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[LongDongJunon]

Well even if we ignore the passengers on the plane . . . wouldn't it be better if a plane had not crashed into her house?

It just seems a little odd to be happy over an overall negative event but I guess that is better than freaking out about it.

She's not happy about the overall negative event, she's happy because she's knows it could've been much worse.

It sucks. Innocent people died. People that were loved. This fate could have befallen even more innocent people and this woman is acknowledging that fact that she is grateful that it didn't.

The situation is absurdly tragic yes, but people are going to try and look for the positive to help themselves cope.


edit- I may have misread, I dunno.

Whatever.

This thread sucks.

 

[CorvoSol]

Well even if we ignore the passengers on the plane . . . wouldn't it be better if a plane had not crashed into her house?

It just seems a little odd to be happy over an overall negative event but I guess that is better than freaking out about it.

It's the whole Book of Job thing. Job underwent terrible, terrible tragedies, and lost his wife and children and his home and his body began to rot and his friends rebuked him but he still praised God. Ultimately, God was the only ray of hope Job had to get him through it.

 

[saunderez]

Weird, never heard "God is good" before. It has almost the same meaning as "Allahu akbar"

Guess Moslems and Christians are not that different after all.

I think we all know what the reaction would have been like if the woman was a Muslim and said "Allahu akbar" for the fact she survived.

It's the whole Book of Job thing. Job underwent terrible, terrible tragedies, and lost his wife and children and his home and his body began to rot and his friends rebuked him but he still praised God. Ultimately, God was the only ray of hope Job had to get him through it.

I know thats the message of the Book of Job but I always took it as God being a complete and utter prat (even when I was still Christian many years ago). Some devious experiment by God to prove that even if he let Satan go all out on Job, Job would stay faithful. Job didn't even do anything to deserve the punishment he got.

 

[Bumblebeetuna]

What is the big deal here? She is obviously religious, so she surely thinks the other three dying are all just a part of "God's plan" so she doesn't see anything wrong with saying God is good for sparing her. And religious people would agree with her. Is it insensitive for a preacher to sit at a funeral and talk about how someone who just died was meant to die? Some family dies in a car crash and its God's plan?

It's religion. You agree or you don't.

 

[jl4855]

It's the whole Book of Job thing. Job underwent terrible, terrible tragedies, and lost his wife and children and his home and his body began to rot and his friends rebuked him but he still praised God. Ultimately, God was the only ray of hope Job had to get him through it.

bingo.

 

[Kettch]

"God is good" is not an offensive or insensitive thing to say. Yes people died but due to her faith and what she believes, she and her family were sparred that day so god was good to her and her family. It may seem selfish but I understand what she means even when I am an atheist. Some people are just so far left that its as irritating as far right people in their mentality.

That's all well and good, but the comment has further implications. If she was saved due to her faith and what she believes, why were the people on the plane not saved for their faith and what they believe? Were they not faithful enough or did they believe in the wrong religion? How do you think their families feel when faced with that comment?

As an atheist, I'm not offended at all. I don't believe in a god, so the comment is meaningless. It's pretty clearly not a smart thing to say though.

 

[Laughing Banana]

Wow.

It seems so petty to mock/disparage a woman because she's thanking God due to circumstances such as this. I mean come on. It's like screaming, "BUT YOU'RE AN ATHEIST!" to any atheist saying, "Oh My God" when he/she experiences something surprising.

It seems so petty, nitpicking, unnecessary, and really appears like, "oh no a person slips TIME TO POUNCE!" to me.

 

[Darknight]

That's all well and good, but the comment has further implications. If she was saved due to her faith and what she believes, why were the people on the plane not saved for their faith and what they believe? Were they not faithful enough or did they believe in the wrong religion? How do you think their families feel when faced with that comment?

As an atheist, I'm not offended at all. I don't believe in a god, so the comment is meaningless. It's pretty clearly not a smart thing to say though.

"God is good. He really is," Crockett told reporters. "I got out without a scratch on me. A little bruise from taking a tumble through the window, but other than that, I'm fine. I'm blessed. Truly, God was with me."

"I'm just praising God that I'm alive," Crockett said Saturday.

