A Look Back: Reverend Tom Honey on God and the Tsunami

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This was recorded in early 2005, following the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean. I have recently seen several people ask the question "how could God let this happen?" here following the earthquake in Haiti (some in a snarkily acerbic manner), and I think this man's words are as relevant to that question now as they were when he spoke them.

You can view the video of his talk here, at the TED website. The Technology, Entertainment, and Design conference takes place each year in Monterey, CA, and has hosted speeches from luminaries such as Al Gore, Stephen Hawking, and Jane Goodall. A portion of the transcript from Rev. Honey's 2005 TED talk follows:

I am a vicar in the Church of England. I've been a priest in the Church for 20 years. For most of that time, I've been struggling and grappling with questions about the nature of God. Who is God? And I'm very aware that when you say the word God, many people will turn off immediately. And most people, both within and outside the organized church, still have a picture of a celestial controller, a rulemaker, a policeman in the sky who orders everything, and causes everything to happen. He will protect his own people, and answer the prayers of the faithful.

And in the worship of my church, the most frequently-used adjective about God is "almighty." But I have a problem with that. I have become more and more uncomfortable with this perception of God over the years. Do we really believe that God is the kind of male boss that we've been presenting in our worship and in our liturgies over all these years?

Of course, there have been thinkers who have suggested different ways of looking at God. Exploring the feminine, nurturing side of divinity. Suggesting that God expresses himself or herself through powerlessness, rather than power. Acknowledging that God is unknown and unknowable by definition. Finding deep resonances with other religions and philosophies and ways of looking at life as part of what is a universal and global search for meaning. These ideas are well-known in liberal academic circles, but clergy like myself have been reluctant to air them, for fear of creating tension and division in our church communities; for fear of upsetting the simple faith of more traditional believers. I have chosen not to rock the boat.

Then, on December 26th last year, just two months ago, that underwater earthquake triggered the tsunami. And two weeks later, Sunday morning, ninth January, I found myself standing in front of my congregation -- intelligent, well meaning, mostly thoughtful Christian people -- and I needed to express, on their behalf, our feelings and our questions. I had my own personal responses, but I also have a public role, and something needed to be said. And this is what I said.

Shortly after the tsunami I read a newspaper article written by the Archbishop of Canterbury -- fine title -- about the tragedy in Southern Asia. The essence of what he said was this: the people most affected by the devastation and loss of life do not want intellectual theories about how God let this happen. He wrote, "If some religious genius did come up with an explanation of exactly why all these deaths made sense, would we feel happier, or safer, or more confident in God?"

If the man in the photograph that appeared in the newspapers, holding the hand of his dead child was standing in front of us now, there are no words that we could say to him. A verbal response would not be appropriate. The only appropriate response would be a compassionate silence and some kind of practical help. It isn't a time for explanation, or preaching, or theology; it's a time for tears.

A full transcript is available on the page that opens via the above link. Please take the twenty minutes to watch the whole thing. Even though I'm not religious in the least, I found this man's words deeply thought-provoking back then (and relevant to our own society in many ways), and I think what he says might have meaning for many here today.