Tag Archive for: earthquake

A Theodicy beyond Superman

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Armodoxy for Today: Advent – Beyond Superman

We began this week of Advent with the Sunday Gospel message from Luke, chapter 13, where Jesus answer emphatically that evil is not the result of God’s judgement on us. He follows up with an invitation to repent.

Yesterday, I shared with you recollections of an earthquake which ravaged the Armenian landscape in 1988 and was responsible for 50,000 deaths and tens of thousands more injured. And I left you with the question, why believe in a god that cannot save us from the perils and dangers of this world, otherwise known as natural disasters? And for our Advent Journey – in preparation for Christmas – the question is asked, why celebrate the revelation and birth of a god who is powerless against nature?

Look no where else for the answer but the Armenian Church, a Church that answers the questions not by philosophical arguments, but with a steadfast drone of prayer and hymns that reverberate the pulse of humanity.  The answer is simply to look around and see God the presence of God around you.

In times of crisis, our mental image of God transforms Him into a kind of superman. After all, He is omnipotent.  But the order of nature is such that there is an imperfection built into this world. Lightning causes fires. Drought causes crops to wither and brings famine. The shifting and settling of the earth causes earthquakes. And sometimes, unfortunately, people die.

God is not some kind of superman. God’s power is not measured in strength to bend steel with his hands, to change the course of mighty rivers, nor to prevent the earth from shaking. The OG, the Original Gospel is plain: God is Love. Disasters will happen, but God is found in the reaction to the disaster. We see God in the reaction to the earthquake–in the love and support He provides us.

International communities stopped their fast-paced lives to aid in the aftermath. Turks, from across the border, left home and family to come and aid. God gives us the capacity to love. We express that love through our giving. Literal readings of Old Testament stories have skewed our notion of God, thinking of him as this great puppeteer who sends disaster to this world to see our reaction. No!  Disaster, pain and suffering are part of an imperfect world. Where we do find God is in the peace and love that only He can give in answer to that disaster. In this manner we understand that without God, we may not even survive the worst of calamities.

The feast of Theophany is the celebration of God becoming man so that man can know God. He took our form and went through all the motions of man. He suffered and died. He did not exempt Himself from this great suffering, for no one is exempt. However, He conquered death and promised the same to those who believe. What He left was His own peace, “not as the world gives.”

When the earthquake hit, we were all hurt. Where was God? We saw Him in the love and support from the four corners of this world.

We pray the 15th hour of St. Nersess Shnorhali’s pray, “Christ, guardian and protector of the faithful, let your right hand shelter and protect us, by day and by night, while at home and while away, while sleeping and while awake, so we may never fall. Have mercy on your creatures. Amen.”

Earthquake Shakes a Theodicy

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Armodoxy for Today: Advent – Earthquake Theodicy

On December 7, the earth shook in the town of Spitak, Armenia, sending ripples a half world away. We felt the shockwaves in our souls and psyches as the stats began to come in.

The year was 1988, the Soviet Union was still intact. It’s president, Michael Gorbachev was visiting the United States, engaging in high level talks with then President Ronald Reagan promoting Glasnost and Perestroika. Gorbachev cut his trip short on the news, and returned home and to Armenia to assess the damages. Anywhere from 25,000 – 50,000 people were presumed dead and thousand more injured. Although this number is great by any standard, it is particularly significant for a small country with a small population. Two percent of the population in Armenia and one third of their land mass was leveled that day. By comparison, if an earthquake in the United States killed 2% of the population, we would lose about 7,000,000 people and one third of the United States leveled, would be from the Rocky Mountains to the Western coast!

When facing such devastation, it is only natural to ask why? Even more, why did not God spare the good Armenian people?  Why did He not intervene? Why the Armenian people? The same ones who were the first to accept Christianity, the ones who have so piously observed the faith for centuries, the ones who defended the faith to death, why them? When the history of a people, such as the Armenian’s, is plagued by devastation and tragedy, the questioning goes deeper: Why believe in a God who cannot save us from these dangers?

Through my years in the ministry, I have heard many different answers – theodicies – from people trying to make sense of it all. Some feel God has abandoned the Armenians for some divine purpose and plan. Some doomsday forecasters claim the earthquake was part of the “signs of the times.” Still others believe it to be “God’s will,” as a punishment or for some other divine plan.

As for me… I do not shy away from the science of earthquakes. Why did the earthquake happen? Because the earth shifts. Why did people die? Because people were trapped under the rubble of buildings which were constructed poorly. Why didn’t God step in and save the Armenian people? I don’t know, but I venture to say that things just don’t work that way.

So, the more important question becomes, why believe in a god that cannot save you from the perils and dangers of this world? And for our Advent Journey, the question is why celebrate the revelation and birth of a god who is powerless against nature?