Some of you guys are taking this like too far. She is talking about herself and her family. MIMMIC has a great example in that when we say "Life is good", its out life we are talking about. Some people have shitty lives when we make statements like those, so are we being selfish and dicks to those in bad situations? The answer is no because we are talking about ourselves just like the lady in this tragedy.

She cant do anything about the people that died nor those who dies had no control on their fate. Its just the way of life. Shit happens. She is thankful god allowed her to live, based on her faith.

I think some of you just want to attack religion/Christianity and go "who's your god again? Oh yea that selfish guy! Ha!!" Like really? You are trying to approve (cant think of the right word here) of your own beliefs and its just silly. But if a a person of faith comes in here and corrects me, thats fine. Maybe Im wrong but thats how I see it and there is no reason to be angry at what she said post the accident.

 

[Alligatorjandro]

A plane just crashed into her house.I doubt she's thinking clearly.

 

[speculawyer]

I know thats the message of the Book of Job but I always took it as God being a complete and utter prat (even when I was still Christian many years ago). Some devious experiment by God to prove that even if he let Satan go all out on Job, Job would stay faithful. Job didn't even do anything to deserve the punishment he got.

But at the end god just squashed him and said who are you to question me? I'm god, you have no right to question me.

I guess this the 'god fearing' thing mentioned in that other thread.

 

[Vesper73]

It's pretty fucking close though.

It's a start

 

[Kettch]

I think some of you just want to attack religion/Christianity and go "who's your god again? Oh yea that selfish guy! Ha!!" Like really? You are trying to approve (cant think of the right word here) of your own beliefs and its just silly.

I don't understand this line of reasoning at all. If the comment is offensive to anyone, it would be offensive to people of religion. Atheists couldn't give a shit. It's about respecting the beliefs of the people that died and those of their families.

 

[Orayn]

I was going to comment on not liking the implications of what she said, but...

A plane just crashed into her house.I doubt she's thinking clearly.

I'll give her the benefit of the doubt because of this. It's a pretty crazy, overwhelming thing to happen to a person, and it's probably best not to read too much into her response.

 

[Angelus Errare]

Man seeing all the banned.

Mods are good.

 

[numble]

"Thank god" is a common saying. I use it quite a bit. Like when I remember I have a pizza in the oven right before it starts to burn.

"God is good, he really is"..........well, no, thats not common. Thats the talk of a deeply religious person. I mean, Christianity, and a lot of religions, are self-centered like that by default, really. Its no surprise to see its followers saying things that reflect on the exact sort of close-minded attitudes that their belief system is endowed with in the first place.

So the difference is whether or not the term is common?

"Thank God" can be considered just as self-centered, especially when saying it after a tragic event in which misfortune fell on others.

It takes a lot of stretching to say that an expression of gratitude in avoiding tragedy is self-centered and close-minded. Especially when all you have for evaluation is a couple of isolated quotes.

 

[CorvoSol]

I know thats the message of the Book of Job but I always took it as God being a complete and utter prat (even when I was still Christian many years ago). Some devious experiment by God to prove that even if he let Satan go all out on Job, Job would stay faithful. Job didn't even do anything to deserve e the punishment he got.

You are certainly free to interpret it as you want, but I think you can agree with me that that isn't the book's intended message. The message of the Book of Job is that, no matter one's plight and sufferings, one must endure it well, without questioning God, because suffering may in fact be a test by God. While Job's sufferings were unwarranted, they were intended to prove his mettle, and he was rewarded, according to the story, for suffering them righteously.

We can go on and on about whether or not we see or feel that the book gets that point across properly, but that's more or less the agreed upon message.

But at the end god just squashed him and said who are you to question me? I'm god, you have no right to question me.

I guess this the 'god fearing' thing mentioned in that other thread.

That's . . . not really how I would say the book ends. God does, in fact, put it to Job that Job ought not to question Him, but He also commends Job for his righteousness in suffering, and blesses him for enduring it well.

 

[Cubsfan23]

DONT BE HAPPY, THERE ARE THOSE WHO AREN'T HAPPY!!!

gaf is hilarious.

 

[Monocle]

Irony strikes again. Unless my sarcasm meter is broken...

What are you talking about? The woman is egocentric because she showed no regard for the dead passengers, and she's stupid because she made an extraordinarily tactless statement to the media.

 

[Aaron]

That's . . . not really how I would say the book ends. God does, in fact, put it to Job that Job ought not to question Him, but He also commends Job for his righteousness in suffering, and blesses him for enduring it well.

