I read the following at Adrian’s blog in a post entitled, “Who really is the worlds [sic] super power - America or China?”:

Trevor, a commentator here said:

‘Interesting that for Typhon [sic] Tamlin, which has gone through China this weekend — not that we have heard anything about it — and which was also a category 4, the Chinese managed to evacuate some 100,000 from their homes and a further 1,000,000 were moved to higher ground. They are reporting less than 60 fatalities at the moment.’”

There are a number of things I could object to in this brief post:

    (a) the smug, condescending tone of the comment;
    (b)the bizarre standard for what constitutes “super power” status implied in this post;
    (c) the self-contradictory statement “not that we have heard anything about it,” and
    (d) a smattering of “yellow journalism” (Trevor boy fails to mention that the article reports 1,000 Chinese who have died in recent flooding).

John rightly points out, although the news article was silent, that the evacuation in China was likely mandatory and not voluntary as it was here. Since when does China give its people choices about anything?

What bothers me is this: Trevor - and apparently Adrian - seize upon the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina to take a cheap shot at the United States. Perhaps as many as 10,000 people - created in God’s image - have been killed in this disaster and they come up with this?!?

(I am no flag-waving patriot: I appreciate being able to live in the U.S., but it’s not my home. I’m just passing through and am grateful for having been allowed to live in this country as a “resident alien” until I arrive at my heavenly home. If a similar comment had been made about another country - Canada, Sudan, India - it would have bothered me, although admittedly not as much.)

Never mind that the standards for what constitutes a “super power” seem to be reduced to a single issue - shall we just forget all about Tiananmen Square, where China the great super power slaughtered 1,000-7,000 protesting students? - I fail to see the point of suggesting that the United States is inferior to China because a disaster befell us. Did we take cheap shots at Britain when terrorists struck? I don’t recall anything but compassion and support.

This is irresponsible and sinful, little different than those who have said that the hurricane was God’s judgment on New Orleans. Is this what the Blogdom of God has become? Are the things of this world - who’s the big super power and who isn’t - all that matter? Is this reflective of the practice of Christianity in Britain?

I don’t believe that it is. But posts like that make me wonder.


2 Cor 1.13