# Remind me again why God is to be thanked for the Chilean Miners? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [October 14, 2010, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remind-me-again-why-god-is-to-be-thanked-for-the-chilean-miners/557195 "2010-10-14T23:56:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remind-me-again-why-god-is-to-be-thanked-for-the-chilean-miners/557195/81 "2010-10-16T21:17:43Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > Because the people who are willing to ask reasonable questions about their religion become atheists. Or agnostics. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remind-me-again-why-god-is-to-be-thanked-for-the-chilean-miners/557195/82 "2010-10-16T22:29:49Z")
One question: When you sneeze, and someone says, “God bless you” – do you give that person a lecture? Because this seems to me to be one of the most pointless debates ever. People say what they say because that’s what seems to fit the circumstances. Not necessarily because of any true religious feeling. ---
**Author:** ![splt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9e8a1a/32.png) [@splt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/splt)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remind-me-again-why-god-is-to-be-thanked-for-the-chilean-miners/557195/83 "2010-10-16T22:50:18Z")
> [@Locrian](#): > > While watching and waiting for poor miners to be rescued (which was fantastic!), I was reminded of the Russian sub The _Kursk_ where 118 crew members died tragically. > Other nations had offered to help but were denied. > > I would love to ask one of the faithful miners why their god chose to save them, but not the submarine crew. Then I would love to ask all 33 of them. I guarantee I would get 33 completely different answers. We know that the miners and their families asked God for help and their prayers were answered. ---
**Author:** ![splt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9e8a1a/32.png) [@splt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/splt)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remind-me-again-why-god-is-to-be-thanked-for-the-chilean-miners/557195/84 "2010-10-16T22:53:37Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > One question: When you sneeze, and someone says, “God bless you” – do you give that person a lecture? > > Because this seems to me to be one of the most pointless debates ever. People say what they say because that’s what seems to fit the circumstances. Not necessarily because of any true religious feeling. Seems that you can read minds. Why would anyone who doesn’t believe bother to “bless” anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remind-me-again-why-god-is-to-be-thanked-for-the-chilean-miners/557195/85 "2010-10-16T23:02:14Z")
> [@splt](#): > > We know that the miners and their families asked God for help and their prayers were answered. But not by God. Who can’t answer anything, since he’s a lie. You want help, it’s going to come from us mere humans. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remind-me-again-why-god-is-to-be-thanked-for-the-chilean-miners/557195/86 "2010-10-16T23:17:35Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > > [@Magiver](#): > > > > For the personal inner strength that religion gives people as a mechanism for getting through tough times. > > The inner-strength he gives them to live through the problems he causes? Your ideas are mushy and need to return to the oven. I missed the part where a deity came down and caused the collapse. The video must be worth a fortune. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remind-me-again-why-god-is-to-be-thanked-for-the-chilean-miners/557195/87 "2010-10-16T23:20:09Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > > [@Lobohan](#): > > > > The inner-strength he gives them to live through the problems he causes? Your ideas are mushy and need to return to the oven. > > I missed the part where a deity came down and caused the collapse. If one, then the other. If God’s Plan is behind everything then he gets the blame for the bad, not just the credit for the good. ---
**Author:** ![Lobohan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobohan/32/79_2.png) [@Lobohan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobohan)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remind-me-again-why-god-is-to-be-thanked-for-the-chilean-miners/557195/88 "2010-10-16T23:29:51Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > > [@Lobohan](#): > > > > The inner-strength he gives them to live through the problems he causes? Your ideas are mushy and need to return to the oven. > > I missed the part where a deity came down and caused the collapse. The video must be worth a fortune. Fact One: God drinks human tears. He fucking chugs them. This makes him a sort of vampire. Fact Two: Vampires don’t appear in mirrors or electronic surveillance devices. Fact Three: God’s roundhouse kick is more than powerful enough to cause a cave-in. The only possible way to reconcile these facts is to state that there is no video tape. So you’re saying that God isn’t omnipotent, right? Because if he’s omnipotent, he’s omniscient. And if he’s omniscient he knew that this cave-in would happen when he built the universe. If so, why thank him for a problem he caused? ---
**Author:** ![splt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9e8a1a/32.png) [@splt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/splt)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2010, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remind-me-again-why-god-is-to-be-thanked-for-the-chilean-miners/557195/89 "2010-10-16T23:38:02Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > > [@splt](#): > > > > We know that the miners and their families asked God for help and their prayers were answered. > > But not by God. Who can’t answer anything, since he’s a lie. You want help, it’s going to come from us mere humans. I’m sure you know how this works… they look to God for a way to save them and one was provided - they said their prayers and they were heard. You can’t change them by whether there is proof or not or by demanding an explanation or insisting on some sort of logic. Religion thrives on belief. No amount of screaming “God is dead” or “it’s all a lie” moves them anymore than an Chrisitian screaming at you that God did this or that. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remind-me-again-why-god-is-to-be-thanked-for-the-chilean-miners/557195/90 "2010-10-17T00:04:14Z")
> [@splt](#): > > I’m sure you know how this works… they look to God for a way to save them and one was provided - they said their prayers and they were heard. No, they weren’t. Their salvation was the work of human beings, without God’s help. Stop stealing credit for other people’s hard work. ---
