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 A Breezy Point resident walks past burnt houses after the neighborhood was left devastated by Hurricane Sandy in the New York borough of Queens November 12, 2012.
November 17th, 2012
05:00 AM ET
My Take: Rebuilding your life and your faith after the storm
By John Nystrom and Bonnie Nystrom, Special to CNN (CNN) – As images of the Superstorm Sandy's devastation have filled our TV screen and computer monitor these last three weeks, our thoughts have often been of friends in Arop, a tiny fishing village in Papua New Guinea. When it became clear that Hurricane Sandy would hit the Northeast United States hard, our thoughts went back to our friends in Arop, a tiny coastal community that faced an unimaginable tragedy of its own. In July 1998, earthquakes off the Pacific island's shore sent three 30-foot waves roaring toward the coast. Most of Arop's huts were built on stilts, but they never stood a chance against such a force of nature. The tsunami destroyed everything and claimed the lives of more than a third of the 2,400 people who called Arop home. Whenever a natural disaster makes the news, we think of them. Before the tsunami we had worked among the Arops for 10 years as linguists with Wycliffe Bible Translators. Our mission was to translate the Bible into their language, which previously had no written form. Follow the CNN Belief Blog on Twitter Because we lived and worked in a community that overcame such inconceivable tragedy, people often ask us how Christians “keep the faith” in the wake of tragedy. Unfortunately, we usually wait until after disaster strikes to determine how we will respond. It is very difficult to think clearly about God, or anything else, when your world has been turned upside down. But if we understand who God is and why evil and suffering exist, we can experience God as the “Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles,” as the apostle Paul calls him in 2 Corinthians. He says that God comforts us “so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.” For us the question is not, “Where is God in this tragedy?,” but “How will we respond to it, how will we experience God’s comfort in it, and how can we share that comfort with others?” God never promises any of us a trouble-free life. The world we live in is far more troubled than many of us realize. As difficult as it can be, we should not see tragedies as faith-shaking events, but as opportunities. When the 1998 tsunami hit our Arop friends, we weren’t wondering where God was. He was where he always is: in sovereign control and with a much bigger purpose than we could ever conceive. We were not in Arop when the tsunami hit. But immediately after hearing about the tragedy, our question was, “Lord, how can we be part of whatever you are doing in the aftermath of this?” As we returned to Arop immediately after the storm hit to help our organization fly in supplies and fly victims out, we also started to think differently about the monumental task of creating a written form of the Arop language and helping them translate Scriptures into it. Papua New Guinea is home to over 800 languages. The disaster gave us much greater compassion for other language groups nearby that still had no Scripture in their language to go to for comfort. Their traditional religion lacked a category for innocent suffering so it offered no way to explain or cope with such a tragedy. CNN’s Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories With the Arop-speaking translators we had trained taking the lead, we formed a community of translators with church leaders from 10 neighboring language groups who also wanted to translate the Scriptures into their languages. Together we developed a team approach to translation that proved to be more efficient than our pre-tsunami single-language approach. This method has revolutionized the way Wycliffe approaches translation in that region, but we never would have considered it if not for the tsunami. Our faith and the faith of those around us can be strengthened in a crisis if we choose to see it as an opportunity to rethink what we’re doing with our lives and how we can be more effective in serving others. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of John Nystrom and Bonnie Nystrom.
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The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke and Eric Marrapodi with daily contributions from CNN's worldwide newsgathering team and frequent posts from religion scholar and author Stephen Prothero.  |
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Editor’s Note: John and Bonnie Nystrom are the authors of “
I find it disturbing that an article about faith and real life and death always seems to becomes a platform to bash belief in God and faith in Him. What I don't hear from anyone here bashing religion is one iota of compassion or any truly heart-felt response. Does anyone ever stop and consider these are real people with real families who lost their lives? Does anyone ever think that maybe many of these people believed in God and because of their faith and love for each other they are going on to rebuild a strong community? I find it quite absurd that someone who has never even been there or knows anyone there personally can just rip apart these people and call them names like "brainwashed" when they are actually living there long-term and helping in whatever way they can. Is it true that most people who do not believe in God really are that cold, bitter and full of animosity toward people who are suffering or trying to help? I'm actually shocked. If believing in God can save me from making some of the comments like I've seen in this thread, I'll gladly be a believer.
