It's not you it's me...

I think that Wesley strikes the core of a problem which has troubled man since the beginning of time. We all too often refuse to look at ourselves first before pointing fingers at those around us. It is much easier to lay the blame elsewhere. In his sermon Wesley says, "That vice is the parent of misery, few deny; it is confirmed by the general suffrage of all ages. But we seldom bring this home to ourselves; when we speak of sin as the cause of misery, we usually mean, the sin of other people, and suppose we suffer, because they sin. But need we go so far? Are not our own vices sufficient to account for all our sufferings? Let us fairly and impartially consider this; let us examine our own hearts and lives. We all suffer: and we have all sinned. But will it not be most profitable for us, to consider every one his own sins, as bringing sufferings both on himself and others; to say, "Lo, I have sinned, I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done?"" It's easy to say "Oh it's the church's fault or the government's," but honestly the fault lies at home with each one of us. We point to others without first looking in the mirror. Everyone is guilty of this, including me.

To the question of who is responsible for calamities that fall on nations, I say that I don't know. I believe there is something to be said about God blessing a nation when its people are truly following Him. However, I don't believe that He always directly sends calamities to fall on their heads. It could just be that He removes His blessing and leaves us to our own devices which then bring calamities upon us. I also don't believe we can compare America to Israel. America is not God's chosen people. We are simply a nation that was built upon certain Godly principles and beliefs, but we were not chosen by God as His special children. We are the Gentiles. God extended His plan of salvation to us because the Jews rejected His Son, therefore certain guidelines and rules do not apply to us. I think that while Israel is responsible for their actions to God as a nation and He punishes or rewards accordingly, other nations are not because they are not God's chosen people.