We look at that answer tomorrow, and the answer may surprise you to find that without God, we may not have survived.

We pray Psalm 27, The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple. Amen.

Two Ways of Seeing

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Roots of Armodoxy: Two Ways of Seeing

Two earthquakes, less than a year apart, with relative same intensity were recorded in the 1980’s. I was indirectly and directly at both of these. The first took place in a town called Spitak in Armenia. Close to 50,000 people perished. In a country of 3 million people, this means 1.7% of the population was wiped out in this single event. Along with Armenians throughout the world, I was involved in a massive fundraising effort to bring relief and humanitarian aid to the area.

To the second earthquake I had a front row seat.  It was during the World Series – a special series that pitted the two Bay Area teams, the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics, against one another. The ground rumbled, and we found ourselves in the Loma Prieta quake, registering 6.9 magnitude on the Richter scale.  The differences in the loss of life was remarkable. There was extensive damage to infrastructure, and life was disrupted for a while, but in the end sixty-three people had perished (compared to 50,000 in Armenia the winter before),

On the first anniversary of the Spitak quake, orders came from the top, the Catholicos of All Armenians, that we would solemnly observe the anniversary with requiem services throughout the world. The day was somber indeed, with reruns of video clips and reprints of articles and photos to forever forge the images in our mind.

On the first anniversary of the Bay Area quake, the atmosphere was completely festive! The community got together to celebrate the life that was spared! There were street parties and festivals proclaiming the win over something so tragic, celebrating their re-birth as a community.

The difference in the commemorations explains outlook and understanding of a population, much like the way we describe the same glass as being either half full or half empty. In the case of Gyumri, the sadness continued for years, in fact, decades later the effects of the earthquake are still felt. The dome of the church which fell during the quake is still sitting on the floor as a reminder. It sits there so that it is unavoidable, that is, you have to confront and acknowledge the past as you enter and exit the city. In so doing, a license for victimization is given. There is confusion. Instead of understanding their predicament logically, people revert to fatalistic answers, such as, “It is God’s will that I suffer.”

What I’m describing here can be seen in as comparison between the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. In the Old Testament we read stories – memories – that pit people against one another. The concept of God playing favorites with one people over another is pronounced and remembered throughout its pages. Jesus came to end that. His message was to everyone. Remember the Transfiguration. The point of Moses and Elijah being there was that Jesus is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. “The Kingdom of God is at hand,” is how Jesus entered on the scene and the even greater news he had to give was that the Kingdom was accessible by everyone – young and old, regardless of race or nationality. With his proclamation he moved the model away from fatalism, back to self-determination. “To hear the word of God, and do it.” It’s about Faith being action, not a history lesson.

Baptism is the “Born Again” experience in the Armenian Church. It’s a fresh start, where the past is left behind. The “curse” of the memory is dropped. Memory serves to heal. Christianity is about celebrating the today. The past can be honored and revered but is not a place to live. The difference between a happy or festive expression and a sad expression is not merely an optimistic vs. pessimistic view of the world, it is an acknowledgement that God is with you, that the new day brings with it a new life.

We pray from the Book of Hours of the Armenian Church a morning prayer bringing in the new day, “We thank you O Lord our God, who granted us restful sleep in peace. Grant us to pass the remainder of the day in peace. Strengthen and guard us through the days of our lives, so that we live our lives with pure behavior and reach the peaceful haven in eternal life, by the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Gyumri: Memories that heal

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Roots of Armodoxy: Memory that heals

This week on the Roots of Armodoxy, we are looking a memories – those that honor, those that help us heal and those that keep us from moving forward. We’re looking at memories from different vantage points we’ve discovered in Gyumri, the second largest city in Armenia after Yerevan. This is the second episode of this mini-series of daily messages.

I remember when the earthquake hit Spitak and the surrounding city of Gyumri in 1988. We in the diaspora went into a massive fundraising effort to provide for equipment and supplies to be sent over there. We in California feel the earth rumble as well, especially in Northern California where I had assumed my first pastorate. In fact, when we heard that the Spitak quake was a magnitude 6.8 Ms, we were a bit surprised to learn that 25,000 to 50,000 had perished. We had had quakes exceeding that magnitude without the casualties sustained in Armenia. It was only a few days later, when Soviet Premier Gorbachev visited Gyumri that we learned about the shotty workmanship and the pilfering of construction material that led the destruction. During Soviet times cement brought in a hefty profit on the black market for those who could manage to build buildings with less material.

