139836 - Disaster Divine Judgment and Original Sin.pdf (1.83 MB)
Disaster, divine Judgment, and original Sin: Christian interpretations of Tropical Cyclone Winston and climate change in Fiji
journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-20, 15:58 authored by Cox, J, Glenn FinauGlenn Finau, Kant, R, Titifanue, J, Tarai, JParadise in the Pacific is often rendered as a natural state where "native" people live in simple harmony without the need for government or state institutions. However, Christian traditions also include paradise not simply as a state of innocence but also as a narrative of salvation history in which paradise is lost through original sin and must be restored through sacrifice and repentance. This article takes recent Fijian Christian interpretations of Tropical Cyclone Winston as a key site in which contested ideologies of Paradise are being reworked. As the idyll of island harmony is disrupted by disaster, Christians have seen Winston as an act of divine judgment and punishment on a sinful people. This essay analyzes how narratives of a sinful nation intersect with contemporary formulations of climate change, disaster, politics, and human agency.
History
Publication title
The Contemporary PacificVolume
30Pagination
380-411ISSN
1043-898XDepartment/School
TSBEPublisher
Univ Hawaii PressPlace of publication
2840 Kolowalu St, Honolulu, USA, Hi, 96822Rights statement
© 2018 by University of Hawai‘i PressRepository Status
- Open