weird news: God spares atheist and her family from tornado

[Michchamp]

it's absurd to think god would get involved in the relatively mundane events of humanity, like boxing matches, game-winning field goals, or even wars, elections, gay-marriage, and plagues, all of which pale in comparison to the vast scale of the universe, especially when considering that there is almost certainly intelligent life elsewhere, some of which is probably more interesting than human life on earth (a statistical probability).

But then again, "god" is a very human creation, and given mankind's own self-importance, it makes sense to believe he would take the time - across a universe almost unfathomably large - to focus on our day-to-day existence.

once you reach the zen-like pinnacle of human thought that I have reached, this will all make sense.

I still have hope for all of you.

 

[tinselwolverine]

zen

This is originally a religious term, you know...

 

[KAWDUP]

I still have hope for all of you.

I thought you lost hope for me a long time ago? :tup:

 

[redandguilty]

it's absurd to think god would get involved in the relatively mundane events of humanity, like boxing matches, game-winning field goals, or even wars, elections, gay-marriage, and plagues, all of which pale in comparison to the vast scale of the universe, especially when considering that there is almost certainly intelligent life elsewhere, some of which is probably more interesting than human life on earth (a statistical probability).

Except for noter dame. Noter dame sucks and while God may not care about sports in general, it's difficult to believe that He doesn't enjoy their every loss.

But regarding the statistical probability. If it's likely there are many other intelligent life forms and their emergence is distributed across time, it's likely that some of them have hit the singularity (or at least advanced technologically enough to appear godlike to us). Either there's no possible way to detect and visit other intelligent life forms, or they choose not to visit us (or make themselves known.) No Kirks out there. They all follow the Prime Directive.

...or maybe we're the only intelligent life in the universe.

 

[Michchamp]

Except for noter dame. Noter dame sucks and while God may not care about sports in general, it's difficult to believe that He doesn't enjoy their every loss.

But regarding the statistical probability. If it's likely there are many other intelligent life forms and their emergence is distributed across time, it's likely that some of them have hit the singularity (or at least advanced technologically enough to appear godlike to us). Either there's no possible way to detect and visit other intelligent life forms, or they choose not to visit us (or make themselves known.) No Kirks out there. They all follow the Prime Directive.

...or maybe we're the only intelligent life in the universe.

actually, I think God would be a Notre Dame fan.

the Devil would be an Alabama fan.

Michigan football... is above all that.

 

[Michchamp]

...

But regarding the statistical probability. If it's likely there are many other intelligent life forms and their emergence is distributed across time, it's likely that some of them have hit the singularity (or at least advanced technologically enough to appear godlike to us). Either there's no possible way to detect and visit other intelligent life forms, or they choose not to visit us (or make themselves known.) No Kirks out there. They all follow the Prime Directive.

...or maybe we're the only intelligent life in the universe.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox#Explaining_the_paradox_hypothetically

 

[Thumb]

Religious people always say god has a plan for everyone. When a child dies from Leukemia you always hear this, so I guess if you lived in Moore, Oklahoma his plan was either for you to get ripped to shreds by an EF5 tornado or thank him for sparing you and killing others.

He must sit up in heaven and light a cigar George Peppard style and say "I love it when a plan comes together".

 

[redandguilty]

Religious people always say god has a plan for everyone. When a child dies from Leukemia you always hear this, so I guess if you lived in Moore, Oklahoma his plan was either for you to get ripped to shreds by an EF5 tornado or thank him for sparing you and killing others.

He must sit up in heaven and light a cigar George Peppard style and say "I love it when a plan comes together".

Depends on what you mean. Is there always some religious person out there that will say that? Yes. Do all religious people do that? No.

 

[Thumb]

Depends on what you mean. Is there always some religious person out there that will say that? Yes. Do all religious people do that? No.

So in your opinion does god have a plan for everyone or no?

 

[redandguilty]

So in your opinion does god have a plan for everyone or no?

I doubt it. Not a specific plan the way you're talking about.

 

[Thumb]

I doubt it. Not a specific plan the way you're talking about.

Well I'm not really talking about a specific plan because I don't believe one or that even god exists. I'm just trying to understand/interpret what the people who do are talking about.

Kinda goes back to the Wolf Blitzer thing, if you thank god because you were spared, do you curse god for those that were not? Or was that part of the plan?

