Religion – Indonesians see disasters as God’s will – sacbee.com By CHRIS BRUMMITT, Associated Press Writer

Battered by one calamity after another, Indonesians have found a resilience that has amazed even foreign aid workers. It’s rooted in a widely held belief that the troubles were sent by God, either as a test of their love for him or as punishment for straying from his teachings.

“Human beings are greedy, selfish and too arrogant,” said Prapto Warsito, a villager who lost his father and house to the country’s latest disaster, Saturday’s earthquake on Java Island that killed more than 5,800 people.

“The almighty one has decided to teach us a lesson,” he said. …

“These (disasters) all come from Allah,” he said Monday. “We must be grateful and tests like this should be met with resolve and humbleness.” [mjh: sounds like a battered wife or abused child who says, ‘he only beats me because I deserve it.’]