FROM THE EDITORS October 3, 2005 Issue

KATRINA—QUELLING THE TURMOIL

BEFORE THIS ISSUE WENT TO PRESS, it seemed as though Hurricane Katrina continued to swirl over the United States Gulf Coast and beyond. The storm's angry winds had been replaced by angry words. Engineers were beginning to pump out the water covering New Orleans's streets, but the floodwaters of emotions — stress, grief, the anguish of loss and displacement — were still rising.

One thing is clear. The more enormous evil appears to be, the stronger the demand becomes to understand God's immensity and constant closeness — to grasp that good inevitably wins out. God's affection for every individual is fathomless, tangible, unchangeable, and comforting. That is true for those who lost homes and possessions. It is also true for those who perished, or who lost loved ones. Life in the body may be lost, but the individualities created by the Father-Mother live and move and have their home in Life eternal.

There are plenty of questions in Katrina's wake — questions about preparedness, evacuation plans, environmental cleanup, resource allocation, and governmental response. Concerns about race and income disparities, lawlessness, and lingering anxiety for the future among those living in hurricane-prone regions are also filling conversations, opinion pages, websites, blogs, speeches, and sermons.

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