More than 30,000 Somali children have died of starvation in the last 3 months

[웃 910]

The Somali boy in the video (before pictures):

Over 22,000 children die every day around the world. That is equivalent to:

1 child dying every 4 seconds

15 children dying every minute

A 2010 Haiti earthquake occurring almost every 10 days

A 2004 Asian Tsunami occurring almost every 10 days

An Iraq-scale death toll every 18–43 days

Just under 8.1 million children dying every year

Some 88 million children dying between 2000 and 2009

Source: http://www.globalissues.org/article/715/today-over-22000-children-died-around-the-world

If you buy the fairy tales then how could a loving Creator create a place that doesn't have plentiful resources for the most basic means to survive - food/water? Talk about an epic fail. This would make Him the most evil killer in history by far. Did Hitler kill a child every 4 seconds? Did Osama bin Laden kill 88 million children between 2000 and 2009?

I know everyone that is religious hates to hear it but I was thinking about this when I saw the video.

[scandal 951]

If you buy the fairy tales then how could a loving Creator create a place that doesn't have plentiful resources for the most basic means to survive - food/water? Talk about an epic fail. This would make Him the most evil killer in history by far. Did Hitler kill a child every 4 seconds? Did Osama bin Laden kill 88 million children between 2000 and 2009?

I know everyone that is religious hates to hear it but I was thinking about this when I saw the video.

I don't think this is about religion at all.

I am not a religious person, but I know and respect many people who are.

They will tell you that God works in his own ways, not always understood by men.

The existence of war, pestilence, disease and misery are not an argument against God or Faith, any more than they are arguments for God and Faith.

The true impact of your OP, I believe, is the human tragedy and suffering which is unfolding in the Horn of Africa.

As I find so often on VJ, there is thread after thread after thread about the most inane and irrelevant of topics (take your pick - Anthony Weiner's #######? TSA feeling up a lady's underpants? Obama's Birth Certificate?) while the truly dramatic and newsworthy is largely ignored. The earthquake in Haiti last year. The trial of Mubarak underway in Egypt. The vicious clampdown in Syria. And of course - the famine in Africa. Nary a word. It's a good thing I come here for amusement, not to really learn what's going on in the world. An alien from another planet who read the archives of this website would have a very skewed view as to what is really important or making news in our world.

[B_J 2,752]

Tony Campolo is a preacher/sociologist who travels to different churches giving sermons. He has sometimes started a sermon in a church with this statement: "I have three things I'd like to say today. First, while you were sleeping last night, 30,000 kids died of starvation or diseases related to malnutrition. Second, most of you don't give a ######. What's worse is that you're more upset with the fact that I said ###### than the fact that 30,000 kids died last night." He has a point; too many religious people, and I'm one, worry about little things like choice of words rather than making a real difference in the world like helping starving children.

I think a better response to the original post is not to blame God for a problem but rather to question why we aren't doing anything to solve the problem.

Edited August 7, 2011 by B_J

[SMOKE 1,426]

Tony Campolo is a preacher/sociologist who travels to different churches giving sermons. He has sometimes started a sermon in a church with this statement: "I have three things I'd like to say today. First, while you were sleeping last night, 30,000 kids died of starvation or diseases related to malnutrition. Second, most of you don't give a ######. What's worse is that you're more upset with the fact that I said ###### than the fact that 30,000 kids died last night." He has a point; too many religious people, and I'm one, worry about little things like choice of words rather than making a real difference in the world like helping starving children.

I think a better response to the original post is not to blame God for a problem but rather to question why we aren't doing anything to solve the problem.

thats a great response to an obvious trolling thread. +1 B_J

[웃 910]

I don't think this is about religion at all.

I am not a religious person, but I know and respect many people who are.

They will tell you that God works in his own ways, not always understood by men.

The existence of war, pestilence, disease and misery are not an argument against God or Faith, any more than they are arguments for God and Faith.

I disagree. Let's say you go back 4.5 billion years when God created Earth.

He supposedly knew that after creating vicious ruthless dinosaurs (killing machines) and having them roam the earth for 160 MILLION years that eventually he'd create humans. And He knew that our population would balloon up from a handful of humans 400,000 years ago (latest scientific data) to a million people in 10,000 BC to 1 billion in 1800 to current 7 billion.

So in my humble opinion God would have and should have created the most amazing vegetation on this place. In Africa there would be fruits and vegetables in every town. Not one person would not be able to walk <2 miles and pick up a bucket full of fresh fruits and vegetables. That is what a sane/loving/caring Creator would do.

Instead we have 22,000 children dying of starvation a day. To me that is proof enough that God is either non-existent or that He is ruthless a killing machine as the dinosaurs He created (made in Gods image?).

