I can't post this anywhere else where anybody would understand, but I had lunch with a friend yesterday who had been in a horrible car accident where they rear-ended someone at full speed causing a car collision. They said god watching over kept anyone from being hurt.
I responded that if god was watching over it would have kept the accident from happening at all. They just kind of looked at me for a second not expecting that response and kept talking. I've never done that before to anyone, let alone a friend, but just felt necessary at the time.
Having just heard a minister thank god for the hate crime guilty verdicts in the Ahmad Arbery case, I was again reminded that if god had control Ahmad Arbury would still be alive.
It just seems so irrational to attribute good things to god and the bad things to people or the devil, not to mention contradictory. Can't be an all-powerful god if you're powerful in certain situations.
Anyway thanks for the audience, I know you all understand. Not sure I'll say it to a friend again but it needs to be pointed out.
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A quote from Terry Pratchett's novel Interesting Times comes to mind;
Whatever happens, they say afterwards, it must have been fate. People are always a little confused about this, as they are in the case of miracles. When someone is saved from certain death by a strange concatenation of circumstances, they say that's a miracle. But of course if someone is killed by a freak chain of events -- the oil spilled just there, the safety fence broken just there -- that must also be a miracle. Just because it's not nice doesn't mean it's not miraculous.
Paul4747
Level 8
Feb 22, 2022
6
I love that quote of his mind you I just flat out love his work. But yes all the little things that go wrong and end up in a disaster just as miraculous as when you are not where you would normally be and avoid a disaster.
I always think of the Chilean miners who were trapped for days after a collapse. They had to bring in a bunch of engineers to figure out a way to get them out. When they were finally freed, they got on TV and thanked God for saving them 
JonnaBononna
Level 7
Feb 22, 2022
6
Religious brainwashing is very strong, especially when it is applied starting in childhood.
That's a major pet peeve of mine. I make these kinds of connects on my Facebook profile all the time. It drives me insane. I find those kinds of actions extremely offensive and stupid.
Akatherine
Level 5
Feb 22, 2022
2
Every time I hear that BS, I react in the same old predictable way. For example, "But god CAUSED the accident, you schmuck."
mischl
Level 8
Feb 22, 2022
1
It’s probably on His list of things to do today
- F*ck up Billy’s day kill his family- check
God is supposedly omniscient, omnipotent, and benevolent. But if he is omniscient (knows all) and omnipotent (has the power to do anything), but still allows horrible things to happen (the Holocaust comes to mind), then he's not benevolent, because he doesn't use his power. Then again he could be benevolent and omniscient, but if he set the rules up to preclude his own interference with human free will, then he's not omnipotent. The last possibility is that God is omnipotent and benevolent, but can't see what's going to happen until it happens, which means, not omniscient.
Either case means that the traditional concept of the Judeo-Christian God does not exist. Even if there were a God, he doesn't meet the criteria for godhood.
Paul4747
Level 8
Feb 22, 2022
9
Believers again and again illustrate no logic reasoning. How many times have you heard a person thank god for sparing their house from a tornado while ignoring the fact that their next door neighbor lost most of the family when his/her house blew away from the same tornado.
Alienbeing
Level 8
Feb 22, 2022
2
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