 

[TheVictors]

Well at some point in history, most all wars were waged in the name of a God or a given theocratic belief system. More people have died in the name of God than for any other reason over the course of time ... so it begs the question of what sort of Omniscient, Omnipotent and Omnipresent being you're talking about.

To some, a wrathful and angry God is simply smiting the Evil doers ...and this view is maintained by all sides, relative to who the Other is.

So when Dick Rod was on the job and leading the Michigan program into what seemed an endless death spiral, I knew where to turn.

The Book of Job

Man, if Job could handle that, a Michigan fan could handle Dick Rod!



And clearly God doesn't like Noter Dame - he's a Marquette fan.

 

[tinselwolverine]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermi_paradox#Explaining_the_paradox_hypothetically

"At any practical pace of interstellar travel, the galaxy can be completely colonized in a few tens of millions of years."

I've seen movies about this, and shit...

 

[redandguilty]

Well I'm not really talking about a specific plan because I don't believe one or that even god exists. I'm just trying to understand/interpret what the people who do are talking about.

Kinda goes back to the Wolf Blitzer thing, if you thank god because you were spared, do you curse god for those that were not? Or was that part of the plan?

No. I don't think God gets in the middle of tornadoes and picks winners and losers. At least not often. Maybe there are exceptions, but in general, I don't think it works that way.

 

[tinselwolverine]

No. I don't think God gets in the middle of tornadoes and picks winners and losers. At least not often. Maybe there are exceptions, but in general, I don't think it works that way.

Yeah.

I actually Wolf Blitzer really doesn't think so either.

I think he just said what he said because that's the kind of shit people in situations such as that.

 

[TheVictors]

Yeah.

I actually Wolf Blitzer really doesn't think so either.

I think he just said what he said because that's the kind of shit people in situations such as that.

That's what I think ..he's pandering to the expectation of survivors praising God, rather than praising the quality construction of their interior closet/bathroooms.

 

[redandguilty]

That's what I think ..he's pandering to the expectation of survivors praising God, rather than praising the quality construction of their interior closet/bathroooms.

Yeah...an MC-style stereotyping of the sooners.

Actually, that's not fair. MC would have stereotyped far more severely.

 

[Michchamp]

So in your opinion does god have a plan for everyone or no?

I doubt it. Not a specific plan the way you're talking about.

it's impossible to comprehend the wheelings and dealings of a supernatural, omnipotent being, so just take the Pope/Imam/Rabbi/Jerry Falwell's teachings on it to be the truth.

Yeah.

I actually Wolf Blitzer really doesn't think so either.

I think he just said what he said because that's the kind of shit people in situations such as that.

it's amusing though. CNN continues to step in it whenever they try to cover a crisis.

and as another article said, the increasing numbers of Americans who identify as non-believers only mean this sort of interaction will occur again; will be interesting to see how the media covers it.

I'm sure CNN would've liked this interaction to stay buried, but some young whipper snapper had the nerve to post it on Youtube. And you can bet this interaction produced some memos at CNN, MSNBC, Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS about how to handle non-believers at future natural disaster sites...

 

[Michchamp]

Yeah...an MC-style stereotyping of the sooners.

Actually, that's not fair. MC would have stereotyped far more severely.

well, it would be a moot point, since if I were interviewing survivors in Oklahoma, I wouldn't ask them whether or not they gave thanks to god in the first place, so... that interaction wouldn't have happened.

though if someone volunteered that "god saved them" or whatevs, I'd point out that it's great god saved them, but not the 7 kids who died in the school, or the 20-odd other people killed. I'd add that maybe they were all atheists. Or that nobody's perfect.

I wouldn't last very long at CNN...

 

[redandguilty]

well, it would be a moot point, since if I were interviewing survivors in Oklahoma, I wouldn't ask them whether or not they gave thanks to god in the first place, so... that interaction wouldn't have happened.

though if someone volunteered that "god saved them" or whatevs, I'd point out that it's great god saved them, but not the 7 kids who died in the school, or the 20-odd other people killed. I'd add that maybe they were all atheists. Or that nobody's perfect.

I wouldn't last very long at CNN...

You'd have jumped straight to telling them that's what they get for voting for Bush and then you'd ask if they shot guns at the weather.