Haiti

Yesterday was the one month anniversary of the terrible disaster that struck Haiti in mid January. The earthquake claimed the lives of over 200,000 people, and left roughly 1,000,000 homeless. Since then, missionaries, churches, humanitarian groups, and more of the like have flooded Haiti to help in disaster relief. What I find disheartening is the message that some of these religious organizations are delivering to these destitute people. I'll touch on that later on in this blog. First, some Haitian history...

Haiti was "governed" by the French for some time. They shipped in African slaves to labor for them. The slaves were forced into Catholicism, but they still believed in the spirits their ancestors raised them to worship. So, combining Catholicism with spirits, the slaves came up with Voodoo. Though the Haitians say their spirits are not evil, they do admit that they ask the spirits to do evil things. In the 1700s, a man in desperate attempt to liberate his fellow slaves sacrificed a boar in the wilderness. Some say he made a pact with the Devil. The slaves fought for their freedom, and soon enough they were indeed free. Many Haitians still practice Voodoo today, but the religion is one of much darkness. That brings me to what the religious people are telling the Haitians...

Catholic, Mormon, Baptist, Evangelical, and many many more people are preaching in the streets of "Haiti's judgment." They're telling the people that God's angry with them for what they've done, and if they refuse to repent, that they'll die. That hurts me.

Thousands of years ago, my Jesus Christ died on a cross for the sins of all of us. God poured out ALL His wrath on Jesus, so that now we serve a God full of love and kindness. In the old testament, God did things like wiping out entire cities or countries. But now, under the new law that's held together completely by His GRACE, He no longer destroys the people who turn from Him. Instead, He cries out, hoping somehow they'll be reached. Because He wants everyone in His family. "Where sin abounds, much more grace abounds." Sure, Haiti is full of darkness and demonic spirits and sin. But Christians should be taking this as an opportunity to help the Haitian people understand that they can find grace and redemption in Christ's arms!

I'm not saying everyone there is preaching this false message. I'm sure there are plenty of people who are sharing God's love with these hurt people. But what's hitting the news stands? Almost every article I read talks about God's wrath being poured out on Haiti, God's judgment has finally come for these Devil worshippers, God's not going to keep such sinful people on His planet, blah blah blah. We're ALL sinners! We ALL fall short of the glory of God!

The verse I'm standing on, the one that has me convinced that this disaster was not a work of God but totally Satan's doing, is this:
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10

200,000 deaths sounds like killing to me. 1,000,000 people without a home sounds like destruction to me. The looters stealing from where ever they can sounds like stealing to me. So now's God's time to shine, to show His life that fulfills the deepest voids in the human spirit. Let His glory be shown in all of this.

Daddy's Girl

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