If a study showed that for every 40 times that a tall pine tree fell, there would be one instance in which none of the squirrels in the tree were seriously injured or killed and another study showed that for every 40 times that a plane crashed, there would be one instance in which none of the people on board were seriously injured or killed, why would the one instance in the second study be considered a miracle performed by God and the one instance in the first study would be considered a random occurrence?
2007-09-25 03:59:00 · 9 answers · asked by Biggus Dickus 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
That is Christian logic... The same arguments can be used to come to different conclusions... suiting their theological goals...
2007-09-25 04:10:58 · answer #1 · answered by CiberNauta 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
First you assume that the "saving" of the squirrels is not a miracle, but a random occurrence. You base that assumption on what??
But I have seen enough miracles to know that there are many which are not random occurences. A couple years back my youngest daughter was driving down a freeway when a tree fell onto the hood of her car. With the car moving into the truck at 70 mph, it took out the fron windshield, tore the entire roof off the car. Took the top third of steering wheel off, and the took off both headrest on the front seats. Did not touch my daughter at all, and she had no time or chance to duck. The trunk of the tree passed through her. That was not a random occurence, it was a miracle.
My oldest son was born with a cleft palette and lip. Have pictures showing the cleft. The opening in his lip extended all the way from the lip into his nose. Complete cleft. Prayed for when he was three weeks old and both the lip and palette closed within a month. No surgery was ever required. That was not a random occurence, it was a miracle.
Are there "random events" that people have claimed to be miracles? Probably. Anytime you are the survivor, you are probably going to think that it was a miracle. But that does not invalidate the millions of real miracles that happen to people every day. And evern if the event is not outside the statistical odds (one in 40 plane crashes has no victims), it can still be a miracle that the plane they were on was the 40th plane and not one of the other 39.
2007-09-25 04:16:49 · answer #2 · answered by dewcoons 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
If someone believes a 1 in 40 chance qualifies as a miracle, they must see a lot of miracles in their life.
Whether or not someone would believe that everyone surviving a plane crash is a miracle would probably depend a lot on the circumstances of the plane crash.
My uncle had a small, single engine airplane years ago. One day while he was flying it, the engine died and he and his passengers ended up in an uncontrolled descent. Normally, there would have been very little chance of them surviving.
However, weirdly enough, the plane ended up falling on to some power lines that significantly slowed the descent of the plane before the wires snapped. Then the plane fell onto a pine tree. The top of the pine tree pierced the center of the plane.
As the plane continued to fall, while impaled by the pine tree, the branches of the pine tree were forcibly compressed. The little branches at the top of the pine tree initially began to create enough drag on the plane to slow it quite a bit. The larger, lower branches of the pine tree eventually brought the plane to complete stop before it hit the ground.
All three passengers in the plane survived with only minor injuries, (although I suspect they all needed new underwear by that time).
I can't help but see that weird plane crash as somewhat "miraculous", at least in the sense that it was an extremely unlikely set of events, (I've never heard of something like this happening to anyone else). However, I don't know of any particular reason why any gods would have felt it necessary to cause such a miracle.
Quite frankly, the plane crash has always sounded to me like something that one might see on a cartoon. Maybe one of the gods just had it happen because he thought it would be funny?
2007-09-25 04:17:48 · answer #3 · answered by Azure Z 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I dont know if it would. Folks do survive plane crashes and it has a bit more to do with the nature of the accident than god performing a miracle.
2007-09-25 04:04:21 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
I would consider both miracles, but then I see the Hand of God at work in all things.
2007-09-28 21:57:45 · answer #5 · answered by cowboy_christian_fellowship 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Speaking objectively, in my life, I've looked at it from every angle. I have to say at least for me, there have been too many "occurrences" that I know beyond any shadows of any doubts, that God worked something for me. No way, they could have been coincidences.
2007-09-25 04:08:49 · answer #6 · answered by knight 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
"A puff of wind will blow over his bowl of food pellets and within seconds, he’s trying to make me believe that it was a divine act of his invisible god..." lol Even I think that's a little far fetched. But let him believe what he wants.
2016-05-18 01:16:15 · answer #7 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Believe me. If you were on that plane you would be praying to any God that would listen.
2007-09-25 04:04:55 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think it is the will of God in any circumstance.
2007-09-25 04:16:30 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