God even created the mosquito which massacres 2 to 3 million people a year. Was this a creation gone wrong? Was it on purpose? Did He know it would desecrate 2 to 3 million (give or take a couple hundred thousand) innocent human lives a year? According to scripture He knows everything so yes He did know about all of His creations.

Edited August 7, 2011 by Lord Infamous

[scandal 951]

I disagree. Let's say you go back 4.5 billion years when God created Earth.

He supposedly knew that after creating vicious ruthless dinosaurs (killing machines) and having them roam the earth for 160 MILLION years that eventually he'd create humans. And He knew that our population would balloon up from a handful of humans 400,000 years ago (latest scientific data) to a million people in 10,000 BC to 1 billion in 1800 to current 7 billion.

So in my humble opinion God would have and should have created the most amazing vegetation on this place. In Africa there would be fruits and vegetables in every town. Not one person would not be able to walk <2 miles and pick up a bucket full of fresh fruits and vegetables. That is what a sane/loving/caring Creator would do.

Instead we have 22,000 children dying of starvation a day. To me that is proof enough that God is either non-existent or that He is ruthless a killing machine as the dinosaurs He created (made in Gods image?).

God even created the mosquito which massacres 2 to 3 million people a year. Was this a creation gone wrong? Was it on purpose? Did He know it would desecrate 2 to 3 million (give or take a couple hundred thousand) innocent human lives a year? According to scripture He knows everything so yes He did know about all of His creations.

First off, to reiterate, I do not believe in any form of creator. I'm comfortable with a Godless explanation of the Universe. Note that I said 'believe', since I'm not searching for evidence or for logically constructed arguments to prove or deny the existence of God. You seem to be doing just that, and I feel that's rather pointless.

God, to those who believe, created man with free will. With the will to choose his destiny. If men go to war or cause suffering to their fellow man, so be it. That's our free will at work.

There are enough resources on the planet to feed everyone. There is enough food and clean water and medicine for everyone. We, humans, have CHOSEN to let disasters like this unfold.

Colonial Europeans spent centuries raping and denuding and exploiting Africa.

African leaders have spent decades continuing that miserable and oppressive governance.

The al Shabab militants in Somalia today intentionally exploit the drought conditions in the Horn of Africa to cause suffering for the affected people. They are refusing entry to foreign aid workers and threaten to kill staff from Red Cross, Oxfam, Medicines sans Frontieres, etc. who are trying to get to the drought hit regions in Somalia. The pictures you are showing come from Kenya - these are the "lucky" ones that have been able to walk the hundreds of miles to Kenya and relative security.

This is a preventable tragedy, but people with evil motivations are exploiting it and making the suffering worse than it needs to be. Why bring God into it?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I don't think this is about religion at all.

I am not a religious person, but I know and respect many people who are.

They will tell you that God works in his own ways, not always understood by men.

The existence of war, pestilence, disease and misery are not an argument against God or Faith, any more than they are arguments for God and Faith.

The true impact of your OP, I believe, is the human tragedy and suffering which is unfolding in the Horn of Africa.

As I find so often on VJ, there is thread after thread after thread about the most inane and irrelevant of topics (take your pick - Anthony Weiner's #######? TSA feeling up a lady's underpants? Obama's Birth Certificate?) while the truly dramatic and newsworthy is largely ignored. The earthquake in Haiti last year. The trial of Mubarak underway in Egypt. The vicious clampdown in Syria. And of course - the famine in Africa. Nary a word. It's a good thing I come here for amusement, not to really learn what's going on in the world. An alien from another planet who read the archives of this website would have a very skewed view as to what is really important or making news in our world.

What would you expect? I suppose the really important news and the solutions for the problems are being put forth on other posting boards and we are just left in the dust.

We will be so embarrassed when Yahoo.Answers turns out to be the site that solves the problem of hunger in the Horn of Africa.

[_Simpson_ 250]

The Somali boy in the video (before pictures):

Over 22,000 children die every day around the world. That is equivalent to:

1 child dying every 4 seconds

15 children dying every minute

A 2010 Haiti earthquake occurring almost every 10 days

A 2004 Asian Tsunami occurring almost every 10 days

An Iraq-scale death toll every 18–43 days

Just under 8.1 million children dying every year

Some 88 million children dying between 2000 and 2009

Source: http://www.globalissues.org/article/715/today-over-22000-children-died-around-the-world

If you buy the fairy tales then how could a loving Creator create a place that doesn't have plentiful resources for the most basic means to survive - food/water? Talk about an epic fail. This would make Him the most evil killer in history by far. Did Hitler kill a child every 4 seconds? Did Osama bin Laden kill 88 million children between 2000 and 2009?

I know everyone that is religious hates to hear it but I was thinking about this when I saw the video.

NM

Edited August 7, 2011 by _Simpson_

[Danno 1,228]

Sadly if the hope of these poor souls are left in the hands of Atheists..... it's doubtful these folks will ever eat another meal.

