Really enjoyed the article, thanks! It would seem that the religious zealots, regardless of which religion they tout, who blame sickness and catastrophe on God are the same people who use fear in an attempt to persuade and control their congregations.
I mean no disrespect regarding your atheism — we all have to figure out what works for us — but the God I know is loving and forgiving. He doesn’t zap people! Most of our problems can be traced back to people. There’s enough food on Earth for everyone. The reason so many go hungry is because we don’t make sure they don’t. Global warming is because of our lifestyle choices. As you pointed out, warnings about a pandemic hitting went unanswered. I could go on and on, but until we learn from our mistakes and own our problems, we can’t begin to reverse or clean up the mess we’ve made.
Thanks again.