So God is basically a dominatrix.

 

[nib95]

These kinds of threads, more so some of the reactions in them are often so ridiculous. She's happy to be alive and thinks God is good for letting her live or watching over her or whatever it may be. That's it. Way to shit up even a simple random comment.

No where is she implying the people that died were bad. And obviously she isn't going to call God bad. The notion being that everything happens for a reason, it was just their time, they are likely moving on to a better place etc etc.

 

[Monocle]

These kinds of threads and the reactions are so ridiculous. She's happy to be alive and thinks God is good for letting her live. That's it. Way to shit up even a simple random comment.

Her statement obviously implies that God let the plane's passenger's die. Like I said above, it shows no regard for the victims (not to mention their families). There's nothing ridiculous about taking a public statement at face value.

 

[nib95]

Her statement obviously implies that God let the plane's passenger's die. Like I said above, it shows no regard for the victims (not to mention their families). There's nothing ridiculous about taking a public statement at face value.

And what is wrong with that belief? Obviously a religion person would believe God decides who lives and who goes. That doesn't mean the ones who left did so for any wrong and instead could very well be going to a much better place than her, religiously speaking.

 

[Laughing Banana]

If the woman simply say, "Thank goodness I am still alive" without any mention of God, will she still get pounded by many of you for being insensitive?

Because it's the same, her being thankful that circumstances allowed her to live although others have died due to the unfortunate incident.

I really feel like many of you are exaggerating things even more than her, acting like she's a scourge of humanity or something due to her professing relief that she is spared.

So silly.

 

[Monocle]

And what is wrong with that belief? Obviously a religion person would believe God decides who lives and who goes. That doesn't mean the ones who left did so for any wrong and instead could very well be going to a much better place than her, religiously speaking.

That would make her not just egotistical and stupid, but incredibly presumptuous too.

 

[nib95]

That would make her not just egotistical and stupid, but incredibly presumptuous.

Ironic you should say that.

Sometimes I really do wonder if the extreme religious right in the US is partly just a reactionary outcome of extreme atheism and vice versa. Wouldn't be surprised if both are fuelling each other and with it ratcheting up the levels of insane and hate. Tolerance, respect and understanding is everything. I mean that's what non religious bark at religious folk for no? Practice what you preach. That goes both ways.

 

[Monocle]

Ironic you should say that.

I think you may be confused about what constitutes irony.

Sometimes I really do wonder if the extreme religious right in the US is partly just a reactionary outcome of extreme atheism and vice versa. Wouldn't be surprised if both are fuelling each other and with it ratcheting up the levels of insane and hate. Tolerance, respect and understanding is everything. I mean that's what non religious bark at religious folk for no? Practice what you preach.

Here's a statement you won't see from anyone with a basic grasp of history.

 

[Akkad]

Neogaf can be a really hateful place. If her children or grandchildren were there they would most likely be dead. She is thankful to still have a family.

This.

 

[BreakyBoy]

Apparently god is a shitty co-pilot.

Perish the thought. The captain is God, of course.

</pilot joke>

 

[nib95]

I think you may be confused about what constitutes irony.


Here's a statement you won't see from anyone with a basic grasp of history.

Oh quit with your vitriol already. You increasingly come off as some angry person.

It doesn't take a genius to see that in recent times (present generation), levels of right wing extremism, notably with the GOP, have ratcheted up several notches. There's obviously numerous reasons for this and it's not improbable that one of hundreds could be the religious right feeling further under fire or threat from non religious. Which is ironic because the same could be said of the exact opposite.

 

[Dead Man]

Ironic you should say that.

Sometimes I really do wonder if the extreme religious right in the US is partly just a reactionary outcome of extreme atheism and vice versa. Wouldn't be surprised if both are fuelling each other and with it ratcheting up the levels of insane and hate. Tolerance, respect and understanding is everything. I mean that's what non religious bark at religious folk for no? Practice what you preach. That goes both ways.

I think you have that a bit muddled up there.

 

[Slavik81]

We've all said something thoughtless at one point in our lives. Remember that when picking apart the words of someone who just happened to be speaking to a news crew when they said it.

 

[nib95]

I think you have that a bit muddled up there.

Which bit?

 

[Dead Man]

Which bit?

