By James Murray
Dean of the destroyed Christchurch Cathedral Peter Beck says the Christchurch earthquake was "not an act of God" – it just "the Earth doing what it does".
He says he was feeling much the same as everyone else in Christchurch after the quake.
He and his wife had been distributing water around their community.
He praised people who were out supporting people in their communities, saying it was tough knowing that people could be without power for a long time.
"People were trying to do the best they can to help other people live as normally as possible," he says.
The stability of life had been affected, but the clergy would always be available for support.
"You lot, make sure you've got your dog collars on," he says.
Dean Beck is the patron of Cancern, a grassroots community group set up after the last earthquake. The group advises authorities on what communities need and in what areas.
They will be having a briefing every couple of days with Civil Defence.
Dean Beck said his belief of God was not shaken by the quake - which was not an act of God.
"For me as a Christian, the act of God is in the love and compassion that people are sharing among each other.
"You know... they call it the Canterbury spirit. The Canterbury spirit in a sense is the human spirit at its very best. You often see that in the worst of times the human spirit is at its very best."
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