Presbyterians appreciate the effective way in which Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) has represented us, providing help in the wake of weather-related devastation from surges in both the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Along with humans internationally we have responded by giving goods and services to relieve the desperate. But those situations illustrate that we have been more oriented toward alleviating suffering after it happens than toward preventing it in the first place.
The PDA abbreviation might also be used to refer to another service, Presbyterian Disaster Avoidance, which in many cases is more important than assistance after tragedy strikes.
In memorizing the Westminster Shorter Catechism as a child, I was impressed by the way in which each of the “thou shalt nots” of the Ten Commandments is given a positive interpretation as well as a listing of what is forbidden. Question 68 asserts, “The sixth commandment requireth all lawful endeavors to preserve our own life and the life of others.” The content of that Catechism is much indebted to the doctrine of John Calvin. Regarding the purpose of the sixth commandment, he commented: “The Lord has bound humans together by a certain unity; hence each person ought to concern himself with the safety of all. … He who has merely refrained from shedding blood has not avoided the crime of murder.”
The Torah presents what may be the first safety regulation on record. Deuteronomy 22:8 requires that every new house must have a railing around the edge of the flat rooftop on which people stand. By protecting against falling off the upper deck, the homeowner can avoid “the guilt of bloodshed.”
In private as well as in public life there are now many examples of the need for prevention. Neglect of medical check-ups violates the sixth commandment. On the positive side, education plus governmental regulations have resulted in many citizens avoiding tobacco use. Similarly, the homicide rate drops when handgun restrictions are enforced.
Think of the way the “click it or ticket” law has been mitigating disaster. Studies show that in states where seat belt use is enforced, thousands of lives are saved annually. “Gird up your loins” is a relevant biblical expression here. When a man wearing a loose loincloth in ancient Israel prepared for rapid movement, he gathered up his garment and tucked it in around his waist. Today, “girding up” in vehicles gives protection against travel injury. Air bags, as well as mandatory helmets for bikers and motorcyclists, can be lifesavers that help us fulfill God’s law.
Overpopulation is one of the main causes of disaster in many global regions. In Africa massive efforts are periodically made to feed a starving people. Drought is the immediate cause of the famine, but what is being done about the long-term cause? Some Africans nations have the highest birth rates in the world. Some religious groups have long thought it wrong to advocate artificial birth control, but Presbyterians sent Doctors Richard and Judith Brown to promote family planning in Congo and Kenya. Part of their effective work against AIDS has been encouraging the use of condoms.
Effective advance planning could have saved many lives along the Gulf Coast. What a tragic mistake to assume that all residents could get to higher ground on their own! Why didn’t the civic officials use the hundreds of public buses, which were left to be flooded, to evacuate the thousands who lacked transportation? Another human failure pertains to the priority of the Army Corps of Engineers over the years. Because of political pressure, the Corps was concerned more with making river commerce more profitable than with trying to make safe the area below the levees in New Orleans where most of its citizens were living. The Sermon on the Mount concludes with a parable about “a wise man who built his house on rock” in an area where flooding was likely in the sandy lowlands. God does not avert storms that humans find adverse. From his work as a carpenter Jesus realized that those engaged in construction should have the good sense to build only on ground that can withstand the ravages of high water.
The founder of the Presbyterian Church prudently taught that the sixth commandment means, “we should do everything we possibly can toward the preservation of the life of our neighbor.” Both educational persuasion and legal coercion are needed to avoid impending disasters. By adopting this approach, a less impoverished and more healthy society would emerge.
William E. Phipps is emeritus professor of religion and philosophy, Davis and Elkins College, Elkins, W.V.
