It's A Miracle!... Just Shutup!

[SPQR]

Has anyone else gotten tired of people shouting, "It's a miracle!" whenever even the most remotely fortunate thing happens? I probably already know the answer to that question, but it seems I have been hearing it more often lately and I just wanted to get it off my chest.

The worst part about the whole thing is when an incident that could have been tragic, such as a plane crash, turns out pretty well, that is the loss of life was minimal, is attributed to some deity. Most news outlets call such an occurance a "miracle" despite the fact it was most likely the expertise of the safety workers involved that saved lives. :mad:

It is also interesting to note that when a truely tragic event happens, no diety of any kind is ever blamed.

[Marquis de Carabas]

It's such a miracle that we have these message boards on this internet to share our opinions on.

[Dark Jaguar]

They may not have "blamed" a diety, but I recall a few televangelists saying that God was meeting out righteous justice upon the victims of certain natural disasters.

I will say this. Why is it a miracle that some people didn't die? Wouldn't it be the bigger miracle for the tornado to not have ever showed up at all? You know, the miracle that goes unnoticed? A tornado destroyed my house and killed my grandmother, it's a miracle! (Miracle because, apparently, not everyone the guy cares about is now dead.)

Plus, the odd things about the nature of these miracles are subject, like "well, so you say your sister survived it?" seems to be met often with "yeah, she was away on vacation at the time". I might ask "well, then she wasn't ever in danger, why is that miraculous?". They might say "because she COULD have been there".

[This Guy]

I have the dubious pleasure of dealing with a cashier at work that has miracles appear to her on at least a weekly basis.

Generally it starts as a mystery, and ends with a miracle.

The mystery is where the money, or final register printout went.

The miracle is when the missing item is found in her pocket, or purse.

It appears that God has a sense of humor, and likes to hide things on her, only to reveal them later, miraculously.

While I have witnessed these events, my interpretation differs from hers;) .

[Zep]

Sounds like it is a miracle she still has her job...

[steve s]

Has anyone else gotten tired of people shouting, "It's a miracle!" whenever even the most remotely fortunate thing happens?

Oh, yeah. I got tired of that years ago. If god was capable of intervening and saving the survivors, why didn't he take the time to save those who died in the disaster?

Or when medical science allows doctors to save someone's life through some new surgical procedure, the media always proclaims it a miracle. I usually scream at the TV, "No it's not!! It's science!

That's why I can't help but laugh when I hear someone complain about liberal bias in the media. I just tell them that if I had a nickel for every time the media has proclaimed something a miracle, I could pay off GWB's record deficits.

Steve S.

[El Greco]

I will say this. Why is it a miracle that some people didn't die? Wouldn't it be the bigger miracle for the tornado to not have ever showed up at all?

The biggest miracle would be for some victims of such a tornado to resurrect. Just once, for a change. To remember the good old Lazarus days.

[ond_magiker]

It's just the religious version of being in a horrible accident, surviving with relatively minor injuries, and being called lucky.

[Humphreys]

Then, after that plane crash, the survivors thank God for sparing them. They're arrogant enough to assume that God chose them to live, and wished for everyone else on the plane to die.

Yes, thank you God. You caused a plane to go down, and hundreds were killed, but you spared me. From the waist up, anyway. What a guy.

[andyandy]

funny how OT "miracles" dont stand up too well to analysis either.....

for example (from dozens of choices....)

There is a terrible drought during the rule of Ahab (due to his missus' love of other gods...) This annoys holier than thou Elijah who summons Ahad and the people to a contest on Mt Carmel - between God and Baal....
each has a bull which their chosen god has to burn with fire from the heavens....Baal first - no luck.....next god's turn. But to make it "more difficult" Elijah digs a trench around the bull and fills it with water....fire from the heavens strikes the bull! It's a miracle! Elijah orders for all the followers of Baal to be slaughtered....he prays for rain - and lo! There is a mighty storm....the drought is over!
now....call me a sceptic....but that sounds like a thunderstorm to me...they stand on a high mountain, dig a trench, fill it with water, and it gets struck with lightening - wow! It's only regarded as a "miracle" because it happened over 3000 years ago.....when people were a bit simple :) :) The fact that many people still believe in "miracles" like this 3 millennia later is a pretty sad inditement of civilisation's progress :)

[Nick Bogaerts]

It is also interesting to note that when a truely tragic event happens, no deity of any kind is ever blamed.