For months which turned into years, we collected money and goods to send to Armenia. But during that first year, on October 17, 1989 that I had a front row seat to a big one. It was during the World Series – a special series that pitted the two Bay Area teams, the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics, against one another. The fans were in the stands and the rest were next to a TV or radio to follow the game when our turn came. The ground rumbled, and we found ourselves in the Loma Prieta quake, registering 6.9 Ms. I rushed home to find shelves toppled, glass all over the floors and the entire neighborhood out on the street, not sure when the next tremor would hit. It was a big one, indeed, a freeway collapsed, the Bay bridge came apart and when all was said and done 63 people died.

Two earthquakes, less than a year apart, with relative same intensity. The differences of the loss of life was remarkable and may account for the way the quakes were remembered. Or maybe it’s something more, something to do with the way we handle our memories.

On the first anniversary of the Spitak quake, orders came from the top, the Catholicos of All Armenians, that we would solemnly observe the anniversary with requiem services throughout the world. The day was somber indeed, with reruns of video clips and reprints of articles and photos to forever forge the images in our mind.

On the first anniversary of the Bay Area quake, the atmosphere was completely festive! The community got together to celebrate the life that was spared! There were street parties and festivals proclaiming the win over something so tragic, celebrating their re-birth as a community.

The differences in the commemorations could be described as seeing the glass, half full or half empty? Of course, the number of casualties in Armenia – 50,000 deaths in a country of 3 million means 1.7% of the population was wiped out in this single event. Still, for our discussion, we’re looking at memory, and what that memory does and can do for us.

In the case of Gyumri, the sadness continued for years, in fact, decades later the effects of the earthquake are still felt. The domes that we looked at yesterday are reminders of the quake and they stand so that they are unavoidable, that is, you have to confront and acknowledge the past. In so doing, they give a license for victimization. It opens the doors for confusion. Instead of understanding their predicament logically, people revert to fatalistic answers, such as, “It is God’s will that I suffer.”

One of the groups that is taking a bold stand in Gyumri is FLY = Freedom Loving Youth. Yes, today 35 years after the quake they are relieving the pain and suffering. They are building facilities and housing for people, and even more, providing the necessary resources and psychological assistance to overcome the depression caused by an unresolved trauma from 35 years ago. They are in the process of building a new center where these issues can be resolved in an efficient and equitable manner. We visited the site and met with their workers. In His Shoes is a proud partner of FLY.

What I’m describing here can be seen in as comparison between the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. In the Old Testament we read stories – memories – that pit people against one another. The concept of God playing favorites with one people over another is pronounced and remembered throughout its pages. Jesus came to end that. His message was to everyone. This last Sunday we celebrated the Transfiguration. The point of Moses and Elijah being there was that Jesus is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. “The Kingdom of God is at hand,” is how Jesus entered on the scene and the even greater news he had to give was that the Kingdom was accessible by everyone – young and old, regardless of race or nationality. With his proclamation he moved the model away from fatalism, back to self-determination. “To hear the word of God, and do it.” It’s about Faith being action, not a history lesson.

Baptism is the “Born Again” experience in the Armenian Church. It’s a fresh start, where the past is left behind. The “curse” of the memory is dropped. Memory serves to heal. Christianity is about celebrating the today. The past can be honored and revered but is not a place to live. The difference between a happy or festive expression and a sad expression is not merely an optimistic vs. pessimistic view of the world, it is an acknowledgement that God is with you, that the new day brings with it a new life.

We pray from the Book of Hours of the Armenian Church a morning prayer bringing in the new day, “We thank you O Lord our God, who granted us restful sleep in peace. Grant us to pass the remainder of the day in peace. Strengthen and guard us through the days of our lives, so that we live our lives with pure behavior and reach the peaceful haven in eternal life, by the grace and mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

Memory in Gyumri

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Roots of Armodoxy: Memory in Gyumri

In 1988 the ground shook in Armenia.

December 7, a date which Franklin Roosevelt described as a “day which would live in infamy,” when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in 1941, would now be infamous especially for the Armenians who suffered close to 50,000 casualties from the quake.

In 1988, the Soviet Union was still intact. It’s president, Michael Gorbachev was visiting the United States, engaging in high level talks with then President Ronald Reagan promoting Glasnost and Perestroika. He cut his trip short and returned to the Soviet Union, specifically to Armenia to assess the damages. That presidential change-of-plan hurled the Armenian earthquake onto the world stage. Once again, without being asked or considered, Armenia found itself in the top headlines. Of course, this is not what anyone wants to be known for, especially Armenia who had succumbed to other tragedies including Genocide, but still, Armenia is so small and insignificant on the world stage that had the Soviet premier and US president not been inconvenienced, the earthquake would have registered as a footnote with Western media. Instead, 113 different countries sent over rescue and humanitarian aid to Armenia in the months that followed the December 7 earthquake. It was the first time since the 1940s that the Soviet Union officially asked for aid from the United States, despite being in the “cold war.”

