It’s a Miracle!
Jun 15th, 2009 by craig
I have a client that periodically sends out some of those “God Loves You” things via email. Last week he sent the one entitled “Where God Wants Me.” I found even the opening picture disturbing:
If you haven’t seen this thing, it’s a PowerPoint slide show that tells the story of a number of the survivors of the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center, and how miraculous their survival is, assumedly because they were where God wanted them to be. For example, one wasn’t in his office because it was his turn to go out and buy doughnuts that day. Another had put on a new pair of shoes, consequently got a blister and so stopped to get a band aid to put on his foot. It was all very lucky for these folks, but miraculous? Give me a break. Implying that they were saved, or spared, because God directed them with these simple diversions is absurd. That implies that everyone that didn’t survive was directed by God to be where they were. At the very least He didn’t care about where those people were. By that logic, God should share responsibility for all those that died that day. If God gets credit for the survivors, He has to take responsibility for the casualties.
There were many stories of courage, honor, valor and heroism from that day. Many, many people did miraculous things. I am much more comfortable honoring them and their stories than I am trying to give God credit for “miracles.” Not only do I think He doesn’t need the recognition, I can’t imagine He would play that kind of favoritism.
Remember earlier this year when that plane crash landed in the Hudson river and everyone survived? That’s another thing that has been described as miraculous. Balderdash. Everyone survived because of the competence and clear thinking of the pilots and crew. Referring to a plane crash back in 2005, Jon Stewart hit the nail on the head when he observated that “If anything fits the description of miracle, it’s the ligthning that hit the plane… God’s plan was thwarted by their [the plane crew and rescue teams] satanic competence.” I love that phrase, “satanic competence.” I may have to try to find ways to use that this week.
Comedian Dennis Regan has observed: “If a plane crashes and no one is killed, they say it was a miracle that no one was killed. If a plane crashes and a few people are killed, they say it was a miracle that more people weren’t killed, and if a plane crashes and there’s only one survivor, they say it was a miracle that that person survived. If a plane crashes and everyone is killed, they say it was a miracle that it just missed hitting that warehouse when it went down. If the plane hits the warehouse they say it was a miracle that it didn’t hit it an hour earlier when it was crowded with people, and if it hits it when it was crowded with people and everyone is killed, they go and find that guy that missed the flight by ten minutes and they say it was a miracle that he got a flat tire on the way to the airport.”
Apparently, we’re so starved for miracles that we have to make them up.
Tune in later for examples of some of the things that I find miraculous in my life.
Footnote: I would be remiss if I didn’t link Jon Stewarts “Miracle on the Highway,” truly one of the best pieces on this topic I’ve ever seen.
Yes, disturbing is a good word for it. I completely concur Craig. Good post.
You’d have been totally remiss had you not included that link to “Miracle on the Highway.” I loved it when it first aired, and it is just as pertinent and hysterical now.
I second Alli-cat. I couldn’t agree more! That line of reasoning is completely ridiculous.
Very good post.
It has always bothered me a great deal that everyone insists on giving God credit for saving them, but wouldn’t think of recognizing God put them in the life threatening position in the first place — if indeed God was involved at all. Seems to me God does this just to make himself look good. (Just kidding – I really think there is no involvement either way). And the idea that they were saved for some wonderful, amazing reason while their friends and neighbors weren’t… I find that offensive.
I absolutely love Jon Stewart’s piece on this. I have seen it many times since it first aired (sometimes I just go find it and watching because I want to be entertained) and it never fails to make me laugh out loud. But so true.
This subject matter always reminds me of the quote from Albert Einstein:
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
Good Post.
Excellent Post Craig, and pretty much the same points I tried to make years ago on the old Roundtable site when someone posted an email by Billy Graham’s daughter that God caused 9/11 because we did away with the pledge of allegience in the schools, because we legalized abortion, are allowing more and more gay rights, and on and on.. An entire litany of conservative political stances that she (and people like Falwell and Robertson) tried to link to the tragedy. IF only we’d adopted the conservative politics, we’d never have suffered. Such utter cow crud.
I believe in God, though I don’t pretend to know what God is. Except that I believe God is love. And I believe that God does not interfere with our free agency. And thus when stupid crazy people use their free agency in a bad way, we all sometimes suffer too. While God doesn’t stop what they’re going to do, I do believe that God ‘within’ that ‘love’ we all have in us…. comforts us and helps us cope. Be it a tragedy like 9/11 or something more personal like the death of a loved one. God helps us cope. But I believe that is all God will helps us with. He won’t save us from ourselves or from others. That consequences of actions are as sure as the law of gravity. Drop that rock and it will fall.
Recently, little Javier announced to me that nobody dies unless God wants them to. You see, his Catholic mother and her boyfriend have been teaching him about God. And they told him this stuff. I have to be careful here, but I just told him that there are many many religious beliefs because not everyone agrees. And I told him that Grandpa doesn’t believe that way. And I tried to explain free agency and consequence, but at 6 he didn’t grasp it. I just hope that as the years progress, I can be a source of ‘another way of thinking’ for him. I just fear that it may one day conflict with what they want him to believe, and then I’ll be on the outs with his mother.
Anyway, I enjoyed your post..
Oh look at that !! My post is as long as your article.. Yikes!!