Where human footstep shuns the desert ground,
I’ll hide her living in a cave like vault,
With so much provender as may prevent
Pollution from o’ertaking the whole city
And there, perchance, she may obtain of Death,
Her only deity, to spare her soul,
Or else in that last moment she will learn
’Tis labour lost to worship powers unseen.


--Sophocles, Antigone

[ChristineR]

Someone I know was referring to the Sago mine disaster as a "miracle." Why? Because the rescuers got to the miners when twelve of them were dead and one of them was in a coma and severely brain damaged. According to her, the rescuers "should" have gotten there after the last miner had died also.

[This Guy]

Sounds like it is a miracle she still has her job...

There is some truth to that. But it has more to do with her visits to Human Resources complaining about discrimination anytime anyone corrects her.

On the other hand, I didn't mean to imply she was dishonest. Just scatterbrained. But it's always a "miracle" that the missing item(s) is found.

If it wasn't for my desire to minimize my conversations with her, I would ask her "So, your saying God put that in your purse?". She'd probably complain that I was ridiculing her religion then, and I'd end up loosing my job lol

[SPQR]

Someone I know was referring to the Sago mine disaster as a "miracle." Why? Because the rescuers got to the miners when twelve of them were dead and one of them was in a coma and severely brain damaged. According to her, the rescuers "should" have gotten there after the last miner had died also.

It certainly proved to be a miracle for Sylvia Browne. Despite her spectacular f*** up regarding the status of the miners, she is still taken seriously! :mad:

[Mrs. Hmmphries]

It certainly proved to be a miracle for Sylvia Browne. Despite her spectacular f*** up regarding the status of the miners, she is still taken seriously! :mad:


Sadly, true.

[gfunkusarelius]

i have been sick of this since i was about 6. i remember playing around in front of the house and i wasnt paying attention and i was going to go chase something into the street and i stopped at the last second as a car drove past. my mom saw this and was terrified and said something along the lines of how god had reached down and put his hand in front of me to stop me from being killed. i dont know if she used the term miracle, but that was definitely the message i got, but even at that young age i was able to think maybe my peripheral vision or a sound cue (or even a look in her eye) mightve been "god's hand"

[ferd burfle]

Has anyone else gotten tired of people shouting, "It's a miracle!" whenever even the most remotely fortunate thing happens?

ABC TV's 'Good Morning America' is always doing this, especially about a positive outcome for a new medical procedure.
The one that really frosted me was when that jumbo jet overran the runway in Toronto last August and everyone got out before the plane burned to a crisp. TV new proclaimed this a miracle; let's not strain our brain cells by considering the training, bravery and professionalism of the cabin crew.

Ferd

[Meffy]

I have a special name for these media- or grassroots-declared miraculous happenings. Because of the way so many people pronounce the word "miracle," I've taken to calling them "murkles."

[edit] Murkles are related to, and overlap with, what Snopes.com calls "glurge."

[Polaris]

Has anyone else gotten tired of people shouting, "It's a miracle!" whenever even the most remotely fortunate thing happens? I probably already know the answer to that question, but it seems I have been hearing it more often lately and I just wanted to get it off my chest.

The worst part about the whole thing is when an incident that could have been tragic, such as a plane crash, turns out pretty well, that is the loss of life was minimal, is attributed to some deity. Most news outlets call such an occurance a "miracle" despite the fact it was most likely the expertise of the safety workers involved that saved lives. :mad:

It is also interesting to note that when a truely tragic event happens, no diety of any kind is ever blamed.

It's certainly not a miracle to the minimal loss of life!

[I'll_buy_that]

"Bon Jovi’s plane skids off runway in Canada

No injuries reported after private jet overshoots runway in severe Weather" http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10961012/ (http://msnbc.msn.com/id/10961012/)


it's a miracle, god must love Bon Jovi :jaw-dropp

[Meffy]

Of course God loves Bon Jovi. First rock band to reach #1 in the country music charts -- that's gotta be worth something.