Compassion & Understanding

My region is currently recovering from a major natural disaster. 

We have had numerous deaths as a result with that number to increase as the recovery effort finds more bodies.

Thousands of people have lost their homes or had them seriously damaged making them now unliveable.  These people have lost everything. 

It is a terrible time.  A tragic time.  The whole state, indeed the nation, is reeling from the suddenness of this disaster and the strength and scale of its destruction. 

On the whole, everyone is pulling together and showing the community spirit that comes to the fore during such times of extreme trauma.  Helping each other out and offering much needed support and consolation.

I have noticed, however, some comments on social networking sites that I consider quite judmental and certainly not in the interests of compassion and understanding.

These comments are in response to people, on their own sites/ social networking page, thanking God for their own health and safety and calling on God or praying for assistance for those who are struggling and need help. 

I personally can see nothing wrong with this.  However the negative comments are quite judgemental and condescending.  It upsets me that these people, who preach tolerance and respect and espouse living a 'life of Christ', are the same ones posting judgemental comments and being dismissive of other peoples'  need for emotional and spiritual support. 

Basically these people are dismissive of other people finding/ recognising/ calling on God during times of tragedy such as this.  Sure, I understand your view that a person should have prayer and God in their life all the time, that is central to your belief system, but is it a bad thing for a tragedy to turn people to God?  How do you know God isn't in their life already?

And, if I haven't had God in my life to date, are you saying I can't ask for help now?  When I need it most?  Who are you to say that this situation hasn't made me realise the existence of a higher almight power.  If I am made to feel bad for praying during a trying time such as this, I can tell you now, I am certainly not going to during the good times.

I can appreciate that these people are young - at an age when they know everything (don't get me wrong, I knew everything too when I was their age) - but I would have thought that their grounding and upbringing in Christianity would have instilled in them a higher level of understanding and compassion for others.  Particularly during such an emotional time as this.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not passing judgement on them.  Heck, I'm far from perfect myself and I admire their strength of faith.  I'm just questioning their actions against their espoused beliefs - to me they are contradictory....