This week, all over the news and social media we have seen the devastating fires in LA. We have also seen the devastating response of some Christians in our country. I haven’t quite figured out which is more heartbreaking.
LA is near and dear to me, as I lived in Orange County for four years while completing my undergraduate studies. I traveled quite a bit into LA during college. In fact, I was actually in Palisades and Hollywood - the places which are burning right now - less than a year ago when I took my kids out there to see the Hollywood sign and visit the Getty Museum. I still have many friends who live out there. Most of them are far away from the flames, but they have been affected by power outages and smoke in the air.
California is known for its fire risk (and earthquakes), though that doesn't deter people from moving there. It is very popular state! In fact, more people live in LA than in the entire state of Arizona, where I live. I've heard that California, by itself, has the third highest economy in the world. California is also one of the few states in the U.S. that contributes more to the U.S. economy than it receives. They have issues (cost of living, homelessness, etc.), but they're doing some things really well.
The location of the fires in LA is what seems to have drawn a lot of negative commentary. Many of the houses that have burned down are worth millions of dollars and the people who own them have hundreds of millions of dollars. They also have really good insurance, meaning they’re likely to get their investment back.
Now, as far as I am concerned, this does not make up for all they have lost. The memories they made in those places, the mementos they gathered, all those irreplaceable items... gone. Not to mention the loss of their community, the displacement from their homes and all the chaos that comes along with that. I have great empathy for them, as I remember back to when our house flooded three years ago and how upsetting that was. But at least our house was still standing. After a fire, all that is left is rubble and ash.
But it should be noticed that it’s not just millionaire houses which are being burned to the ground. It’s apartment complexes with low-income individuals who are working two or three jobs just to be able to afford to live there. It's businesses. Schools. Churches. Landmarks. Museums. Grocery stores and banks and animal rescues. All of it is burning to the ground. At least 20 lives have been lost, in addition to 40,000 acres of homes, communities, and neighborhoods.
Should we feel less empathy because a few of the victims were millionaires?
Shouldn’t we still have our hearts broken for all that is being lost? It will take years, decades, maybe, for this community to recover. I think the worst comments I have seen, are the Christians who state that this is God's judgment on Hollywood, or perhaps, on the wealthy and elite (ironically many Christians chose to elect the wealthy and elite, but I guess that's different?).
Disasters are always "God's judgment" until they happen to us, right?
This is not God's judgment.
We don’t know yet the cause of the fires. It could’ve been arson, which means it was someone’s judgment, but not God's. Or it could’ve been an accident - a spark from a campfire or a faulty electrical wire. In these months of the year, California is very dry and the winds are very strong meaning fire risk is high. There are fires every year. This one just happens to be a really big one and be in a more well-known area .
You know what else is unhelpful? The miracle posts, the "This one building, or this one statue, or this one place, was saved from the fire, it's God's miraculous intervening for believers." First of all, I suspect many of those images are fake AI images. Although a few I saw were concrete structures, which, news flash, don't burn as easily as wood so we shouldn't be surprised they're still standing. Second of all, how do we even know, if the photo is true, that the person who owns it is a believer? And why would God save that particular building or whatnot, but not other buildings belonging to believers? Or the churches which have burned down? It's ridiculous, and it needs to stop. It's like saying God has favored one particular family over all the others who have lost and that's a harmful theology to be spreading around.
Just a few months ago, we saw the devastation of Hurricane Helene as it wrecked through the Southern part of the United States. By the same logic, that must’ve been God's wrath too, right? The devastation was incredible and they are still dealing with it today. Entire towns destroyed, a hundred thousand homes damaged or lost, 230 people dead. Did God cause that also?
One conservative politician, who amazingly enough is serving in our Congress, alleged that the Democrats purposefully caused the hurricane to go into and destroy Republican communities. Now, of course, she’s calling on the same people I guess to send the rain out to California. I’m calling on God to do that, seeing as how He’s the only one who can actually control the weather! Such absurdity in our country’s leadership.
But this is not about her. It’s about Christians judging where judgment isn't due. Didn't Jesus say, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged"? (Matthew 7:1)
I don’t see anywhere in the New Testament where Jesus says, 'When adversity befalls your neighbor, judge them, and say it’s their fault.' I don’t see anywhere in the New Testament where Jesus says, 'When a natural disaster strikes, consider it my wrath and therefore don’t help them.'
On the contrary. Jesus talks extensively about showing love and care for our neighbors. About helping the poor, freeing the oppressed, clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, and welcoming the stranger. Doesn’t that apply even more so during times of crisis? Doesn’t that mean we should help those who have found themselves facing unimaginable circumstances?
I do know Christian groups who have stood up to help. There are churches in North Carolina, for example, who have been raising money and sending food and supplies to those who were affected by Hurricane Helene. They have even gone out to help in the recovery effort. I have heard of churches and communities in California who are housing people who have nowhere else to go, who are providing free meals, and being places of safety and comfort.
That is being the Church. That is being the hands and feet of Jesus and living out the Christian faith.
Not sitting behind your screen and judging people you don't even know.
One last word on this. Rumor from DC right now says the Republicans are thinking of leveraging aid to California on Democrat's agreement to their extreme demands. Demands which would add trillions of dollars to our national deficit as well as strip benefits from some of the most vulnerable people in our country, people who depend upon Social Security, health insurance, and food stamps, for example. This type of hijacking should be illegal but apparently it is not. It is all allowable in the game of politics.
Is this truly what 77 million people voted for, for games which withhold assistance from the most vulnerable among us? Or perhaps, preference given to the wealthy over the poor? It is frightening to think of what that would mean if such a thing is successful.
Be wise, oh Christian, on how your comments and your attitudes are seen and heard by the world around you. Be wise on how you make your decisions on everything from voting to who you express support for to where you donate your money and your time and your resources. Be wise to what those things say about you and about the God you claim to serve.
If you were not affected by one of our most recent natural disasters, count yourself lucky. This time it wasn't you.
Next time it might be.
Think about how you would want other Christians - your so-called brothers and sisters in Christ - to respond to the situation when you've been the one affected. And act accordingly.
If you are interested in donating to either of these communities, consider: Red Cross Disaster Relief
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