Fires of hell
This 1988 classic by Oz's Midnight Oil seemed appropriate today:
HEALESVILLE, Australia – The high death toll from hundreds of wildfires across southeastern Australia has forced authorities to re-examine an accepted survival strategy when blazes threaten: Get out early or hunker down and fight.
Many people waited too long and perished as they tried to escape the weekend infernos.
"People need to understand that a late departure is the most deadly," fire chief Paul Rees said.
Recovery teams moving into burned out towns in Victoria state found charred bodies on roadsides and in wrecked cars – grim signs of futile attempts to flee the raging wildfires fed by 100 kilometres-an-hour winds, record heat and drought. The number of deaths was expected to surpass 200, and a few fires were still burning.
Many people waited too long and perished as they tried to escape the weekend infernos.
"People need to understand that a late departure is the most deadly," fire chief Paul Rees said.
Recovery teams moving into burned out towns in Victoria state found charred bodies on roadsides and in wrecked cars – grim signs of futile attempts to flee the raging wildfires fed by 100 kilometres-an-hour winds, record heat and drought. The number of deaths was expected to surpass 200, and a few fires were still burning.
I saw a photo today that will forever haunt me. (It's here. Click if you can stand it.)
There's been talk that this terrible tragedy was caused by arson. The police are treating the area like a giant crime scene.
Maybe it's directly man-made, maybe it's climate change, maybe it's just bad luck.
Maybe it's time to give back the land to those who best managed it, the aboriginals.
Who knows?
But, according to these fet-o-philes, it's because God was angered by Victoria's recent relaxation of its abortion laws.
(Pastor Danny Nalliah) said these bushfires have come as a result of the incendiary abortion laws which decimate life in the womb.
Yesterday (Monday 9th February 2009), the front page of the Herald Sun newspaper reported “The Darkest hour for Victoria”.
A few months ago the news media should have reported “The darkest hour for the unborn” but unfortunately the “Decriminalization of Abortion bill” went through parliament and was passed, thus making many people call Victoria “the baby killing state of Australia”, Mr Nalliah said.
He said on November 7th last year we had sent out an email to our national network and a posting on our website carried an urgent post titled, ‘STOP PRESS. URGENT PRAYER NEEDED REGARDING AUSTRALIA, ESPECIALLY THE STATE OF VICTORIA’ following a dream he had on the 21st of October 2008, which he shared with his team on 22nd October.
Following is an excerpt from the dream which was published in the article:
“In my dream I saw fire everywhere with flames burning very high and uncontrollably. With this I woke up from my dream with the interpretation as the following words came to me in a flash from the Spirit of God. That His conditional protection has been removed from the nation of Australia, in particular Victoria, for approving the slaughter of innocent children in the womb.”
Yesterday (Monday 9th February 2009), the front page of the Herald Sun newspaper reported “The Darkest hour for Victoria”.
A few months ago the news media should have reported “The darkest hour for the unborn” but unfortunately the “Decriminalization of Abortion bill” went through parliament and was passed, thus making many people call Victoria “the baby killing state of Australia”, Mr Nalliah said.
He said on November 7th last year we had sent out an email to our national network and a posting on our website carried an urgent post titled, ‘STOP PRESS. URGENT PRAYER NEEDED REGARDING AUSTRALIA, ESPECIALLY THE STATE OF VICTORIA’ following a dream he had on the 21st of October 2008, which he shared with his team on 22nd October.
Following is an excerpt from the dream which was published in the article:
“In my dream I saw fire everywhere with flames burning very high and uncontrollably. With this I woke up from my dream with the interpretation as the following words came to me in a flash from the Spirit of God. That His conditional protection has been removed from the nation of Australia, in particular Victoria, for approving the slaughter of innocent children in the womb.”
Interestingly enough, the church claiming this nonsense is called Catch the Fire Ministries.
Beautiful video, Antonia -- I've never seen that before.
I think of the animals as well in disasters like this (yes, I clicked). So much loss. And yet even in the middle of all that, some cynical guy with a control fetish will come along to exploit vast human and natural tragedy.
Posted by: skdadl | February 10, 2009 at 07:40 PM
I am very interested to know of this God who is wrecking storms of fire and water on to the unfaithful. I have heard from other priests that the floods in New Orleans were because of the moral dissipation that goes on there.
Hmmm, it seems there was a terrible storm last year ravaging a Boy Scout Camp, perhaps it is God's judgment on a group on individuals known for being intolerant towards homosexuality?
http://blogs.discovery.com/storm_chasers/2008/06/tornado-hits-bo.html
Posted by: Ashley | February 11, 2009 at 08:15 PM