Thank you John and Bonnie for your commitment to helping a people that many people would not help. Thank you for your commitment and years of dedication. I'm glad that in such a difficult situation that people have responded and many are making a difference in their lives. To the local pastors, thank you for helping the families through this process. To the aid and relief workers, thank you for providing critical supplies and for working so hard to meet the many needs in harsh conditions. To the people of Papua New Guinea, I'm sorry this happened and I thank you for your courage. There are those who stand with you!
It's amazing how people think a benevolent and all-powerful god exists when clearly one does not. It could not be more blindingly and painstakingly obvious that no such creature exists. What's sadder yet is that they feel compelled to spread this message to any vulnerable soul they can find. It's sick that people think like this. I can't fully get mad at them, though, because it's like getting mad at mentally challenged people – you can't blame them when their mind is just this infected. It's a shame.
If people were at all reasonable, the storm should have decreased faith, and that would have been a good thing.
@des...
nope
But des, the majority of the world is filled with brain washed fools. The faithful are all ignorant. And nope is a dope.
Does that include the faithful atheists that follow their High School Science Teachers blindly, Mick?
Fletch, ad hominem much? Go suck a hot poker, ass hole.
In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don't. - Blaise Pascal
Pascal's wager is an all time fail. So stupid its laughable.
The statement had nothing to do with the wager, way to respond off the wall.
Tbt, just another one of the ignorant sheeple I see.
Sorry, my last comment was for jesus not tbt
Thank you for this wonderful article.
Religion is a function of mental conditioning.
Therefore, religion is a mental condition.
Don't pray for food and heat, grow something, burn something... rely on yourself, your family and your community.
People who truly understand spirituality know that you don't really pray for food, heat, money, etc. The point of praying (meditating or whatever) is to seek inner strength, wisdom, patience, etc. I'm not necessarily a religious person, but there is that saying, "God helps those who help themselves". That kind of describes exactly what your stating – reliance on self, on family, on community. Rational people (yes, one can be rational and spiritual) don't pray for tangible things.
Flech, but god its not helping those who help themselves the people are. I'm all for spirituality-but god, that sa brainer, the old man in the sky doesn't exist
@ Fletch
You almost had it right, what you meant was " Rational people don't pray." You added a couple of nonsensical words to your sentence. You're welcome.
Still waiting for a christotalibani to disprove the existence of Zeus- DEUS MAXIMUS. A challenge I put out long ago and which still hasn't been answered. SO I'm thinking you shouldn't be so sure you have the right god, know what i mean puny humans?
It's called every knee will bow. Standing firm in faith will be much worse in days ahead. All will bend, This is but a sneeze, and to the great I AM, it is his to do as HE wishes. GOD, and that is GOD, knows exactly what he is doing, in fact it is already in the mix, the test tube, the program, There will be millions upon millions who protest in disbelief, but as one author put it, "your shaking your little fist of dirt at HE who create time itself"
"as one author put it, "your shaking your little fist of dirt at HE who create time itself"
Oh? And which erudite and esteemed "author", who doesn't know the difference between "you're" and "your", would that be?
Great post Balderdash.
And DJR, if your god is the loving, merciful fellow that you religious freaks want to believe, then why do folks have to bow and scrape to him? He seems more like a self-centred jerk with host of other personal issues. And he is entirely man-made.
Thanks, Desmond Three Three (great name!), but I see that I missed the "shaking your fist at HE who create" part. Ah, so many near-illiterates, so little time....
my take
start respecting Gaia or face the greater wrath to come she really p!ss3d of at the constant r@p3 you Christians due
pff like you will learn your lesson in time
so all those who still revere Gaia keep your head down because shes made
hindu's ignorant s mama Gaya cow has no power but to create hind filth and produce milk, heaven for a hindu parasite.
Mr & Mrs Nystrom - An intensive course in Remedial Logic might prove helpful to your thinking processes.
Right now, they are stalled.
God created the storm that destroyed your home because he saw you masturbating.
