The perfect plan of the almighty was to have Emily on a highway at 9:30 in the morning on Friday, after celebrating her 21st birthday with friends at her university. The plan further went on, as Emily drove home to celebrate with her family, to have traffic suddenly back up in front of her and have Emily stop on the highway. The brilliance of the perfect plan was to then have an 18 wheeler not stop in time and slam into the back of Emily’s car at a high rate of speed. The perfect plan then goes on to have Emily’s car burst into flames and for those flames to snuff out her life. Praise God for his perfection.
God’s plan did not include for this beautiful young woman to carry on and be the leader as an adult that she had always been growing up.
We cannot always understand God’s perfect plan, but praise God for letting us know that his plan is perfect nonetheless.
If you knew “Emily” I am sorry for the horrible loss. What an awful sudden end to a young women that sounds like she had a lot to contribute to the betterment of the world.
That said:
It is funny how the religiously devout and non devout seem to be dying roughly the same amount, in roughly the same ways. That falls in line with rather easily measurable rates. It is actually quite measurable with huge amounts of data available that when it comes to things like terrible not at fault car accidents, the religiously devout and non devout die at pretty much exactly the same rates.
To me, I am forced to conclude that “god’s” perfect plan also includes zero reason to actually be devout to said “god” idea for wellbeing in this life. Left only with a completely unevidenced after life idea that giving up every sunday morning to be lectured at is even remotely worthwhile to basic health/safety.
Emily and my daughter played soccer together for three years when they were teenagers. So, we were friendly but not close with her or her family. She went on to be a multisport athlete in high school, even scoring the winning goal in the state championship her senior year. She had gone on to the University of Michigan and appeared to have a bright future, the kind of leader needed.
Her mother set up a scholarship in her name and it has raised over $100,000 in half a day, showing the impact she had on the community. The tributes on that page, as you can imagine, are filled with “prayers” for the family. I have no way of knowing the religious views of the family or if such beliefs might give some sort of comfort. But I do know that there is no way to explain this rationally within a Christian world-view.
Religions feed off tragedies like this by catering to our sense of denial by pretending that our dead loved ones are alive and happy somewhere, and our desire for revenge (god will punish the person responsible). I really admire the family in this case, who did something meaningful to honor the memory of their lost child by creating a scholarship in her name.
God really pisses me off. I got absolutely nothing when my hamster got run over by a car. Nothing. And I had to chase the damn car 60 miles just to scrape a bit of fur off the tire for the burial. Just goes to show you, If you don’t believe in their fantasy, they ignore your pain and suffering!
@Grinseed: Aaaaaaaa Haaaaaaa, You fool! The plan was to make it seem as if there was not plan… See how nicely it worked! REMEMBER - God is mysterious.
Reminds me of a Joke:
Q: Why do elephants have red eyes?
A: So they can hide in the African cherry trees
Q: You ever seen an elephant in an African cherry tree?
A: Just goes to show you what great hiders they can be.
Instead of using a generic God concept, which one were you referring too in your story line? Unfortunately within the 21st Century, the three remaining primitive god concepts are the Hebrew God Yahweh, the Christian God of Jesus, as Yahweh God incarnate, or the Muslim God named Allah.
It does matter to state which God because of their biblical writings differ, where for the most part, their godly writings support your story line in that they did cause the accident.
When it comes to belief in a specific skydork, it doesn’t matter much with respect to existence in reality…If the main tenets differ in specific context, it doesn’t change the fact that specific supernatural tenets may differ…they are still supernatural. I find that Abrahamic religions works fine.
I’m so sorry for the loss of such a beautiful person. The young are ‘supposed’ to bury the old.
My friend Patrick was 19 and chronically Catholic . On his way home from a night out with his girlfriend who was also in the car. Crossing a bridge, the car went over the railing into the unseasonably swollen creek. Landed on its side.He got the girl out and then drowned.
Huge funeral. His shattered father had a superb voice,and sang “Nearer My God To Thee”. It was heartbreaking to hear…The priest mentioned that Patrick was a regular communicant.That meant he went to mass and communion during the week, unusual in a young man.
All very comforting I’m sure, but after all the humbug and platitudes Patrick was still dead.
As was the custom in those days, a lot of us went to the grave site after the funeral service.
I looked down into the grave at the coffin. It had a middling size brass crucifix,and his name below,in gold. I just lost it and began sobbing. Didn’t cry again for 20 years. I have never forgotten that lovely young bloke nor the visceral anguish of his family.
Thanks all for your comments. I have been obsessing over this ever since I heard the news. The scholarship fund is now over $150K from 2,500 donors, so at least something positive will come from this.
I’m sure the apologists would say I’m just angry at god. I almost wish they were right, it would help to have someone to be angry with. Instead, it is just a harsh reminder of the fragility of life and that there are no guaranties.
My condolences New Skeptic. This is a tragic tale of a young person who had her life cut short. I can’t even begin to imagine the pain and loss in her family.
Q: Why do elephants have flat feet?
A. From jumping out of the cherry trees in Africa.
Q: What is the black stuff between an elephant’s toes called?
A: A slow villager.
Well, I totally disagree. It is NOT supernatural to the religious, and those are the people we engage and have to be on their ground. Therefore, when you “name” the specific God, like for Christians, it is Jesus, as Yahweh God incarnate, then you can now blame Him with a myriad of abhorred and disgusting things that He did within the Bible. Whereas a generic title of “God,” you cannot.
The term “God” is just a title that can be used towards every God that was created by man in the Bronze, Iron, and Middle Ages. When you use the specific Gods name, like Jesus, then you can blame that particular God for being a blatant serial killer within the scriptures. This is when the pseudo-christians run for the hills and and try and find their Satanic apologetic books to hide behind.
Case in point to the topic of Emily: Jesus, as Yahweh God incarnate, and not chance, decides what happens in human affairs: "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD.” (Proverbs 16:33) Therefore, it was Jesus’ decision to let Emily die, where you could not blame Jesus if the use of just a generic term of God was used.
I have debated, discussed, and wrote essays upon this concept for years in naming the specific God, and as in the past, it holds its validity today and into the future.
