Not to open up a can of worms, but it's this attitude in religion that bothers me.
"The bus full of toddlers that I was driving blew a tire, hurtled off the embankment, and burst into flames. I was the sole survivor, and emerged without a scratch. If it wasn't for God, I wouldn't be here now."
Sorry to send mixed signals. You're correct in pointing out that this story has nothing to do with religion. The wording of my first sentance makes it appear that I thought that, but it was more of a tangential observation.
Kevin's comment about the exorcism at the end is what sent my mind in that direction.
It just reminded me how many folks credit God for the occasional rescues during a tragedy while glossing over any divine responsibility for the fatalities and casualties stemming from the same event.
eeky: You have a point. When people ascribe survival in a situation like that to the grace of God, they don't seem to consider that it also means God had it in for everyone else. That sort of thinking (or non-thinking) bothers me, too.
markm: Your comment is an excellent starting place for a debate. Would you care to back it up?
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JS-Kit/Echo comments for article at http://smallestminority.blogspot.com/2006/07/lucky.html (6 comments)
Tentative mapping of comments to original article, corrections solicited.
Ah well, holding a pole while even touching a metallic object is looking for trouble when a thunderstorm is around...
Not to open up a can of worms, but it's this attitude in religion that bothers me.
"The bus full of toddlers that I was driving blew a tire, hurtled off the embankment, and burst into flames. I was the sole survivor, and emerged without a scratch. If it wasn't for God, I wouldn't be here now."
What's this got to do with religion, eeky? The guy is ascribing supernatural powers to his shirt. :-P
Sorry to send mixed signals. You're correct in pointing out that this story has nothing to do with religion. The wording of my first sentance makes it appear that I thought that, but it was more of a tangential observation.
Kevin's comment about the exorcism at the end is what sent my mind in that direction.
It just reminded me how many folks credit God for the occasional rescues during a tragedy while glossing over any divine responsibility for the fatalities and casualties stemming from the same event.
Sarah: IMO, religion started by systematizing superstitious thinking like this.
eeky: You have a point. When people ascribe survival in a situation like that to the grace of God, they don't seem to consider that it also means God had it in for everyone else. That sort of thinking (or non-thinking) bothers me, too.
markm: Your comment is an excellent starting place for a debate. Would you care to back it up?
Note: All avatars and any images or other media embedded in comments were hosted on the JS-Kit website and have been lost; references to haloscan comments have been partially automatically remapped, but accuracy is not guaranteed and corrections are solicited.
If you notice any problems with this page or wish to have your home page link updated, please contact John Hardin <jhardin@impsec.org>