Man, God just gets off easy with everything huh? He is the creator, designer, and sole decision maker for all that exists in the universe. He supposedly knows our every action, every thought, and has number ever hair on our head. When something bad happens?? Oh no, clearly God must have just had some sort of plan for it, or better yet you "have to suffer to enjoy true happiness" or what ever other illogical argument religious people make to bridge the gap between the fact that they are supposedly loved and protected by the creator of the Universe and yet continue to suffer the exact same tragedies as any other person. So why exactly should anyone put their faith in this being who is willing to put them through horrible cruelty, all because he thinks it might make them appreciate the good later on???? I mean just look at the story of Job in the bible, he murders a mans family and destroys his life, why? To prove a point to the devil, a being who was also created by God and who as such God had no need to prove anything to. For crying out load people, the Bible is not only a fairy tale, but a poorly written one!
Psht, makes perfect sense.
Why so angry Chris??
I guess the other option is to be an anal-retentive, pessimistic, high-strung, cynical, hypercritical, know-it-all windbag that likes to bloviate for hours about how you seem to know so much more than the rest of us simpletons. Must be fun to be you.
Many religious people that survived the holocaust swore off religion once they were freed by allied troops, and who can blame them. Their justification was that if there was a God how could he have let the atrocities that happened happen, and if he did have the power to stop it and did nothing he wasn't a God they wanted to be associated with. And yes all religions were subjected to the horrors of the holocaust, some religions more than others. I'm sure the religious organization of your chosing wil still be more than happy to accept your next donation though.
Fletch: bloviate...excellent word.
Did you teach them this one...
The lord is my shepherd, I am not allowed to think
He maketh me do dumb stuff like saying this prayer
He leadeth me to the liquor store
He restoreth my liver.
He leadeth me to the church where they take my money
And though I will need a liver transplant
Or will suffer and die
I have no health care.
His minions exist, their robes and their rods scare me
They prepared a bed for me and tied me onto it
Then they annointed my butt
Untill their lu*st ran out.
Surely the bishops will report them to the police or more likely
They will escape to Vatican City forever.
Amen..Drunken ex-altar boy.
Their book is described as the "...true story of how a devastating tsunami changed the face of Bible translation in Papua New Guinea".
That statement is certainly in my top 10 most ridiculous things ever read list. I equate it with the people who get teary at the sight of the legless soldier and say "I knew someone in the Army once. They were in finance…and never deployed...but I knew someone in the Army."
As another poster pointed out: The victims of those tsunami's and their polytheistic beliefs received as much salvation and redemption from their crisis from praying to the Judeo-Christian God as they got from praying to their own pagan gods.
Does that mean that mean they were "punished for decadence" like New Orleans was by Katrina?
Those heathens and their grass skirts.....HOW DARE THEY.
Better yet….how dare you.
I do feel badly for the people who've lost everything in this storm . . . maybe some of them can NOW relate to how I felt when the storm called "Bank of America" stole my "everything." One consolation for YOU . . . you will get to rebuild your homes. Bank of America gave mine to some rich guy! It's gone forever!
Yeah, it's the rich guy's fault that you were foolish enough to think that you could afford a $500,000 interest-only mortgage with a balloon payment while making that hefty $23,000/year working at Home Depot. Viva la 99%!!!
Fletch chokes on donkey d!ck
Spoken like a true OWS clown, Mickey! When I stop by the drive-thru of your McDonald's later, will you hook me up with free fries? Thanks, bro.
Fletch, stow your insults and go suck a hot poker.
I feel real sympathy for anybody who really believes there is no God. I'm no fanatic by any means and I've certainly had my share (and somone else's) heartache. I feel sorry for all of you who will one day lift your eyes in Hell and it will be too late. Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess, you'll see!
You do not feel sorry. It is clear from your last sentence that you are hostile and arrogant. Another holier than thou hypocritical christian.
Splishkid, instead of allowing the post to be what was meant to be, you prove that atheists shouldn't run with scissors.
"Digusted," how would YOU know what it was "meant to be"? You're dumb as a box of hair! You couldn't even spell your own moniker.
"Ronald Regonzo" who degenerates to:
"Salvatore" degenerates to:
"Douglas" degenerates to:
"Digusted with this..." degenerates to:
"truth be told" degenerates to:
"Thinker23" degenerates to:
"Atheism is not healthy ..." degenerates to:
"another repentant sinner" degenerates to:
"Dodney Rangerfield" degenerates to:
"tina" degenerates to:
"captain america" degenerates to:
"Atheist Hunter" degenerates to:
"Anybody know how to read? " degenerates to:
"just sayin" degenerates to:
"ImLook'nUp" degenerates to:
"Kindness" degenerates to:
"Chad" degenerates to
"Bob" degenerates to
"nope" degenerates to:
"2357" degenerates to:
"WOW" degenerates to:
"fred" degenerates to:
"!" degenerates to:
"pervert alert" is the degenerate.
