awkward "trust in god" comment

[moonbogg]

So, I knew someone who died from a terminal illness. He was in his early 20's. As you might imagine, people prayed like absolute crazy for this kid and he still died. Anyway, on to the point:

One day, that kid's dad was talking to a stranger, and this stranger mentioned that he has survived the same illness. He said that he had faith in god and that god had saved him due to all the prayers. The stranger wasn't aware of the other guy's loss.

How must that father have felt to hear this? This stranger said god saved him because he prayed and kept the faith, so god found favor in him but let this other guy's son DIE. If shit like this doesn't make people at least question their faith, then I don't know what else can.

I spoke in a general way to protect people's privacy, but this fucking happened right infront of my face and I BIT MY TONGUE.

 

[halik]

Religious people aren't known for logic.

 

[Broheim]

 

[Red Storm]

I'm 99.99% sure that neither of the guys you mentioned actually believe that if they or their loved one died, it means they didn't pray hard enough. That's not how religious people think. Maybe in shows and movies (or ATOT) where the goal is to poke fun.

 

[Mxylplyx]

If someone dies, it's god's will. If they survive, god saved them. I wish my performance reviews at work went something like that. Having no accountability for results would be awesome.

 

[Sluggo]

If two people had a terminal illness, and one of them survived, it would seem that it is in fact NOT a terminal illness.

 

[SlitheryDee]

You'd think he would give some credit to the doctors and pharmaceutical companies who really saved him. I don't understand how this logic can be sustained when we have modern medicine to tell us more or less exactly why one person dies and another person doesn't.

It's mostly chemical reactions and luck really. One guy has a tumor in a place where it can be removed or chemo will work on it, another guy doesn't. One person has a body chemistry that responds to a drug and another one doesn't. One person lets the cancer spread throughout their body before it gets identified, and another one doesn't. We have reasons that are good enough to tell us the why of things in 90% of cases. There's no need to invoke God as the entity that either saved you or killed you. More than likely it was something concrete that we can point to.

Something that has no personality and no particular love or hate of you isn't as satisfying though. Some people have to believe in the guiding intelligence.

 

[sourceninja]

I typically use the 'god plan' response to anything i'm told that is horrible.

Example: "Did you hear about the boston bombing?" "It's all part of God's plan".

 

[JulesMaximus]

I'm 99.99% sure that neither of the guys you mentioned actually believe that if they or their loved one died, it means they didn't pray hard enough. That's not how religious people think. Maybe in shows and movies (or ATOT) where the goal is to poke fun.

No, I've talked to people like this. They are mindless drones who have no ability to think for themselves and they believe that everything happens because god has a master plan and nothing they do is of their own free will.

 

[alien42]

 

[Slew Foot]

No, I've talked to people like this. They are mindless drones who have no ability to think for themselves and they believe that everything happens because god has a master plan and nothing they do is of their own free will.

This. Relgious people are a bunch of morons.

 

[mmntech]

People find comfort in religion in situations like terminal illness because we don't like to feel powerless. Prayer makes us feel like we're helping our loved one, even though it accomplishes nothing. If the person happens to get better, it just affirms their faith.

Of course this isn't how the universe works. The best metaphor for life I've come across is a game of poker. There's some order and skill to it, but a lot of the outcome depends on random chance and luck. Some folks just get dealt a bad hand, while others players at the same table always seem to hold a straight flush. Then there are some folks who are just really good at bluffing. All you can do is just play your cards to the best of your abilities and try to enjoy the ride.

 

[rcpratt]

If the father was very religious, he probably already has started to question his faith in the wake of his son's death.

The fact that the father did not feel the need to address the other guy's comment tells me that the father either never had extreme faith or has since lost it. Or he's just a nice dude and didn't want to start drama. That's what I would do if someone told me that god saved their life...smile and nod.

 

[moonbogg]

I'm 99.99% sure that neither of the guys you mentioned actually believe that if they or their loved one died, it means they didn't pray hard enough. That's not how religious people think. Maybe in shows and movies (or ATOT) where the goal is to poke fun.

I don't think so. They get large groups of people in churches and other places to hold group prayers for maximum impact. They think it will work until it doesn't. When it doesn't, it gets instantly brushed under the rug and they say "at least hes in a better place".

People find comfort in religion in situations like terminal illness because we don't like to feel powerless. Prayer makes us feel like we're helping our loved one, even though it accomplishes nothing. If the person happens to get better, it just affirms their faith.

Exactly this. I totally get why they pray. I understand it perfectly, and I am slightly bothered when I hear someone say that god did something good for them because they seem perfectly ignorant to the fact that right next to them another person is suffering.
I'll tell you what though, I have never been in a situation like this one where the person claiming god's grace was professing it right infront of another guy whos son recently died from the same illness. I was so uncomfortable it was insane. I wanted to jump up out of my chair and tell him to shut his ignorant trap. His words may have cut real deep into this other person without him even knowing what he was doing. I felt sick.

 

[dud]

Asking the members within this forum ANYTHING having to do with faith is like asking Stephen Hawking to stand up and dance for you. It isn't going to end well ...

 

[edro]

Prayer; sometimes it works every time.

 

[rpanic]

God works in mysterious ways.


Ya right.

 

[Mixolydian]

This. Relgious people are a bunch of morons.

This.

 

[Franz316]

I'm sure Dr. House would have something to amazing to say in this situation. He a lot of good quotes whenever faith came up vs medicine.

 

[madoka]

Yet another religion thread where ATOT atheists perform a circle jerk over how much smarter they are than religious people.

 

[LcarsSystem]

Yet another religion thread where ATOT atheists perform a circle jerk over how much smarter they are than religious people.

That's because 99% of them are.

 

[Mixolydian]

Yet another religion thread where ATOT atheists perform a circle jerk over how much smarter they are than religious people.

Prove 'em wrong.

 

[LcarsSystem]

Prove 'em wrong.

Exactly. The burden of proof is on the religious people to prove God exists, if you can't then GTFO.

 

[Ns1]

They think it will work until it doesn't. When it doesn't, it gets instantly brushed under the rug and they say "at least hes in a better place".

or "god works in mysterious ways" or "it was god's plan"

 

[Colt45]

God must have killed this guy's son to punish him for sleeping with prostitutes.