a FUCKEDNATION original commentary
February 28, 2007
Today, Boise Idaho’s KTVB News reported that five junior high and high school students from the town of Sweet drowned in icy water after their Ford Tempo slid off a slippery turn in the road and plunged to the bottom of a small pond. Grief counselors are on hand at the students’ schools, ready to help friends of the students deal with the loss of their classmates. Gem County Commissioner Michele Sherrer said, “The community’s prayers are with the family.”
What a terrible, unfortunate accident. Five young people with their entire lives ahead of them, dying such a horrible death, trapped in a car under freezing water. How can this be explained? How could God let this happen? What part of His divine plan for us is this, to sacrifice five kids? For what?
I wonder if the parents, friends, and community are asking these questions. What a cruel, mean God. Why did He do this? Were these kids evil agents of Satan? Why do these children, their families, community, and friends deserve such heartless punishment? Everything happens for a reason, right?
Not really. The families are active in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They were found dead with open bibles. They died with the loving word of God so close to them, yet He blatantly failed to protect them. God is omnipotent and he loves every one of us, but he has the occasional knack for mass-murder, molestation, genocide, and everyone once in a while, letting a car full of kids die.
It’s pretty simple, folks. There is no God.
How much evidence is necessary? All the prayer in the world won’t save a single soul. These people can pray all year, and they won’t be any closer to understanding why some people live and others die horrible deaths.
They won’t be any closer to knowing why over 4,000 Catholic priests have been accused of sexual abuse.
They won’t be any closer to understanding why nearly six million Jews were exterminated from 1933-1945.
God won’t tell them why seven million Ukrainians died between 1932 and 1933. Or why nearly a million Rwandans fell victim to genocide in 1994.
God doesn’t care about the victims of starvation, AIDS, rape, murder, genocide, or anything else. He’s not up there, He’s not listening to your prayers, and He doesn’t have any answers as to why bad things happen to innocent human beings.
When five of His children left the roadway and plunged to their deaths, God did not send a miracle.
Nor has He ever.
Was God able to save these innocent lives, but not willing? Then he is a lazy, unjust, or bitter God. Was God willing to save these lives, but not able? Then God is not omnipotent. How many nights are we going to ask Him for help, when He refuses?
Let’s stop praying for salvation and start saving ourselves. It sounds to me as if we need less prayer and more guardrails.