This troll is not a christian.
Their book is described as the "...true story of how a devastating tsunami changed the face of Bible translation in Papua New Guinea".
That statement is certainly in my top 10 most ridiculous things ever read list. I equate it with the people who get teary at the sight of the legless soldier and say "I knew someone in the Army once. They were in finance…and never deployed...but I knew someone in the Army."
As another poster pointed out: The victims of those tsunami's and their polytheistic beliefs received as much salvation and redemption from their crisis from praying to the Judeo-Christian God as they got from praying to their own pagan gods.
Does that mean that mean they were "punished for decadence" like New Orleans was by Katrina?
Those heathens and their grass skirts.....HOW DARE THEY.
Better yet...how dare you.
SL
Every knee will blah blah blah. It's a myth SL. Just like Hades underworld, and Niflheim form Norse mythology. It is nothing more than an empty proxy threat to scare believers into line.
@SL
You aren't a fanatic, you just play one on the CNN boards.
Your arrogance is profound. Absence of evidence is evidence if absence. The fact you believe everyone who does not grovel before god are condemned to he!! proves you ignorance. Theists are the scourge of logic and reason.
"As images of the Superstorm Sandy's devastation have filled our TV screen and computer monitor these last three weeks, our thoughts have often been"
"How can we plug our book? Then the CNN Belief Blog answered our prayers."
That they think the most important thing for these poor people is a translation of a book is absolutely an absurdity to me...when they were bringing their blankets, were they infected with smallpox, too?
Wait what ?
Why rebuild "faith" in Yahweh ? Obviously there is no sky-daddy in charge of storms. They need to worship the storm god.
Idiots.
Your beliefs are your own business but your stunning lack of compassion for fellow human beings is shameful.
Exactly. They would have as much salvation if the idolized the god of wind and rain
Noodles for brains is exactly like Reality, falsely believing the ways of man, instead of the truth of Jesus.
You're written in scriptures that you insist you know. False teachers just like ... Timothy 1:15 This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.
They turned away from the Apostle Paul, went back into bondage which is legalism forced to go back to Judaism aka bombarded by Judaism (false teachers). They also falsely accused Paul and had him beheaded. They crucified the apostles the same way the crucified Jesus. Then you insist if Jesus' truth were true, why did it take years after his death to have the scriptures penned. Well, would you pen his truth readily know your life was in jeopardy? Not that any of you atheist think through to it's entirety any subject matter. Only that you repeat what false teachers tell you.
Shine that apple for the teacher all you want. You're still fools.
"instead of the truth of Jesus."
There is no truth to your Jesus it's a stolen religion from Mithra – Mithra is the origninal messiah, your Jesus is the anti-messiah and an idol.
All hail Mithra.
Mithra
Was born of a virgin on December 25th, in a cave, attended by shepherds
Was considered a great traveling teacher and master
Had 12 companions or disciples
Promised his followers immortality
Performed miracles
Sacrificed himself for world peace
Was buried in a tomb and after three days rose again
Was celebrated each year at the time of His resurrection (later to become Easter)
Was called "the Good Shepherd"
Was identified with both the Lamb and the Lion
Was considered to be the "Way, the Truth and the Light," and the "Logos," "Redeemer," "Savior" and "Messiah."
Celebrated Sunday as His sacred day (also known as the "Lord's Day,")
Celebrated a Eucharist or "Lord's Supper"
The fact you can't even spell your name right proves you're a troll – there's your sign!
Yeah, worship the Hindu God Indra!
"Before the tsunami we had worked among the Arops for 10 years as linguists with Wycliffe Bible Translators. Our mission was to translate the Bible into their language, which previously had no written form."
Instead of teaching them something useful like not living in tsunami- prone areas !!!
Regarding the mostly fictional NT:
JC's family and friends had it right 2000 years ago ( Mark 3: 21 "And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself.")
Said passage is one of the few judged to be authentic by most contemporary NT scholars. e.g. See Professor Ludemann's conclusion in his book, Jesus After 2000 Years, p. 24 and p. 694.
Actually, Jesus was a bit "touched". After all he thought he spoke to Satan, thought he changed water into wine, thought he raised Lazarus from the dead etc. In today's world, said Jesus would be declared legally insane.