**Author:** ![Zoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/a4c791/32.png) [@Zoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoe)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remind-me-again-why-god-is-to-be-thanked-for-the-chilean-miners/557195/91 "2010-10-17T00:22:35Z")
There has been no lack of gratitude expressed for the skills that made it possible for the miners to be rescued. Do you really think that those miners didn’t also thank the people whose cooperation and expertise and courage got them out? Expressing gratitude to God doesn’t imply that others aren’t thanked. In answer to the OP, God is to be thanked by those who feel gratitude from a religious point of view. It wasn’t required. It appeared to be heart-felt. And since it hasn’t been out-lawed yet, why shouldn’t they choose to if that is their belief? Do you want to silence them? ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remind-me-again-why-god-is-to-be-thanked-for-the-chilean-miners/557195/92 "2010-10-17T00:30:31Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > > [@Valteron](#): > > > > **Remind me again why God is to be thanked for the Chilean Miners?** > > For the personal inner strength that religion gives people as a mechanism for getting through tough times. Religion-as-placebo-effect is something I can at least understand, especially the homeopathic version: the less God in my life, the better it is for me. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remind-me-again-why-god-is-to-be-thanked-for-the-chilean-miners/557195/93 "2010-10-17T00:35:21Z")
> [@Zoe](#): > > Do you really think that those miners didn’t also thank the people whose cooperation and expertise and courage got them out? Did they? They wouldn’t be the first people to deliberately avoid thanking or crediting others because that detracts from God. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remind-me-again-why-god-is-to-be-thanked-for-the-chilean-miners/557195/94 "2010-10-17T03:22:27Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > > [@Zoe](#): > > > > Do you really think that those miners didn’t also thank the people whose cooperation and expertise and courage got them out? > > Did they? They wouldn’t be the first people to deliberately avoid thanking or crediting others because that detracts from God. That’s insulting to say the least. Implying the worst out of somebody you haven’t listened to simply to “win” by your agument “religion is always bad”. The miners have thanked the other miners who helped them (with the football-related chant “Chi-chi-chi le-le-le, los mineros de Chile”), the rich guy who gave each family 5000 dollars, the president and everyone they can, the companies, the engineers. the people from other countries, every fucking person they could. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remind-me-again-why-god-is-to-be-thanked-for-the-chilean-miners/557195/95 "2010-10-17T04:27:50Z")
When you’re half a mile down in a hole with a 100-1 chance of ever getting out and avoiding a slow death, you are going to pray. Even if you are going to pray to a sense of God you were never sure of or even doubt. Its more compelling than buying a lottery ticket for the big jackpot. When you get out, you feel compelled to thank that God for an answered prayer. And that gratitude in no way detracts from the gratitude deserving for all those active in the rescue. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remind-me-again-why-god-is-to-be-thanked-for-the-chilean-miners/557195/96 "2010-10-17T04:37:01Z")
> [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](#): > > > [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > > > Did they? They wouldn’t be the first people to deliberately avoid thanking or crediting others because that detracts from God. > > That’s insulting to say the least. No, that’s asking a question. > [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](#): > > When you’re half a mile down in a hole with a 100-1 chance of ever getting out and avoiding a slow death, you are going to pray. Even if you are going to pray to a sense of God you were never sure of or even doubt. Oh, nonsense. People don’t bother praying to gods they don’t believe in. That’s just standard Christian “deep down, everyone _knows_ God exists” propaganda. ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remind-me-again-why-god-is-to-be-thanked-for-the-chilean-miners/557195/97 "2010-10-17T04:57:35Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Oh, nonsense. People don’t bother praying to gods they don’t believe in. That’s just standard Christian “deep down, everyone _knows_ God exists” propaganda. No, I believe it’s just standard Christian “there’s no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole” propaganda. Because what better evidence for a kind, loving God than experiencing human suffering up close and personal? ---
**Author:** ![AClockworkMelon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aclockworkmelon/32/10803_2.png) [@AClockworkMelon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AClockworkMelon)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remind-me-again-why-god-is-to-be-thanked-for-the-chilean-miners/557195/98 "2010-10-17T05:06:12Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > > [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > > > Oh, nonsense. People don’t bother praying to gods they don’t believe in. That’s just standard Christian “deep down, everyone _knows_ God exists” propaganda. > > No, I believe it’s just standard Christian “there’s no such thing as an atheist in a foxhole” propaganda. You’re phrasing it as if you’re disagreeing but the whole idea of “there aren’t atheists in foxholes” is that everyone, deep, deep down knows that God is real and they’re just being contrary when they say that they don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remind-me-again-why-god-is-to-be-thanked-for-the-chilean-miners/557195/99 "2010-10-17T05:11:49Z")
Exactly. I’m a genuine atheist, and I’d never pray no matter the danger; not because I’m unusually brave but because I don’t think there’s any point. I doubt it would even occur to me. It would be like a Christian praying to Zeus for deliverance; why would he even think of praying to a god he doesn’t believe in? Christians have a problem grasping that other people may find their god just as unbelievable as they find Zeus or Odin. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [October 17, 2010, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remind-me-again-why-god-is-to-be-thanked-for-the-chilean-miners/557195/100 "2010-10-17T05:11:53Z")
> [@splt](#): > > > [@suranyi](#): > > > > One question: When you sneeze, and someone says, “God bless you” – do you give that person a lecture? > > > > Because this seems to me to be one of the most pointless debates ever. People say what they say because that’s what seems to fit the circumstances. Not necessarily because of any true religious feeling. > > Seems that you can read minds. > > Why would anyone who doesn’t believe bother to “bless” anyone? I say “God bless you” after someone sneezes, and I don’t believe. It’s just something that’s said. My father has said “bless you” his whole life, and a bigger atheist you’ll never find. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remind-me-again-why-god-is-to-be-thanked-for-the-chilean-miners/557195.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/remind-me-again-why-god-is-to-be-thanked-for-the-chilean-miners/557195.md?page=6)