Christian “Miracles”
And the stories that DON’T get told
She woke up with a terrible migraine. She took her pills but she still felt that something was just telling her not to go to work. So she called in sick. And then as she was watching the news, she saw that a car had hit some black ice and gone into the river. It was her carpool! And she just jumped up and down and thanked Jesus!
It was a holy miracle. The Lord was protecting her as one of his own. You know that because the Bible tells you so. It’s proof that God keeps his promises. It’s reassurance that following Jesus is the best path you can take in life.
And maybe it is true. Who are we to say it isn’t? These things happen. We’ve all heard about them — we may have even experienced them ourselves. They’re told and retold in Christian circles. They are preached from pulpits, shared in testimonies, and spread around youth group retreats like special, in-group secrets.
It all sounds so air-tight, so convincing, such proof that God is real and his promises are true. Until you consider the parts that don’t get said.
What about the other people in the carpool? What about the other guy who didn’t ride that day, because he had a dental appointment? You know, the appointment that got changed at the last minute? He’s not a believer, is he? And what about the one person in the car who drown in the river? She was a youth group leader who sang in the choir, wasn’t she?
These are the parts that get left out.
The censored bits
— There was this lady who refused to go to the hospital, choosing prayer therapy instead, and she miraculously survived her illness. Praise God! Censored: the thousands of other Christians who perished from the same condition despite both medical treatment and the prayers of so many fellow believers.
— A young family man was called to a mission abroad. He prayed for the money to make it happen, and a large inheritance from a former teacher came just in time to pay for his trip and support his family in his absence. God’s got this! Censored: the pastors and missionaries who step out on faith, pray with the faith of mustard seeds, and the money never comes. Also, the similar windfalls that coincide with sudden needs in the lives of non-believers.
— A believer totaled his car and miraculously walked away without a scratch. Praise Jesus! Censored: the Wiccan lady who totaled her car and also miraculously walked away unharmed. And the Christian missionary who was killed in a much less serious wreck.
— A believer on a crashing plane prayed to Jesus for protection, and an Angel appeared to her and guided her safely out of the burning fuselage on the ground. God is so great! Censored: the other Christians on the plane who also prayed for protection, but whom that angel simply left to die. The non-believers who did not pray, but also survived. And the Buddhist who suddenly finds a deceased family member waking him up in the middle of the night and leading the family out of their burning house.
— A believer has a flat tire, misses his train, and ends up on a later train sitting next to the Christian woman he eventually marries. She also missed her train because her cat got out and she couldn’t leave until she found him. Wait on the Lord, for he is faithful! Censored: similar stories told by non-believers and adherents of other religions.
Keeping the blinders on
Of course, all the evidence we have is anecdotal. There’s no way to prove whether what appear to be miracles are just freaks of chance, illusions, or actual supernatural interventions into our reality.
Looking at the entire picture, however, it is apparent that miracles, both supernatural and otherwise, are not limited to Christians. If the god of the Bible is behind them, then he appears to show no preference for his people.
Christians however, at least the fundamentalists varieties, turn a blind eye to such inconvenient aspects of events. For fundamentalist Christianity is all about being special. You are God’s chosen. He is going to inflict calamity on all of humanity and send everyone to hell — except you. He will single you out, give you aid in suffering, reward you with miracles, and take you up to his mansion in the sky. He will pluck you out of crashing airplanes and move heaven and earth to connect you with your perfect life partner.
Because you’re special. You’ve got the truth. You’re right, and everybody else is wrong. You’re smart and they are stupid. You and your culture are center of the world, and everyone else out there is living wrong and missing out. Only you matter. God loves you best and saves his miracles just for you.
As long as you keep your eyes and your mind closed, that is. As long as other people, their lives, and their stories, simply don’t matter to you.
This is the secret of faith and the key to heaven.
