# Why do some thank God when spared from a tornado? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [July 1, 2012, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-thank-god-when-spared-from-a-tornado/626915 "2012-07-01T16:18:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Victor\_Charlie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7ea924/32.png) [@Victor\_Charlie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Victor_Charlie)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2012, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-thank-god-when-spared-from-a-tornado/626915/41 "2012-07-02T14:19:22Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > It’s very simple. The Devil made the tornado. God intervened and spared the righteous. You praise God so he will think more kindly towards you the next time around. So those who die are never righteous and those who live always are? ---
**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:** [July 2, 2012, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-thank-god-when-spared-from-a-tornado/626915/42 "2012-07-02T14:23:55Z")
> [@Victor\_Charlie](#): > > So those who die are never righteous and those who live always are? According to some. I recall hearing a woman who was trying to defend God sending the Flood asked about all the babies who drowned; she replied “they were _evil_ babies!” ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2012, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-thank-god-when-spared-from-a-tornado/626915/43 "2012-07-02T14:26:52Z")
> [@Lobohan](#): > > I think part of it is arrogance._" Oh Ted down the street got shattered to little pieces and his kids are all dead? My family is fine. Thank’s God, now I know I’m more important than Ted!"_ Or, God liked Ted so much he let him jump the line early to get into his club, while you’re still stuck in the waiting room. The horrible tornado-filled waiting room. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2012, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-thank-god-when-spared-from-a-tornado/626915/44 "2012-07-02T14:30:09Z")
> [@Victor\_Charlie](#): > > So those who die are never righteous and those who live always are? That’s the Pat Robertson-ish way of looking at it. Of course even a lot of religious people know he’s a lunatic. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2012, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-thank-god-when-spared-from-a-tornado/626915/45 "2012-07-02T14:33:16Z")
> [@Victor\_Charlie](#): > > So those who die are never righteous and those who live always are? The Supreme Deity works in mysterious ways. Who you are you to question an intellect greater than yours? ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2012, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-thank-god-when-spared-from-a-tornado/626915/46 "2012-07-02T14:37:37Z")
If I go around your office randomly punching people in the face and I choose not to punch you, you wouldn’t thank me? > [@Flyer](#): > > Both God and Satan get an awful lot of both credit and blame for things that they had nothing to do with. You mean like ‘anything’. The correct answer to the OP’s question is “it’s a figure of speech”. ---
**Author:** ![Victor\_Charlie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7ea924/32.png) [@Victor\_Charlie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Victor_Charlie)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2012, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-thank-god-when-spared-from-a-tornado/626915/47 "2012-07-02T15:19:21Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > The Supreme Deity works in mysterious ways. Who you are you to question an intellect greater than yours? Don’t you see how the “God works in mysterious ways” answer allows you to evade any question? But, I wasn’t questioning “an intellect greater than (mine.)” I’m asking you: Is everyone who dies in a disaster wicked (or at least non-righteous?) If Hitler had survived a deadly earthquake or, let’s say, a bomb attack under his desk, would that have made him righteous? ---
**Author:** ![Victor\_Charlie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7ea924/32.png) [@Victor\_Charlie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Victor_Charlie)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2012, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-thank-god-when-spared-from-a-tornado/626915/48 "2012-07-02T15:21:00Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > That’s the Pat Robertson-ish way of looking at it. Of course even a lot of religious people know he’s a lunatic. Yes, those Haitians are a wicked lot. ---
**Author:** ![CJJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecc23a/32.png) [@CJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2012, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-thank-god-when-spared-from-a-tornado/626915/49 "2012-07-02T15:31:51Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > The correct answer to the OP’s question is “it’s a figure of speech”. Exactly. THis is the same answer to"Why do people say ‘Knock on wood’ when they express satisfaction with their own fate?". IMO posters here would have no trouble discussing the cultural origins of the phrase in a more or less factual matter. But bring God into it, and there are no shortage of posters waiting to ridicule some fictional strawman’s entire system of belief. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2012, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-thank-god-when-spared-from-a-tornado/626915/50 "2012-07-02T15:35:12Z")
> [@Victor\_Charlie](#): > > Yes, those Haitians are a wicked lot. Pancake Mix Robertson represents the opinions of too many religious people, but not all of them. I think you’re going after low hanging fruit here. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2012, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-thank-god-when-spared-from-a-tornado/626915/51 "2012-07-02T15:53:11Z")
