so i’m leafing through my newspaper today and i read a story about a man holding the archbishop of San Antonio hostage. no one was hurt in the incident (thankfully). Police Chief Al Philippus was quoted as saying, “We’re very pleased… God came down and really smiled on us and wrapped His arms around the situation.” Myself a former roman catholic, i understand where he is coming from. But i do not, for the life of me, in fact CAN not understand why he doesn’t see the inherent flaw in his logic.
before anybody has a fit, let me honestly qualify that. i should say that I see a gaping hole in his logic. since the outcome was good, that is evidence that a benevolent god intervened? so god either willed or allowed the tragedies at columbine etc. to occur?
i would ask that those who agree with the good police chief give me their spin on this. is there actually a hole in my own logic? or is the universe simply too vast for one person to try to grasp? or what?
btw, the whole ‘God’s Will’ process seems rather ad hoc to me. it’s not until afterward (the chief’s quote was not taken before the siege was over, or before it even started) that we assign intentions to events. (not rhetorically)-how can a thinking person resolve that? (again, not ‘duh you’re so unenlightened’ but truly how? how do YOU do it?)
thank you for your time. if any of the above seems flippant, please forgive. it’s very early and i have only the best intentions.
For all we know, the Archbishop was praying that the Lord would direct him to souls in need of ministration, and the Lord just showed off that puckish sense of humor He has.
“You want someone that you can help out? Here ya go!”
There are folks out there who attribute all good things to God or Jesus. When things go their way, they thank God and attribute the good stuff to him. When things go bad it’s either a failing on their part or a test, or a necessary part of the plan. Either way, both the good and bad are covered by their worldview.
For me, it sounds silliest when sports are involved. After the big game/match/race the winner/winners gather and thank people, and often God too. The image is a little laughable. You never hear the second place guy say “Well, I was doing okay until the last lap, when Jesus gave me a flat tire!” One thing is for sure though: God sure as heck isn’t a Cubs fan.
Right up there with the Oscar and Grammy winners who thank God. Personally, I chalk it up to their hard work, their agents, and the companies that pay for their marketing, and that they’re cheating themselves out of their own hard work and well-earned reward.
However, if giving thanks to God is what these people need in order to give them the spur to achieve those accomplishments, although I may think it’s pretty weak, I say, hey, if it works for them, so be it - more power to 'em.
Personally, I’ll take the credit for my own accomplishments. And while I’m at it, I’ll take credit for rescuing that archbishop, too. Heck, anything good that happens in your life, thank Esprix instead of God!
I could be wrong, but it seems to me that this attitude is most prevalent in football. I can’t recall ever seeing a hockey or baseball player thank God for a victory, but I regularly see football players praying and thanking God before a game, after a touchdown, and after a game.
Anyone have any theories why this may be? Is it as prevalent in other sports and I’m just not noticing it?
I’m an atheist, so perhaps I shouldn’t speak, but I think that people who thank God, especially in competitive endeavours, are on extremely thin ice. If you parse what they say, it “God gave me this victory over my competitors” be it sports, the Oscars, etc. Well, why did God so bless you? The only answer I can see is “Well, I am more worthy than my competitors.” Under several religious beliefs, this demonstration of pride, and the usurpation of God’s authority as judge of humanity, are major sins showing the winner to be less worthy. Then the problem arises - if you are less worthy, why did God favor you over your more worthy competitors?
I’ll never forget the religion prof who stated that asking God to help your team win is asking God to play favorites. Ouch. Much the same with what Sua said. But sometimes a person’s feeling of accomplishment or failure is so pronounced that logic has little to do with his/her response. Certainly God must have had some part in it. It’s not a logical way to think, but it happens. I have had experience with the afore-mentioned people who praise God for leading them into the correct choice of ties or blessing their peaceful sleep. I have also seen many people who lay all blame for their (perceived?) unhappiness at God’s feet. It is either presumptious to take responsibility for good things, or misfortune that is dealt out by the hand of an angry God. Neither is logical. And I find that very infrequently do the two groups overlap.
The logic transcends belief. It is as obvious to an athiest as to any ‘believer.’ But in certain situations where emotions are on overdrive, logic is the first thing to fly out the window.
A man tripped and fell over a steep cliff and barely managed to grab a small bush and he was hanging there for a while grabbing that bush with his hands for his dear life. If he let go he’d fall a thousand feet to his death.
So he is shouting for help for a while and after a few minutes, a woman’s face shows itself over the ledge and says: Oh! Thank God!
to which the man replies:
No, thank the bush 'cause God’s intentions were very clear to me!
BTW, what’s an “eschaton” and where can I get one?
Also, it is better if the title of the thread gives us some idea of what it may be about. I do not understand why people use titles like “why?” for a thread. Try to make it as descriptive as possible in a few short words!
Just because his quote was taken afterwards, doesn’t mean that the police chief himself assigned intentions to the events afterwards. That’s just when the reporter interviewed him. To really know what he was thinking before or during the situation, you would have had to ask him then.
And it’s the evil, Satanic degeneration of this country into a mewling mass of pansy-assed liberals that’s responsible! I say it’s high time we did something about this! Today’s atoms need to learn their proper place in God’s creation again, just like our grandparents did in the Glory Days of Our Great Republic. Why, I’ve even heard there are schools in which young atoms are not required to recide the Pledge of Allegiance! We should stop distributing condoms to young, impressionable atoms and post the Ten Commandments for them to read, instead. Glory glory hallelujah!
I think he might be using a bit of poetical license with the word “eschatology”:
Main Entry: es·cha·tol·o·gy
Pronunciation: "es-k&-'tä-l&-jE
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -gies
Etymology: Greek eschatos last, farthest
Date: 1844
1 : a branch of theology concerned with the final events in the history of the world or of mankind
2 : a belief concerning death, the end of the world, or the ultimate destiny of mankind; specifically : any of various Christian doctrines concerning the Second Coming, the resurrection of the dead, or the Last Judgment
Nay! Surely, the heartless racist Conservatives are the problem. Atoms are not to blame, as they have been class victims of particles for, well, just eons.
