In the essay Facing Floods in the Middle Ages, it is interesting to see how religion has so often been paired with nature and the weather throughout history. It is noted how even during natural disasters such as floods, droughts, and even tornadoes, the communities would turn to religion/religious figures for solutions or explanations. It is evident that there is a widespread belief that God is responsible for the devastating weather patterns and occurrences. And in the various accounts there are trends of being fearful of both the weather and God. During what I believe is a tornado, an entire church is destroyed along with 88 lives from a single community being lost to the massive destruction.
The fear of losing their lives and homes, when combined with the utter reverence it seemed these individuals had for God made for an interesting response to these natural weather occurrences. Today we can anticipate and even explain away such trends as those that were dreaded and unexplainable in the past. But does that imply that there are no religious consequences or implications when it comes to the weather - which has only grown increasingly devastating over time? Or have we as a people stepped farther away from the religious practices and beliefs that seemed to bless former communities and keep them safe from the type of destruction that razes our world today? Perhaps it is the "sin" of the people and/or the lack of respect for our earth that has brought us to the environmental state we are currently in.