Is it reasonable to thank God for protection from some natural harm if He is responsible for causing the harm?
Throughout history, various cultures have invoked divine intervention to seek protection from natural disasters, while simultaneously attributing these calamities to divine will. This paradox raises the question: is it reasonable to thank God for protection from natural harm if He is responsible for causing it? This paper exam-ines the theological, philo-sophical, and moral implications of divine responsibil-ity for natural disasters. By analyzing scriptural evidence and philosophical ar-guments, this study explores whether it is justifiable to express gratitude to God for protection from natural harm. The findings indicate that human responsibility, the role of suffering, and the limitations of human under-standing of divine ac-tions challenge the assumption that God should be blamed for natural disasters. Instead, the paper argues that thanking God in such situations has both theo-logical and psychological significance.
Authors
- Hong‐Chun Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9614-7119)
Institutions
- Beijing Normal University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Literature Language and Cultural Studies
- Published
- 2025-03-17
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.63313/llcs.9002
- Primary Topic
- Theology and Philosophy of Evil
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00