The facts are important to remember, because they point to possibilities that can exist and that can usher in peace, harmony and understanding between countries. In this case, Armenia was the catalyst for the harmony and understanding we saw that year.

The earthquake’s epicenter was a small town called Spitak, in between two larger towns, Gyurmi and Vanadzor. (During the Soviet years these two towns were called “Leninakan” and “Kirovakan” respectively.)

In Gyumri, there is a church known as Yot Verk, or the “Church of the Seven Wounds.” It is in the center of the bustling city.  The “seven” refers to the wounds of Jesus that were felt by the Blessed Asdvadzadzin. They are all from our Lord’s life as shared by the Evangelist St. Luke. Specifically, they are, 1) Simeon’s revelation to her “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many… And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” 2) The Holy family’s escape to Egypt 3) Jesus lost for three days; 4) Jesus betrayed; 5) Jesus crucified with the Blessed Mother Mary at the foot of the cross; 6) Jesus’ death; 7) Jesus’ burial. An icon in the church depicts St. Mary with seven daggers symbolizing the wounds.

This church is a repository of the memories. The seven wounds are identified by name. the memory of the earthquake is identified by large structures, namely the domes that toppled off of the church on that ill-fated day in 1988. The domes have since been replaced, but the fallen domes sit on the side of the church and at the entrance of a small garden area. The size of these domes and their placement in view of everyone, solicit a response, at the very least, “Why are these domes here?” and get the response, “They fell off during the 1988 earthquake.”

Memories have many functions. Of course, as is implied, they prevent us from forgetting. But what happens when the pain is so great, beyond human comprehension, as was the case on December 7, 1988 when 50,000 people perished? The event was within our lifetime and we certainly want to honor the dead, however the structures and monuments we build to our memories are double edged swords. They honor the losses, but they can also function as monuments to victimhood and prevent us from a healthy move forward.

Following the Crucifixion of our Lord Jesus, a few women when to his grave to anoint his body. They were there to honor the dead Jesus. When they arrived at the grave, the angel asked them a simple question, “Why are you searching among the dead for one who lives?”

This week on the Roots of Armodoxy, we will be in Gyumri, the second largest city in Armenia. We will be looking at memories from different vantage points. Memories that honor, memories that help us heal, and memories that, unfortunately, keep us looking among the dead instead among the living.

We pray today a prayer from the Armenian Church’s Book of Hours, “O Lord, do not turn your face from us. Benevolent Lord, we beseech You, be our helper. Send us Your angel of peace, who will come and protect us from temptations. Almighty Lord our God, save and have mercy. Amen.”

Getting the Femur

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Next Step #766 – February 22, 2023 – Margaret Mead spoke of finding civilized society with the finding of a repaired femur bone, dating back 15,000 years. Fr. Vazken asks did we lose that civility as we measure the responses to the tremendous loss of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria. A Super Bowl ad brought attention to the fact that Jesus “gets us.” Now, do we “get” Jesus?
Earthquake in Turkey/Armenian Relations https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/turkey-says-earthquake-diplomacy-could-help-mend-armenia-ties-2023-02-15/
Super Bowl ad angers both right and left: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-64493324
Lenten Series Begins https://www.facebook.com/epostle.net/videos/923111938713918
Կirakē – Sunday evening service https://youtu.be/noR_MerAsq0
Zulal: “The Shepherd’s Clock” https://www.zulal.org/albums.html
Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for http://Epostle.net
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Familiarity & Contempt: Faith & Freedom

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Next Step #578: An independence day look at contempt, apathy and neglect brought on by familiarity. Whether freedom or faith, a simple look at Nazareth 30AD gives a clear look at the dangers we face. Some from 1984 (Orwell) and some from journalist-want-to-bees, Fr. Vazken connects the dots and presents ways to avoid the traps of blessings lost. Luke 4: Moving from Jesus of Nazareth to Jesus the Christ. And then the earthquake hit! (min 19:30) giving yet one more metaphor!
America the Beautiful, Ray Charles
Ministry of Truth: Biography of George Orwell’s 1984
Declaration of Independence
Pilgrimage to Armenia
Frederick Douglass on What to the slave is the Fourth of July?
Fantasy on the Fifth at Fifty
Earthquake (min 19:30)
7×77 www.7×77.org
Իշամեղու =Bumblebee
Free Speech? Really (blog)
Cover: Statue of Juana Maria and child in Santa Barbara, California, at the intersection of State Street & Victoria Street
Technical Director: Ken Nalik
Produced by Suzie Shatarevyan for InHisShoes.org
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