FOR the benefit of those whose faith has been weakened by liberal theologians failing to offer any clear reason why God would permit a natural disaster on the scale of the tsunami the following is what the Bible really reaches.

Contrary to the impression given, human suffering is actually one of the main topics in the Bible, giving clear teaching on why bad things happen, how we are to respond to such events and God's attitude towards them etc.

It warns that disasters occur because the natural laws created by God for this age have been "corrupted" and are in a "fallen state". The laws by which nature operates, were created good but the corporate nature of human sin effected what God created so that they no longer work as He intended.

The result is that during this age eg. we have human bodies susceptible to disease such as cancer, a weather system which gives some parts of the planet too much rain and other parts none at all, areas which get earthquakes and so on.

THE REV J WILLANS,

Leigh, Surrey.