“Why Did You Save Dr Kent Brantly And Let 1,200 Africans Die Of Ebola?”

oge okonkwo

August 25, 2014 2:44 PM

The writer says she gave up on God a long time ago due to some life experiences and after she went on for years trying to believe in him

The Guardian UK published an article written by one of its regular columnists Michele Hanson on Ebola virus.

In the somewhat controversial article, Hanson says she gave up on God a long time ago due to some life experiences and after she went on for years trying to believe in him.

The author put out a very thought provoking question on why God let Kent Brantly, the American missionary doctor who contracted Ebola, survive the deadly disease with the help of Zmapp and not the other 1,200 West African people that died .

We can recall that Dr Brantly gave an amazing speech of how he was healed by God on the day he was discharged from the hospital after winning the battle against Ebola.

The article has since been generating several comments on social media, some in support of the author while others are totally against her opinion.

What do you think of the article? Is the author correct in some way?

Read below:

It must be lovely for Brantly to be so sure of things. I tried, aged 10, to work out whether God was around or not, but couldn't. "What was his actual shape?" I wondered. And how could he be everywhere, all at once? How big, for example, was his toenail? Did it cover Ruislip, where I lived? I imagined him constantly on the go, distant enough for an effective overview and able to home in on catastrophes and act. But it was very hit and miss. Would he be on the spot when you needed him, like Brantly did? On and on I went for years, trying to believe in him. I even went camping with a tremendously religious youth organisation, but despite the prayers and observances, even the devout did some frightfully rude things in their tents. And there was no divine retribution. I gave up on God, for ever.

If only all religions would take this hands-off approach and let us all believe whatever we like. No pressure. I hope that one day, that will happen. I would say "Please, God," but I can't.

oge okonkwo