim made in the 16th century by the German painter, George Busch, (must be something about that name!), that a star which suddenly appeared in the sky, (it was noted by Tycho Brahe), was actually the ignition of the rising vapours of human sins.   Then we have the "Man Who Sued God", the beloved Billy Connelly, wanting to seek damages either from God or his insurance company for an "act of God".   Ah, it's all so complex! And it's Monday, my day off, Gotta put the brain into neutral. I must admit, though, I’m starting to move in the direction of Allan’s anti-supernaturalism.   - Greg