Or did P, M, M, L and J simply make him into a first century magic-man via their epistles and gospels of semi-fiction? Many contemporary NT experts after thorough analyses of all the scriptures go with the latter magic-man conclusion with J's gospel being mostly fiction.
Obviously, today's followers of Paul et al's "magic-man" are also a bit on the odd side believing in all the Christian mumbo jumbo about bodies resurrecting, and exorcisms, and miracles, and "magic-man atonement, and infallible, old, European/Utah white men, and 24/7 body/blood sacrifices followed by consumption of said sacrifices. Yummy!!!!
So why do we really care what a first century CE, illiterate, long-dead, preacher/magic man would do or say?
Die religious nutjobs Die! Or at least grow up! I never use all caps but I'm gonna make an exception. THERE IS NO GOD!!!
Reality, you truly are foolish. Jesus was asking a question to the Pharisees because he knew these fools thought him to be Satan. Read those scriptures again with eyes to see.
You listen to the modern day doubters .... read Timothy 1:15 This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.
Phygellus and Hermogenes lead many Jews to eternal damnation, just as you are doing today for teaching the ways of man, not Jesus' truth.
Jesus taught his truth to the Jews for his 3 years of preaching. The Apostle Paul was commanded by Jesus to preach his truth to the gentiles. The 11 other Apostles all preached to the Jews. It was Jesus' plan that the Jews learn his truth first, then preach his truth to the rest of humanity. Since this did not happen, the Jews rejected Jesus' truth and stayed with the bondage of ways of the world, man made concepts (Judaism, which is false teachings of man).
Stop being an idiot because you rejected your teachings in your younger days. You are a menace to society and will be judged for your stupidity.
" judged for your stupidity."
You're the stupid one you can't even spell your handle right – there's your sign troll!
Prayer changes things
"Ronald Regonzo" who degenerates to:
"Salvatore" degenerates to:
"Douglas" degenerates to:
"truth be told" degenerates to:
"Thinker23" degenerates to:
"Atheism is not healthy ..." degenerates to:
"another repentant sinner" degenerates to:
"Dodney Rangerfield" degenerates to:
"tina" degenerates to:
"captain america" degenerates to:
"Atheist Hunter" degenerates to:
"Anybody know how to read? " degenerates to:
"just sayin" degenerates to:
"ImLook'nUp" degenerates to:
"Kindness" degenerates to:
"Chad" degenerates to
"Bob" degenerates to
"nope" degenerates to:
"2357" degenerates to:
"WOW" degenerates to:
"fred" degenerates to:
"!" degenerates to:
"pervert alert" is the degenerate.
This troll is not a christian.
Prayer does not; you are such a LIAR. You have NO proof it changes anything! A great example of prayer proven not to work is the Christians in jail because prayer didn't work and their children died. For example: Susan Grady, who relied on prayer to heal her son. Nine-year-old Aaron Grady died and Susan Grady was arrested.
An article in the Journal of Pediatrics examined the deaths of 172 children from families who relied upon faith healing from 1975 to 1995. They concluded that four out of five ill children, who died under the care of faith healers or being left to prayer only, would most likely have survived if they had received medical care.
The statistical studies from the nineteenth century and the three CCU studies on prayer are quite consistent with the fact that humanity is wasting a huge amount of time on a procedure that simply doesn’t work. Nonetheless, faith in prayer is so pervasive and deeply rooted, you can be sure believers will continue to devise future studies in a desperate effort to confirm their beliefs.
rebuild your life without religion - you'll be happier. you can still help your fellow man without being in a cult.
unclasp your hands. get up off your knees. think for yourself. go outside and put those hands to use.
footybunk is wrong !
bootyfunk, you're an idiot. Therefore, you are requesting all to be like you. Not in your pitiful life.
Oh yes, truly bootyfunk is an idiot for suggesting you be a good person without regard to some supposed afterlife. Obviously people would be raving lunatics without the comforting knowledge that their is some divine keeper of ledgers that puts all your deeds in a book.
It is spelled disgusted.
D I S G U S T E D.
I'm disgusted that 'Digusted....' Doesn't know how to spell disgusted.
What's even worse is that the cretin can't figure out how to correct his mistake!
Or that he had to be told twelve times before he finally figured it out.