PERSPECTIVE ON THE NEWS May 14, 1979 Issue

Acts of God?

The more we learn of God, the more we feel the immensity of real power. Only the term "omnipotence"—attributing all power to God—can reveal the grandeur of God, Spirit. He is, literally, power itself—the only power that exists. We should be in awe of the vast implications of such a description.

Are we? Or are we more in awe of the destructive forces we observe in nature? Do we see some of the recent natural disasters as carrying overwhelming power? A review of headlines shows that the world has much to learn about the infinite power of God if it is to free itself from the grip of what is called destructive nature. An earthquake in Yugoslavia (and mild ones in New England); eruption of a volcano on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent; floods and tornadoes in the United States. Some people call these events "acts of God," thereby posing a deep dilemma for those who want to feel the First Epistle of John is right when it says, "God is love,"^{I John 4:8;} and at the same time want to acknowledge the Bible's assurance that God is power.

But Christian Science insists that these heart-rending tragedies are not God's acts. They cannot be attributed to Him. God, who is Love, would not permit the destructiveness that flows from such natural disasters. Through spiritual sense we can see that God's action is always good.

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