So of course the story spreads about the angel or saint or whatever who comes down from heaven to pray for the girl (which I guess is a little like travelling from New York to Chicago to make a phone call to your next-door neighbor back in New York).
Of course, it turns out the priest was just a priest: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/mo-diocese-identifies-priest-accident-scene-19947550
“Mo. Diocese Identifies Priest at Accident Scene”
Isn’t this just a perfect example of how these bullshit miracle stories start? Before the priest was IDed, I argued it was just a priest who happened to be there, then went away. No way, I was told, how could he leave without them seeing him leave! Apparently to many, a human walking without others humans watching him is less likely than a supernatural being coming down. And not coming down to prevent the accident! But just to pray with the victim of the accident afterwards.
This “angel priest” story needs to be held up as a case study as to how mundane incidents become supernatural miracle. And it doesn’t even take the story to pass from person to person for it to be distorted; the people who were actually there thought it was a supernatural event.
I do find it puzzling that he didn’t show up in photographs. As for how they didn’t notice him arriving or leaving, chances are, they were thinking about other things.
If I’m ever in a horrible wreck and God wants to send a miracle, I hope the miracle is someone who can provide medical assistance. Having an angel show up and pat my hand and say “There, there” would be kind of nice I guess. But if the angelic paramedics weren’t too busy that day, I’d sure prefer to get one of them.
Are you asking why people react that way to stories like this?
The simple answer is that (some, or many) people want miracles that they can see and hear and feel. They don’t want to be told that the world is a mundane place and that things just happen. They want confirmation of their religious beliefs. They want to feel good about their world-view. They don’t want to think about the nitpicky details of why the “angel” came down to comfort the girl but didn’t prevent the accident.
Can this be changed? The Straight Dope is fighting ignorance*, but it’s going to take a hell of a lot more than that to overcome this aspect of human nature.
Roddy
*Just a note that it seems to me that “Fighting Ignorance…” is the motto of the Straight Dope, i.e. of Cecil and his answers, not of the SDMB, which comprises a bunch of ignorant schmucks like me who just like to post stuff, and sometimes argue with each other.
I do want people to reference this story the next time something similar comes up, to show how easy it is for mundane things to be seen as supernatural.
A child we know was swept underwater and missing. A rescuer was wading around but couldn’t find her. So he prayed, and looked again, and there she was. He pulled her out after she was underwater for 10 minutes or so, she gets rushed to the hospital and so on, and she recovers pretty much completely.
And my wife thinks this is an example of a miracle. And I’m thinking, you know, if God wanted to save this little girl, then why the fuck did He push her into the water in the first place?
Same thing here. God doesn’t prevent the accident, God doesn’t send miraculous help, unless you count the rescuers who are helping as a miracle. Instead he sends a ghost priest to pray for the victim, who then vanishes? Stones instead of bread.
Speaking as a Catholic… did the Church ever claim this was a miracle? Did Father Dowling himself ever claim to be more than an ordinary Catholic priest doing his job?
Indeed, Dowling hiimself doesn’t take any credit for the happy ending, and gave most of the praise to “amazingly competent rescue workers.”
The REAL story was a great story, which is why it spread like wildfire. It didn’t NEED any kind of miraculous twist. And even we faithful Catholics generally assumed there was a real life flesh and blood priest who would turn up and identify himself.
No…the real story didn’t spread like wildfire. The story about a mysterious, angelic priest spread like wildfire.
The story that the priest revealed himself, and in fact had requested permission from officers on scene to approach the crash, hasn’t received nearly as enthusiastic dessemination.
Oh shucks, God prevents accidents all the time. The fact that I’m still alive is proof, according to many of my friends.
I guess sometimes he’s just a bit late and has to use extraordinary measures.
Seriously: Thanks for the OP, I found it amusing. I like your characterization of it, too. It doesn’t illustrate much about miracles other than how it’s possible for something that’s not a miracle to look like one. Less careful folks would try to use it as proof of something.
Meanwhile, I think I see Jesus in my toast. Mmmm, tasty toast. Oh well, he’s gone now.
I have to blame a lazy, headline crazed press for this one. The Priest did his job. He offered comfort and meekly got out of the way(good for him). If the press had bothered to inquire about the most likely situation instead of running with “MIRACLE PRIEST” there would have been no great headline, just everyday common decency and humanity.
