Who Claims the Miracle?

[lrkun]

All kudos goes to Dr. Hat for sharing this link to me in the chatroom.

Chilean Miners Rival Churches claim for the miracle

By RORY CARROLL - THE GUARDIAN
Added: Wednesday, 13 October 2010 at 2:08 AM

Evangelical, Adventist and Catholic clerics are vying to stamp their own faith on the expected rescue of the trapped men

It is the race within the race: while rescuers inch towards the trapped miners rival churches tussle over the miracle in the making. Evangelical, Adventist and Catholic clerics are vying to stamp their own particular faith on a surge in religious fervour as the drama nears a climax in Chile's Atacama desert.

The three Christian denominations have each claimed credit for what they say is divine intervention in the survival, and expected imminent rescue, of the 33 men who have spent 67 days beneath the earth.

"God has spoken to me clearly and guided my hand each step of the rescue," said Carlos Parra Diaz, a Seventh-day Adventist pastor at the San Jose mine. "He wanted the miners to be rescued and I am His instrument."

Yards from where he spoke Caspar Quintana, the Catholic bishop of Copiapo, prepared an altar to celebrate an outdoor mass for a small congregation of miners' relatives and phalanx of TV cameras. "God has heard our prayers," said the bishop. "I have received comments of encouragement from all over the world. Let us give thanks."

A litte bit further up the hill of Camp Hope, the improvised settlement of miners' families, rescuers, government officials and media, an evengelical preacher, Javier Soto , wandered from family to family with a guitar and songs of praise. "He listens to the music," said the pastor, gesturing to the azure sky.

Each church has reported a spike in religious faith in Chile and beyond, with candle-lit vigils and online communities following each step of preparations to extract the miners one by one in a capsule dubbed the phoenix.

Diaz, an intense 42-year-old dressed in black, claimed to be the first cleric at the mine and said it was no coincidence an exploration probe reached the trapped men - 17 days after the August 5 collapse - while he was praying above.

"The first probe missed them, they heard it going in the wrong direction, and thought they were doomed, that they'd starve to death. But the second probe went right to them."

Diaz mobilised colleagues in the capital Santiago to find miniature, 7cm-wide bibles to fit into the "pigeon" tubes which delivered supplies to the men below. He sent one to each miner, earning a letter of thanks from Jose Ojeda, the master driller.

None of the miners are Adventists but six have relatives who belong to the church, which believes in the imminent second coming of Christ.

Diaz stole a march over his rivals by obtaining permission to give a 10-minute talk to the assembled 33 families before their nightly briefing by government officials. "I do macro work. I am pastor to all." The other churches, he said, did "micro" work.

 

[Your Funny Uncle]

Yeah yeah... The engineers who drilled down and designed the special cage and made the metal tube to sure up the hole had nothing to do with it. It was all God... :roll:

 

[televator]

*sigh* Today's "miracles" are so lame. What happened to parting seas, instantly healing the sick and blind, and talking donkeys?

 

[lrkun]

One thing is certain, men and women did the work, which did not require a prayer to an impotent god. It is crystal clear that these glory hogs lay claim to something which they didn't even lift a single finger to do. While, one might say, they had good intentions, is it not better to do an act rather than think about it? Actions affect an event directly, while a thought only causes one to imagine and ponder what could happen or the consequences of their imagination. This is a sad reminder of how deluded or intentionally deluded these theists are. Where this to happen in a situation where the idea of a god does not exist, it might have ended in celebrating the heroes' triumphant success as when they, without rest, rescued the victims. It clearly reminds me that good thoughts are not enough, while actions, on the other hand, says it all.

Note:

I hope I don't offend anyone who is reading my commentary. I intend to make a position which these words seem appropriate to try and convince a person, while on the other hand, it is true that you are entitled to your opinion, I ask that you open your mind and see the posibilities if my reasoning is correct. In the case that my reasoning is flawed, please correct me and demonstrate that which you think is best.

 

[televator]

It's a sensible argument, LRKun. Sometimes things need to be said despite the fact that there are those who will ignore or take offense. Some people do it simply on principal and there isn't much you can do at that point.

 

[Giliell]

*sigh* Today's "miracles" are so lame. What happened to parting seas, instantly healing the sick and blind, and talking donkeys?

Agree
They seem like a hell lot of hard work - getting the credit.
If one of my beloved were among the miners, I'd put a pickaxe to a good use :twisted:

 

[lrkun]

Faith, hope, and unity

What do you think? I think it's his people that did the work and not god. >.<