“Quite frankly, we've just been thanking God. You know, God’s been so good to us, and he protected us,
Never fails to amaze me how someone can completely disregard the hard work and sacrifice of other human beings and instead praise an imaginary skyguy.
Same imaginary skygod who put them in harms way to begin with. Never did understand.
No, no: that's the other skyguy. We're like the kids in a bitter divorce, constantly bounced between a good parent and a bad parent, with no actual agency. Except to thank good skyguy, otherwise they might not protect us from bad skyguy next time.
Skyguy whims sometimes feel arbitrary and capricious, but there's divine or diabolical intent, which means it's way better than being lost to the randomness of chaotic but determinate natural forces. How terrifying would the world be if stuff just happened for no reason?
Since I feel the sudden urge to vent, I've never forgotten staying at this one homeless shelter several years ago.
We found out much later after the place was shut down that they'd actually been receiving more than adequate donations the entire time, but the staff was just taking it all home with them and telling us that there was no food to give. They could do one or sometimes two meals, but never much, never more, and not dependably from day to. They had none.
So obviously we believed them and since this was just...the position we were in, I was taking the money I was technically required by agreement to save for a place and using it to buy food for myself and anywhere from 1 to 4 of the other residents.
One of them was Gabriel, who came in with the clothes on his back and a guitar. Gabriel was religious, but one of the painfully few who put the kindness part first and he was very sweet and tended to be walked on for it and to become depressed for being taken advantage of.
When he took his guitar around looking for gigs, I went with him for moral support. When one of those was a church, I sat in with the flock even though the related trauma makes my skin crawl. When winter drew close, I bought him what I still think was a pretty snazzy jacket.
I split a meal almost daily for months, because I'm not going to see anyone hungry when I can afford it, even though none of us could really afford it and doing so was imperiling my future. When he found out the fiance he doted on was banging his best friend while he himself was homeless, guess who was there to cry on immediately.
I don't regret any of those, to be very clear. I'd grudgingly do it again, because people matter more. But to think to check up on him some years after we parted and find him thanking god for looking after him during that time was a direct slap in the face. Over a decade later, it still stings.
Of course it would be god. Looking after each other like sentient, suffering beings, that's god's doing, personally stepping in to work his mysterious ways. I only take the blame for the bad shit.
As a total stranger, thankyou for looking after Gabriel, even after being so mistreated yourself. You clearly have a lot of compassion and kindness to offer the world, even if it's not always respected by its recipients (although it sounds like Gabriel may not have had the skills or ability to fully comprehend it). I hope you're in a much better place and able to extend your kindness even further and without neglecting your own needs in the process.
Wow. I can see how that would've stung. It just feels so irrational! And, there's no need for them to drop their god schtick when acknowledging someone's effort. He could've just as easily have said "I thank god for putting people who cared around me"
Seriously. Not alert citizens. Not technology. Not good policework. Dog.
Unreal these morons.
Dog.
Woof.
Not the person you're responding to, but I'd thank any given dog before I thanked any given god, so why not
Dogs like being praised and talking to imaginary friends is a sign of mental illness so I agree.
Weird how they never thank god for the successful attacks.
Exactly, if God prevented this attack, it means he wanted the successful ones to take place. He really works in mysterious ways...
They didn't pray hard enough.
Man, I know a woman who got COVID bad and got a double lung transplant. Not a word about any of her doctors or other care staff that kept her alive while on a ventilator for 6 month. Not even a mention once. But it was constant "look at the power of prayer" and "thank the good lord for my recovery" and shit like that.
Which is hilarious considering how many "good Christians" died for refusing the vaccine. Confirmation bias in action!
Yep I can't stand this. What about the little girl who dies of cancer? God didn't feel like protecting her?
Fuck off
Well, if he's consistent with his behavior in the Bible, it's not that he failed to protect her. He killed her himself
And if all those people were shot up, you can be damn sure they wouldn't be saying it's thanks to God. Mass of idiots.
It's a mistake to dismiss religious people as stupid, but they really make it hard not to sometimes.
That's an odd way to spell "natural reflex", but it's close.
God, when he fails to prevent all the other mass shootings that happened in places of worship:
"Lol that was part of my plan, too."
Cops should have just said, "Oh, it's at a church? God's got it handled," and went back to speed traps.
I mean, it is a church. I think it's stupid, but it's not like it's a car dealership. What do you think they're going to say?
Repoter: So, the police arrested a gunman moments away from shooting up your dealership. What are your thoughts?
Dealer: It was wild. Absolutely crazy.... Almost as crazy as ThEse CraZy deAls We'vE GoT RigHt nOW. JUst cHeCk Out ThE PriCe oN ThiS '88 MaliBu. It'S CrAaaaZy!
Clearly, Fairfax County Police are doing something the other counties/states should be taking notes on.
Getting random tips from concerned citizens with details.
And then responding to those tips in an appropriate and timely manner.
The audacity!
Just doing the job?
Arresting someone before they've had the chance to kill people is AGAINST the Second Amendment! The ONLY time you're allowed to intervene is AFTER they've killed an adult in public or child in school!
Honest what is that? Attempted murder. Do they give the Nobel Prize for Attempted Chemistry?
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