Outspoken Christian celebrity and former Growing Pains star Kirk Cameron has an interesting and controversial theory regarding the origin of the recent spate of hurricanes that have threatened and devastated the United States. According to Cameron, Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, both massive and destructive storms, weren’t the product of meteorology. Rather, 46-year-old Kirk Cameron claims that the hurricanes are a message from God.
In a Facebook post recorded at an Orlando airport and posted on September 8, the actor called the recent, record-shattering storms “a spectacular display of God’s immense power.” According to Cameron, the storms weren’t “sent by God” without a reason.
Going so far as to suggest that fellow Christian parents use his words to explain to their children why Hurricanes Harvey and Irma happened in the first place, Kirk Cameron said in his Facebook video that God has a “purpose” for sending the deadly and destructive storms. However, Cameron didn’t claim to know what that purpose was, adding that it’s possible that nobody will understand God’s design. Cameron went on to say that “weather is sent to cause us to respond to God in humility, awe and repentance.” What’s more, the actor said that the storms should serve as a reminder that God “supplies our life, breath, and everything else.”
“When he puts his power on display, it’s never without reason. There’s a purpose. And we may not always understand what that purpose is, but we know it’s not random and we know that weather is sent to cause us to respond to God in humility, awe and repentance.”
The Facebook post quickly went viral. It has now been viewed over 560,000 times and shared nearly 6,000. Unfortunately for Kirk Cameron, not everybody received his controversial message regarding God and deadly hurricanes in a positive manner. As Us Weekly reports, the Christian actor has become the target of widespread criticism over his words, words that many find insensitive and inappropriate as hundreds of thousands of Americans continue to rebuild after Hurricane Harvey and have evacuated in anticipation of Hurricane Irma.
“How should we look at two giant hurricanes coming back-to-back like this? Do we write them off as coincidence?”
So far, Kirk Cameron has received over 3,000 comments on his Facebook post alone. Many other critics of his thoughts on hurricanes have taken to other social media platforms to call out the former child star, with many not bothering to filter their animosity before commenting.
“So let me get this straight, your magical sky wizard sent the hurricanes that HAVE ALREADY KILLED PEOPLE as a display of his love? #notmygod”
Not everybody on social media was critical of Cameron’s words. While their numbers were fewer than those who have spoken out against Kirk Cameron’s assessment of Hurricane Harvey and Irma, some folks appear to agree that what the United States is experiencing is truly the will (and possibly the wrath) of God.
So far, the mainland United States has not seen any deaths from Hurricane Irma, a monster Category 3 storm expected to reach Category 4 strength before hitting Florida early Sunday morning. However, the islands of the Caribbean have reported at least 23 deaths from the then-Category 5 hurricane when she barreled through earlier this week.
Over 6 million people in Florida have received evacuation orders ahead of Irma’s expected landfall, which is predicted to happen somewhere between Miami and Tampa.
Hurricane Harvey was responsible for at least 70 deaths after devastating the Houston area in late August. The record-setting hurricane produced rainfall measured in feet, flooding a massive area from Texas to Louisiana and making areas of I-10 appear to be an inland sea as high waters and winds swept through the area. Tens of thousands of people lost most (if not all) that they owned in the storm, and recovery is expected to take months or even years.
What do you think about Kirk Cameron and his words regarding God and recent hurricanes? Do you believe his social media post was appropriate in light of what millions of people have or will endure? Let us know in the comments below.
[Featured Image by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images]