外國的地震天譴論

Chris選譯自20世紀英國哲學家羅素(Bertrand Russell)的文章「垃圾理論概覽」(An Outline of Intellectual Rubbish----點擊閱讀英文版全文)，寫作時間在1930~40年代。

......When Benjamin Franklin invented the lightning rod, the clergy, both in England and America, with the enthusiastic support of George III, condemned it as an impious attempt to defeat the will of God. 富蘭克林發明避雷針，當時英美的教會有英王喬治三世撐腰，把使用避雷針視為違抗上帝旨意的不敬行為，群起而攻之。
For, as all right-thinking people were aware, lightning is sent by God to punish impiety or some other grave sin-the virtuous are never struck by lightning. 因為嘛，凡是思想正確的人都知道，雷電是上帝用來懲罰褻瀆神明或罪大惡極的人------好人是從來不會遭雷殛的。

Therefore if God wants to strike any one, Benjamin Franklin ought not to defeat His design; indeed, to do so is helping criminals to escape. 所以，假如上帝要用雷殛某人，富蘭克林不應該逆天而行，幫助罪人逃過一劫。

But God was equal to the occasion, if we are to believe the eminent Dr. Price, one of the leading divines of Boston. 但是上帝明察秋毫----假如我們相信著名的波士頓牧師派拉斯博士的話。

Lightning having been rendered ineffectual by the "iron points invented by the sagacious Dr. Franklin," Massachusetts was shaken by earthquakes, which Dr. Price perceived to be due to God's wrath at the "iron points." 他說，雷電的威力被聰明的富蘭克林發明的避雷針化解了，麻薩諸塞州卻發生地震。派拉斯博士覺得，此乃上帝對避雷針感到狂怒的結果。

In a sermon on the subject he said, "In Boston are more erected than elsewhere in New England, and Boston seems to be more dreadfully shaken. Oh! there is no getting out of the mighty hand of God." 在以此為題的講道之中，他說：「新英格蘭地區之中，以波士頓的避雷針比其他地方都多，所以看來波士頓的地震最劇烈。啊，上帝的大能之手，我們怎能逃得過呢！」

Apparently, however, Providence gave up all hope of curing Boston of its wickedness, for, though lightning rods became more and more common, earthquakes in Massachusetts have remained rare. 事實就是，神明也不再阻止波士頓的褻瀆行為，因為儘管避雷針越來越普遍，麻薩諸塞還是很少發生地震。

Nevertheless, Dr. Price's point of view, or something very like it, is still held by one of the most influential of living men. 無論如何，類似派拉斯博士的觀點，現在還有世界上一位舉足輕重的人士大力主張的。
When, at one time, there were several bad earthquakes in India, Mahatma Gandhi solemnly warned his compatriots that these disasters had been sent as a punishment for their sins.某年印度發生幾次嚴重地震，甘地便煞有介事的警告印度人，是是上天降災以懲罰他們的罪。

Even in my own native island this point of view still exists. 就算在我的老家(英國)，還是有這類觀點的。
During the last war, the British Government did much to stimulate the production of food at home. 第一次世界大戰時，英國政府竭力增加國內的糧食生產。

In 1916, when things were not going well, a Scottish clergyman wrote to the newspapers to say that military failure was due to the fact that, with government sanction, potatoes had been planted on the Sabbath......1916年間，英國在戰場上連番失利，某位蘇格蘭的牧師就在報紙上寫，打敗仗是因為英國政府准許在安息日種馬鈴薯.......