A strange miracle?
UK Daily Telegraph Friday 8th Feb
(in the absence of working links, search for "tornado Kyson" for a variety of reports)
A baby has survived a tornado which killed his mother.
But this is being described as "a miracle."
Unless that is just loose language, it’s a very strange miracle-arranger who saves the baby while obliterating the mother.
The Telegraph account reports the grandfather: "It’s a miracle. He’s doing great. We’ve had some divine intervention."
The Aol UK news account reports " …But the boy’s mother was not so lucky."
Niot miracle deprived, just unlucky.
Is there very inconsistent, or wishful, thinking here?
What are various people’s takes on disasters, and "lucky" or "miraculous " survivors?
Or on those who were "just unlucky", or not offered a miracle that was seemingly extended to others?
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15 comments
SleepyHollow on April 2, 2010 at 2:13 pm
Perhaps it has to do with the word "miracle" because it has several meanings — not all of which are religious or have to do with a "God" (miracle also has secular meanings such as something that causes wonder or amazement and an extremely outstanding or unusual event). The reporter, not wanting to sound repetitious would use words such as miracle, luck, etc.
In the case of the remaining family…well, they are, of course, overjoyed that one member of the family survived and, at the same time, undoubtedly mourning their loss. The proclamation of "divine intervention" is just an expression of their faith and, perhaps, a need to make sense of something which is really senseless. They are experiencing joy as well as extreme sorrow simultaneously.
Though it seems inconsistent to me, I would not take away whatever solace the family has.
Personally, I do wonder why people think a kind, loving, powerful divine being intereceded. If that were true, why didn’t that divine interventionist protect eveyone or stop the tornado altogether?
My take is that stuff happens. Sometimes you’re the fly and sometimes you’re the flyswatter. There is no divine being to intercede (unless it finds delight by cruelly destroying the mother and leaving the child motherless), and it doesn’t make sense to give credit for one life saved without blaming it for not saving the other (since it’s capable of doing so). No, there wasn’t a miracle in the supernatural or religious sense. Some days are diamonds; some days are rocks; some days you’ll have one or the other.
AlterEgo on April 2, 2010 at 2:13 pm
You gotta love a good god conundrum. There is no answer for "why" here.
Printninja AM VA Vilest Atheist! on April 2, 2010 at 2:13 pm
There is only directed effort and random chance in life. Miracles are the dimwits way of saying, "incredible coincidences."
Alan on April 2, 2010 at 2:13 pm
It is a miracle that some people can see miracles in the wierdest events. It’s like thanking a gunman who breaks into a family’s house one night and shoots everybody except for one baby girl.
My favorite is when a fire sweeps through a neighborhood and destroys every home except for one and the owner of that home gets on TV and thanks god. It’s a miracle that her neighbors don’t kill her.
I don’t get it …
alive on April 2, 2010 at 2:13 pm
miracles happen .
happend to me !
butterfliesRfree on April 2, 2010 at 2:13 pm
As a grandma, yes it would definitely feel like a miracle after you think you lost your child AND your grandchild and THEN all of a sudden, the baby is alive!! This was over here that it happened — bad bad weather…….
Yes, I know what you mean — it’s kind of like being in a horrible accident where you end up in a hospital for 3 weeks or something similar and someone says "you were really luck" (to be alive) BUT "LUCKY" WOULD REALLY BE IF THE ACCIDENT DID NOT OCCUR TO BEGIN WITH, AM I RIGHT?
So I do understand your question but as a grandma and the horrible loss — I can understand.
†King of Kings †on April 2, 2010 at 2:13 pm
It was the mother’s time to go ..
We as humans act like every time someone dies it is some great tragedy. Dying is part of living and if we aren’t prepared to die then we have a problem..
We all have an appointed time to die and that is it..
Tapestry6 on April 2, 2010 at 2:13 pm
Your just reading it wrong, nobody expects anyone to survive a direct hit from a tornado, therefore if anyone did survive it would be considered miraculous.
BRUCE B on April 2, 2010 at 2:13 pm
God’s plan
beer drinking lemur on April 2, 2010 at 2:13 pm
Guess Jesus needed mom in heaven.
jesusteachingonlyhesavesamen on April 2, 2010 at 2:13 pm
The truth is we should all know there has to be a head SUPERNATURAL being that’s head over all of us to control life and death….can’t no statue do it, man can’t do it …..so should that not make even a fool think …….is this living God most people today don’t believe in really exist ? WOW Go figure !!!!! AMEN
smelly feet on April 2, 2010 at 2:13 pm
This happened in TN and a tornado picked up a baby boy and threw him 300 feet from where his home once stood. Mother and child were presumed dead. Rescue workers were combing a field for survivors or bodies. They found what they thought was a face down doll. When they reached down and touched it, he began to cry. Besides a few scratches, he seems to be doing well.
Surviving something like that is miraculous indeed.
Blessed on April 2, 2010 at 2:13 pm
The miracle is that the baby lived after being sucked into a tornado and thrown a hundred yards away. Could you live through that?
The other miracle is that someone found the baby before it starved to death, or an animal ate it.
That is indeed devine intervention. The family lost the mother and could have easily lost the boy, but God did not take them both.
It through the grace of God that the boy lives on to grow up.
Kati M on April 2, 2010 at 2:13 pm
Maybe nobody liked the mom?
jimicito on April 2, 2010 at 2:13 pm
My sentiments exactly. In biblical times, certain events were regarded as wonders because they could not be explained at the time. In New Testament e.g. Jesus’ healings etc are not called ‘miracles’ but ‘powerful acts’ (Greek: dunameis) or, as in John’s Gospel, ‘signs’ (Greek: semeia) – usually of some aspect of Jesus as (in John’s view) God’s word (Greek: logos) made flesh etc. It’s a general trend it seems – as in your example from DTel – to use ‘miracle’ loosely simply to describe a fortunate event for someone in what is otherwise a disaster for everyone else. It’s surely nonsense to think – as you also agree – that the baby in this case should be the subject of some special divine intervention (presumably to break the normal laws of nature) and yet his mother and all the other folks were not. Those who make such a claim have then to explain why the mum and others were not also selected by God for divine intervention. My own experience is that those who insist on the miracle for the baby, can only suggest that this is a mystery known only to God. In other words, it’s totally irrational thinking, and in the end nothing more than superstition. I expect to be blasted from someone on this reply – but so be it. I can only hope for divine protection!