The reactionary right existed for decades before there was any such thing as an atheist movement.

 

[nib95]

The reactionary right existed for decades before there was any such thing as an atheist movement.

Agreed. But I was talking specifically about recent changes.

 

[Dead Man]

Agreed. But I was talking specifically about recent changes.

So, recent changes like the GOP becoming more reactionary, that started in the 80's again before there was anything like an 'atheist movement'? Nah, you want to be fair and balanced, but sometimes world events are not balanced.

 

[Monocle]

Oh quit with your vitriol already. You increasingly come off as some angry person.

It's weird how common you run into this tactic in online discussions involving religion. "You must be angry!" That's a dumb and childish way to argue, and illogical to boot.

It doesn't take a genius to see that in recent times (present generation), levels of right wing extremism, notably with the GOP, have ratcheted up several notches. There's obviously numerous reasons for this and it's not improbable that one of hundreds could be the religious right feeling further under fire or threat from non religious. Which is ironic because the same could be said of the exact opposite.

I think we can observe an escalation in the general climate of fear and paranoia among the religious Right in the US, but it would be quite a leap to suggest that any sort of secular or explicitly anti-religious activism is the culprit. For all the noise people make about the so-called New Atheist movement, the political effect of this new wave of secularism is effectively zero. Good luck getting elected into any public office in this country if you admit to being an atheist.

 

[nib95]

It's weird how common you run into this tactic in online discussions involving religion. "You must be angry!" That's a dumb and childish way to argue, and illogical to boot.


I think we can observe an escalation in the general climate of fear and paranoia among the religious Right in the US, but it would be quite a leap to suggest that any sort of secular or explicitly anti-religious activism is the culprit. For all the noise people make about the so-called New Atheist movement, the political effect of this new wave of secularism is effectively zero.

On the contrary, this very thread and this very forum would be evidence to the contrary. A religious person cannot even be thankful to God for being alive without atheists lambasting her for it or calling her all manner of ills. That to me is extreme and symbolic of the same sort of hateful intolerance often complained about religious folk lacking.

 

[Dead Man]

On the contrary, this very thread and this very forum would be evidence to the contrary. A religious person cannot even be thankful to God without atheists lambasting her for it or calling her all manner of ills. That to me is extreme and symbolic of the same sort of hateful intolerance these same people complain about religious folk lacking.

Uh huh, where? You may be creating some men made of straw in your irritation.

 

[Monocle]

On the contrary, this very thread and this very forum would be evidence to the contrary. A religious person cannot even be thankful to God without atheists lambasting her for it or calling her all manner of ills. That to me is extreme and symbolic of the same sort of hateful intolerance these same people complain about religious folk lacking.

wat

Are you really complaining about vocal atheists on the internet? Are you really suggesting that the anti-religious attitudes a vocal minority of people express online have a meaningful correlation to US politics? Can you be serious, sir?

 

[Kettch]

If the woman simply say, "Thank goodness I am still alive" without any mention of God, will she still get pounded by many of you for being insensitive?

Of course not. One statement implies that god allowed the other people to die while saving her, and one doesn't. There's nothing insensitive about saying you're happy to be alive.

Because it's the same, her being thankful that circumstances allowed her to live although others have died due to the unfortunate incident.

They are not the same. See above.

I really feel like many of you are exaggerating things even more than her, acting like she's a scourge of humanity or something due to her professing relief that she is spared.

So silly.

Her statement was perfectly understandable given the situation, and it does not make her a horrible person. It is also not an ok thing to say, as it disrespects the beliefs of those who died.

 

[nib95]

Uh huh, where? You may be creating some men made of straw in your irritation.

This lady has been called insensitive, Stupid, egotistical, Stupid, selfish and more all because she believed God to be good for letting her live.

There's no straw man there. Just observations based on the posts. Perhaps your bias is preventing you from seeing it or the bigger picture.

 

[Dead Man]

This lady has been called insensitive, Stupid, egotistical, Stupid, selfish and more all because she believed God to be good for letting her live.

There's no straw man there. Just observations based on the posts. Perhaps your bias is preventing you from seeing it or the bigger picture.

That is hardly all manner of ills, but if you feel what has been said in this thread about her breaches a threshold of criticism I hope you hold yourself to the same standard you expect.

