I would think the entire paragraph is self explanatory as relates to population growth. As far as the plan I have difficulty in buying into Deity plans that include horrendous acts of cruelty and destruction.
If population continues to grow at the current rate we will be hard pressed to sustain the quality of life we are experiencing, aside from soylent green that is. There is mass starvation as it is and the water pollution problems are growing. Toxins in fish are at allowable levels for human consumption. On Jan 20, 4:08 am, Lee <[email protected]> wrote: > How could I not what Slippy? > > The Gods plan bit, or the over population bit? > > On 20 Jan, 01:41, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > > > How could you not, we are already viewing problems with fresh water > > supply, unpolluted water that is. Acid rain has taken a toll on > > vegetation and water reserves while pollutants are continually spewing > > out into the atmosphere at higher rates than ever before, especially > > with China entering a new level of manufacturing and auto use. > > > On Jan 19, 10:18 am, Lee <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > Could be although I don't subscribe to that one myself. > > > > As to the whole overpopulation thing, I don't really subscribe to that > > > one either. > > > > On 19 Jan, 15:13, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > That may happen but the predictability is sketchy, tectonic activity > > > > is fickle. I'm also wondering, and you might speculate on this, if in > > > > fact disasters are a way to cull the population of human habitation on > > > > planet Earth. I mean there are other forms of natural culling such as > > > > predator and prey and disease. So could these disasters be a Divine > > > > plan to maintain population levels. Basically what I'm seeing here is > > > > thousands of years for the population to reach half of what it is > > > > today and the short period of time in which it has doubled. The > > > > ramifications are serious famines in a broader sense, ie; once > > > > prosperous regions will fail to accommodate the needs of the > > > > population. As it stands today we are not feeding the world; where > > > > are we going to be in another 50 years?. > > > > So next time you talk to your God ask if this is part of the plan. > > > > > On Jan 19, 7:16 am, Pat <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > On 19 Jan, 12:45, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > Some Food for Thought > > > > > > > Editor's note: Elizabeth McAlister is a professor of religion at > > > > > > Wesleyan University. > > > > > > > (CNN) -- We are all sick at heart to witness the unfathomable > > > > > > suffering in Haiti. Why do bad things happen to innocent people? Why > > > > > > Haiti, again? Even Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said recently, > > > > > > "It is biblical, the tragedy that continues to stalk Haiti and the > > > > > > Haitian people." > > > > > > > How we make meaning of this suffering will be crucial to how we > > > > > > respond, in the long term, as a global community. > > > > > > > My Haitian in-laws, visiting from Boston, Massachusetts, to take > > > > > > some > > > > > > comfort with us, announced that the verse of the day on their > > > > > > favorite > > > > > > Bible Web site is from Revelation 16:18. "And there were voices and > > > > > > thunders and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as > > > > > > has > > > > > > not been since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake and > > > > > > so > > > > > > great." > > > > > > > The word "earthquake" appears sixteen times in the Bible. It was > > > > > > clear > > > > > > to them -- and many other Christians -- that the earthquake was part > > > > > > of God's plan. Why God ordains such disasters is a mystery that is > > > > > > not > > > > > > ours to question. It is only our job to have faith. > > > > > > > A friend who barely escaped the collapse of her house in the quake > > > > > > writes that people in her Port-au-Prince neighborhood are living > > > > > > this > > > > > > time as the apocalypse. They are gathering en masse, singing hymns > > > > > > and > > > > > > praying nonstop as they wait for disaster aid -- and Jesus. > > > > > > > For them, the meaning of their suffering is clear. How else to > > > > > > interpret the collapse of their entire world, earthquake, famine, > > > > > > death, disease and drought? They are God's children living out the > > > > > > last chapter of the Bible. > > > > > > > Fundamentalist Pat Robertson says that the earthquake is the devil's > > > > > > work. Haitians are cursed by a pact with Satan that their ancestors > > > > > > made, he says. Distorting a Haitian national myth, he is referring > > > > > > to > > > > > > a famous Afro-Creole religious service said to have sparked and > > > > > > launched the Haitian War of Independence in 1791. Ironically, > > > > > > historians tell us that such a single ceremony never happened -- > > > > > > although surely there were many slave gatherings, and many > > > > > > Afro-Creole > > > > > > religious rituals in the region. > > > > > > > Haitians do not mistake African religiosity for Satanism as > > > > > > Robertson > > > > > > does, so for them the ceremony was a spiritually charged political > > > > > > rally. Slaves gathered to plan and inspire themselves for the > > > > > > outrageous feat they would succeed in performing: a slave > > > > > > revolution, > > > > > > the abolition of slavery, and by 1804, national independence. > > > > > > > Afro-Creole religion, known as Vodou, still underpins the philosophy > > > > > > of many Haitians, though by no means everyone. A spirit-priest I > > > > > > know > > > > > > reads the earthquake as an allegorical message from the spirits who > > > > > > infuse the land. "The land is our mother," he said. When you abuse > > > > > > the > > > > > > land -- deforest her, plant only one crop, overpopulate her, erode > > > > > > her > > > > > > soil -- she explodes, searching for a way to rebalance. > > > > > > > The spirit of the land had become sick with abuse. Her children -- > > > > > > the > > > > > > eldest ones, the ones in charge, the Haitian government -- had no > > > > > > policies, no laws to protect the land or use it wisely. The spirit- > > > > > > mother exploded with fever. "We know this has a scientific cause," > > > > > > said the spirit-priest. "But look how the government buildings caved > > > > > > in. This tells us something." > > > > > > > In the last several years there has been a saying among Haitians > > > > > > that > > > > > > "the country is finished." "Peyi-a fini," they say in Creole. It has > > > > > > been called a dying land, a failed state, a product of irreversible > > > > > > environmental degradation. > > > > > > > For social scientists, there is nothing metaphysical about the > > > > > > question "Why Haiti?" Longstanding structural reasons have produced > > > > > > a > > > > > > dysfunctional system long in crisis. Beginning as a French slave > > > > > > society, the nation was founded at a severe disadvantage. France > > > > > > demanded enormous payment for abandoned property after the > > > > > > revolution, > > > > > > starting a cycle of debt that was never broken. > > > > > > > Deep and abiding racism prevented the U.S. and Europe from > > > > > > recognizing > > > > > > Haiti for 60 years. Trade was never established on even terms. The > > > > > > military ruled the state, culminating in the brutal Duvalier > > > > > > dictatorship, which the U.S. supported. > > > > > > > No robust civil society developed -- there's no vigorous tradition > > > > > > of > > > > > > PTAs and town planning boards. A brain drain evacuated top talent > > > > > > from > > > > > > the country, while the U.S.-subsidized farm industry sent surplus > > > > > > crops to Haiti, undercutting local prices there. Farmers abandoned > > > > > > their lands, flocked to the capital, and built the shanty towns that > > > > > > have now collapsed into rubble, burying the innocent and vulnerable, > > > > > > strong and powerful alike. > > > > > > > The suffering Haitians are enduring is a natural disaster worsened > > > > > > by > > > > > > human-made conditions. It is a spiritual crucible. But it is also a > > > > > > crisis of meaning. For Christians it is to have faith, hope, and > > > > > > charity. For fundamentalist Protestants, it is to convert all souls, > > > > > > give aid, and wait for Jesus' return. For Vodouists, it is to regain > > > > > > balance with the land and the unseen spiritual world. > > > > > > > For many social scientists, it is to strengthen Haitians' capacity > > > > > > for > > > > > > self-government, to relieve the debt Haiti owes, to reforest the > > > > > > land, > > > > > > and to figure out how to divorce aid from dependence. > > > > > > > How we interpret the suffering of the good people of Haiti will lay > > > > > > the groundwork for how we walk forward. > > > > > > > The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of > > > > > > Elizabeth > > > > > > McAlister.http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/01/18/mcalister.haiti.faith/index.htm... > > > > > > What worries me is that there was a 6.0 earthquake, yesterday, in > > > > > Guatemala, some 65 miles deep (that's 10 times the depth and one tenth > > > > > the strength of the Haitian quake, so no real damage done), i.e., just > > > > > below the crust in the subduction zone where the Pacific plate is > > > > > moving under the North American plate. That coupled with the Haitian > > > > > quake makes me think that North America is going through a slight > > > > > 'turn'. Which might mean that Mexico City, LA or San Francisco is > > > > > next, as they lie further up the line from Guatemala. Time will tell, > > > > > I suppose. Tectonic movements are tricky to predict, but they do, > > > > > usually, move in circles around the plate boundaries. If an 8.0 were > > > > > to hit Mexico City, the world would soon forget about Haiti as the > > > > > population variance is some 13-fold, i.e., there would be 13 million > > > > > immediately affected (not counting outlying populations) and, of > > > > > course, most of the city is built on ground that liquidises very > > > > > quickly. It wouldn't be outside the realms of possibility that over > > > > > half the city could sink in 15 minutes given the right magnitude of > > > > > quake. LA and SF are slightly safer, but, of course, America's > > > > > logistics at disaster recovery were tried in New Orleans and failed > > > > > dramatically...have they learned any lessons?- Hide quoted text - > > > > > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - > > > - Show quoted text -
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