Religious organizations have been pouring in ungodly (no pun intended) amounts of money ... into Africa to help feed, educate and doctor them.

Atheists, not so much.

IN fact research tells us that unbelievers are quite stingy with their money.

...and one of the least favorable points of comparison for atheist and agnostic adults - is the paltry amount of money they donate to charitable causes. The typical no-faith American donated just $200 in 2006, which is more than seven times less than the amount contributed by the prototypical active-faith adult ($1500). Even when church-based giving is subtracted from the equation, active-faith adults donated twice as many dollars last year as did atheists and agnostics. In fact, while just 7% of active-faith adults failed to contribute any personal funds in 2006, that compares with 22% among the no-faith adults.

http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/12-faithspirituality/102-atheists-and-agnostics-take-aim-at-christians

God only knows why they don't typically care but ..... it is what it is with them.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Sadly if the hope of these poor souls are left in the hands of Atheists..... it's doubtful these folks will ever eat another meal.

Religious organizations have been pouring in ungodly (no pun intended) amounts of money ... into Africa to help feed, educate and doctor them.

Atheists, not so much.

That's pretty ignorant even for you. Consider that the main obstacle to delivering much needed aid to this desperate population and the main reason that they're in this fix to begin with is not atheists but a religious militia - al Shabaab. But why bother with pesky facts when they're so destructive to your argument, eh?

[Danno 1,228]

That's pretty ignorant even for you. Consider that the main obstacle to delivering much needed aid to this desperate population and the main reason that they're in this fix to begin with is not atheists but a religious militia - al Shabaab. But why bother with pesky facts when they're so destructive to your argument, eh?

Wait a minute, Soffiya said religion has nothing to do with the al shabaab ish groups.

And by the way.... my "facts" remain unchallenged, show me where Atheists are more generous.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Tony Campolo is a preacher/sociologist who travels to different churches giving sermons. He has sometimes started a sermon in a church with this statement: "I have three things I'd like to say today. First, while you were sleeping last night, 30,000 kids died of starvation or diseases related to malnutrition. Second, most of you don't give a ######. What's worse is that you're more upset with the fact that I said ###### than the fact that 30,000 kids died last night." He has a point; too many religious people, and I'm one, worry about little things like choice of words rather than making a real difference in the world like helping starving children.

I think a better response to the original post is not to blame God for a problem but rather to question why we aren't doing anything to solve the problem.

Outstanding. I'm going to borrow this. Thanks for sharing, BJ.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Wait a minute, Soffiya said religion has nothing to do with the al shabaab ish groups.

And by the way.... my "facts" remain unchallenged, show me where Atheists are more generous.

One can call al shabaab just about anything one wants but a secular group it is not. As for the other part, look at what suffering religion causes and subtract that from whatever good some religious groups and individuals do and you'll still end up in the hole. You can't just take credit for the good that is done in the name of religion and ignore all the bad. Well, you can but you have then given up on credibility.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I disagree. Let's say you go back 4.5 billion years when God created Earth.

He supposedly knew that after creating vicious ruthless dinosaurs (killing machines) and having them roam the earth for 160 MILLION years that eventually he'd create humans. And He knew that our population would balloon up from a handful of humans 400,000 years ago (latest scientific data) to a million people in 10,000 BC to 1 billion in 1800 to current 7 billion.

So in my humble opinion God would have and should have created the most amazing vegetation on this place. In Africa there would be fruits and vegetables in every town. Not one person would not be able to walk <2 miles and pick up a bucket full of fresh fruits and vegetables. That is what a sane/loving/caring Creator would do.

Instead we have 22,000 children dying of starvation a day. To me that is proof enough that God is either non-existent or that He is ruthless a killing machine as the dinosaurs He created (made in Gods image?).

God even created the mosquito which massacres 2 to 3 million people a year. Was this a creation gone wrong? Was it on purpose? Did He know it would desecrate 2 to 3 million (give or take a couple hundred thousand) innocent human lives a year? According to scripture He knows everything so yes He did know about all of His creations.

IMO, you need to unlearn your preconceived notions about God. My personal concept of God boils down to this, that God = the beginning of all existence, in whatever minuscule way our finite logic can grasp that. As for personalizing that concept of God, you could go in all kinds of directions as indicted by the many world religions. The Greeks, for example, didn't believe in gods that were all good. If you're trying to grasp how people who believe in total loving God would allow pain and suffering in this world, the answer that most people will give you is that God gives us free will. It's not too different from the saying, "If you love something, set it free..." Most parents understand this painful reality - that we cannot protect our children from all pain and suffering and even if we could, it would not be beneficial to the child's development.

[dalegg 143]

The op is not familiar with the book of Job.