> [@Victor\_Charlie](#): > > Don’t you see how the “God works in mysterious ways” answer allows you to evade any question? Of course. That’s the whole point. “Faith means not wanting to know what is true.” – Nietzsche ---
**Author:** ![Victor\_Charlie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7ea924/32.png) [@Victor\_Charlie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Victor_Charlie)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2012, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-thank-god-when-spared-from-a-tornado/626915/52 "2012-07-02T15:57:44Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Pancake Mix Robertson represents the opinions of too many religious people, but not all of them. I think you’re going after low hanging fruit here. Indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2012, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-thank-god-when-spared-from-a-tornado/626915/53 "2012-07-02T16:03:51Z")
> [@Victor\_Charlie](#): > > Indeed. Ok, so you agree you’re picking an easy argument. What do you think you’re proving by doing that? ---
**Author:** ![Victor\_Charlie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/7ea924/32.png) [@Victor\_Charlie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Victor_Charlie)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2012, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-thank-god-when-spared-from-a-tornado/626915/54 "2012-07-02T16:14:48Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > Ok, so you agree you’re picking an easy argument. What do you think you’re proving by doing that? Your argument about Pat Robertson is different than what’s referenced in the OP. One who thinks only wicked people are killed by natural disasters is a different animal than one who thanks God for sparing him during a natural disaster as opposed to any other day. I believe the former is rarer and more unstable than the latter. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2012, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-thank-god-when-spared-from-a-tornado/626915/55 "2012-07-02T16:17:20Z")
I agree. Still, so what? It’s not hard to understand why people are thankful they’ve been spared from disasters. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2012, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-thank-god-when-spared-from-a-tornado/626915/56 "2012-07-02T16:22:09Z")
I can’t answer the OP’s question, but this seems like a great place to share this story, which I think is funny. So my dad is a hard-core, true-believing mormon. He wears the magical underpants and everything – which is crucial to this story. Many mormons believe their special underpants protect them from harm. My dad is apparently one of them. Many years ago, he bought a new tent. He loves camping, so he set it up in the backyard and proceeded to seal all the seams to make it watertight and decided to sleep out in the backyard for a test run before taking it camping. Somehow, he managed to talk my stepmonster into sleeping out there with him. During the night, a very strong thunderstorm blew up. Before it got too bad, however, my stepmonster bailed and went inside to sleep in her bed for the rest of the night. Clad in his magical skivvies, my dad stayed out there. He told me that the storm blew a neighbor’s tree right over and part of it landed in his yard… inches away from his tent. “What does that tell ya? HUH?” He asked me, with obvious great pride in his iron-clad faith and with obvious pride in his faith in his magical underoos. The implication was supposed to be, to me, that the mormon church is true because Dad’s Magical Mormon Man-Panties® protected him from being smashed by the tree; therefore, I should repent and rejoin the church and be a happy little mormon again. I waited a couple beats and then said, “Well, that tells me that you don’t have enough sense to come inside out of the rain.” And he shut right up and stopped tempting the gods by sleeping outside in a tent during a thunderstorm. Silly rabbit. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2012, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-thank-god-when-spared-from-a-tornado/626915/57 "2012-07-02T16:28:55Z")
That’s a more entertaining example of the problem with this kind of thinking. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2012, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-thank-god-when-spared-from-a-tornado/626915/58 "2012-07-02T16:42:39Z")
To answer the OP’s question … I believe in God. A tornado missed me and my family by about a quarter mile last spring. I believe God is intimately involved in my life, so when good things happen (such as, not getting killed by a tornado, or narrowly missing getting hit head on in traffic, etc.), of course I’m going to be thankful to God. What’s so hard to understand about gratitude? Anyhow, OP, there’s your answer. Given the tone of the thread, I won’t be returning, but hope this helps 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2012, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-thank-god-when-spared-from-a-tornado/626915/59 "2012-07-02T16:43:22Z")
> [@Dogzilla](#): > > He told me that the storm blew a neighbor’s tree right over and part of it landed in his yard… inches away from his tent. “What does that tell ya? HUH?” He asked me… Well… > [@panache45](#): > > God has bad aim. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 2, 2012, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-thank-god-when-spared-from-a-tornado/626915/60 "2012-07-02T16:45:27Z")
> [@PandaBear77](#): > > I believe God is intimately involved in my life, so when good things happen (such as, not getting killed by a tornado, or narrowly missing getting hit head on in traffic, etc.), of course I’m going to be thankful to God. What’s so hard to understand about gratitude? What’s so hard to understand about cause and effect, i.e., _[post hoc](http://www.skepdic.com/posthoc.html)_ reasoning? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-thank-god-when-spared-from-a-tornado/626915.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-some-thank-god-when-spared-from-a-tornado/626915.md?page=4)