 

[nib95]

wat

Are you really complaining about vocal atheists on the internet? Are you really suggesting that the anti-religious attitudes a vocal minority of people express online have a meaningful correlation to US politics? Can you be serious, sir?

I'm suggesting that the vocal majority (let's get that bit right first, most vocal Internet savvy dwellers seem to be in the non religious camp) are or can be indicative of a wider movement and sway in opinion or tolerance outside of the internet.

And will such changes in opinion or stance affect political and social fabric? Absolutely. Over time, slowly but surely. As has already been evidenced in recent years, with the US becoming less religious and slightly more left leaning (very recently). Give it a few more decades (maybe) and politics afflicted by religion will be less of a thing, much like in many parts of Europe.

 

[Dalthien]

"God just crashed a plane into my home and killed the passengers on board. What a wonderful fellow!"

I'm sorry - but that's very insensitive to the families of the loved ones who just died in that crash.

 

[Angry Grimace]

While I can easily see how bad that statement looks considering the people who died in the crash, I don't really think its fair to hold statements made by a lady whose house just got hit by a plane to a politician's standard.

Actually, reading this story reminded me about some quotes I saw of a crash that happened about 3 years ago near here when a military jet went down with a double engine failure and due to a mix of operator and ground control error, landed in the middle of a house, killing a woman, her two babies and her mother. When a neighbor was asked about the crash he said "It's just providence . . .[t]hirty feet higher and the plane lands in our living room instead of theirs." I remember thinking at the time "providence" was probably not the best word choice. Just thinking about that whole story actually makes me really sad, it was just gut wrenching reading about the utterly-broken surviving husband forgiving the pilot of the plane the day after the crash.

 

[Monocle]

This lady has been called insensitive, Stupid, egotistical, Stupid, selfish and more all because she believed God to be good for letting her live.

There's no straw man there. Just observations based on the posts. Perhaps your bias is preventing you from seeing it or the bigger picture.

You weren't responding directly to me, but for the record, I didn't call her any of those things because she's religious or because she expressed a religious sentiment. Believe it or not, I don't think religiosity = stupidity. The lady can think whatever she likes, but I found it distasteful how she ignored the victims of the plane crash. Don't let the tone of this thread color your expectations. Not every critical remark aimed at a religious person is an attack on their religion.

I'm suggesting that the vocal majority (let's get that bit right first, most vocal Internet savvy dwellers seem to be in the non religious camp) are or can be indicative of a wider movement and sway in opinion or tolerance outside of the internet.

"Vocal minority" is accurate because out of all the people who use the internet, only a small fraction regularly participate in online discussions, and a fraction of those discuss religion, and a fraction of those aren't religious, and a fraction of those are vocal about their lack of religious belief, and a fraction of those resemble the foaming, hatefully intolerant sort that you described. Perception is selective. It seems to me that you see lots of raging atheists because you're on the lookout for them.

And will such changes in opinion or stance affect political and social fabric? Absolutely. Over time, slowly but surely. As has already been evidenced in recent years, with the US becoming less religious and slightly more left leaning (very recently). Give it a few more decades (maybe) and politics afflicted by religion will be less of a thing, much like in many parts of Europe.

In any case, I'm not convinced that the GOP's recent hysteria was caused in any great part by secular forces. The Right seem to have whipped themselves into a frenzy.

 

[jaxword]

It seems to me that you see lots of raging atheists because you're on the lookout for them.

This is totally correct, and keeping this thought in mind explains the reason why many, many religious debates even happen.

 

[Air Zombie Meat]

I thank god for this thread.

 

[numble]

You weren't responding directly to me, but for the record, I didn't call her any of those things because she's religious or because she expressed a religious sentiment. Believe it or not, I don't think religiosity = stupidity. The lady can think whatever she likes, but I found it distasteful how she ignored the victims of the plane crash. Don't let the tone of this thread color your expectations. Not every critical remark aimed at a religious person is an attack on their religion.

Do you have a full comprehensive account of her feelings about the event?
Guess what the first soundbite remarks of a parent who's kid survived Newtown or a person who escaped from the WTC towers would be?

 

[Dead Man]

Do you have a full comprehensive account of her feelings about the event?
Guess what the first soundbite remarks of a parent who's kid survived Newtown or a person who escaped from the WTC towers would be?

God is good?