I am good friends with lots of religious people. Most of them Mormons, being that it’s the culture I was once part of, but certainly with people of other religions, too.
I’m also good friends with lots of non-religious, agnostic, and atheist people. It’s the crowd I tend to feel most comfortable in and I have a good network there, too.
This year’s drought has left Utah vulnerable to an abundance of wildfires. And when I say an abundance, I’m talking hundreds of thousands of acres that have already burned across the state. It seems every time I look up, I see the distant smoke of yet another blaze.
But do you remember this fire from a few weeks ago? The one that I posted dozens of pictures and updates about because it was burning dangerously close to my parents home?
Well, when the fire was raging, this freak rainstorm passed through. And by freak, it dumped huge amounts of rain on the area (including onto the fire) for about an hour, and then it disappeared. It gave the firefighters the upper hand, and within hours a fire that was at zero percent containment was more or less controlled.
When the rain started, I saw several Facebook statuses from people claiming responsibility for the rain. Many there were, it seemed, who had personally “prayed the storm in.” Many declarations were made claiming proof of a merciful God and of renewed faith. After all, there hadn’t been rain in forty-some-odd days.
At about the same time, the news reporters started reporting that the rain was actually hurting more than it was helping. They were wrong, but at the time it was the report.
This made atheists and agnostics everywhere start counteracting with their own snarky ripostes about how religious people should be careful what they pray for. I saw a few updates from persons jeering their religious counterparts, noting that if you pray for rain long enough it always comes; and, why hadn’t the prayers of dozens of others in harm’s way been answered in the weeks previous?
Because of the circles I’m in, I got to sit back and watched several debates. One side voicing the miracle, the other serendipity. I think I laughed with both sides a time or two.
Those involved spoke with such conviction. It turned into quite the little battle in certain corners. On the religious side, people knew exactly who was responsible for the rain, why God brought it, and what lessons God was trying to teach his children in it all. On the non-religious side, people knew exactly what causes freak storms like that, why it was nothing special, and why there was nothing miraculous about it.
In the end, I just had to wonder why it mattered at all.
I mean… who cares where the rain came from.
And why can’t everybody just be thankful that there was rain?
Seriously. Nobody knows where the rain came from. We have our personal faith, our personal beliefs, and our own personal understandings. But nobody actually knows anything about the rain. The only fact we all share is that rain came and it helped a dire situation at just the right time.
It saved tax payers millions of dollars.
It saved the rest of our beautiful mountain and miles of spectacular mountain range behind it.
It saved many of our firefighting resources.
It saved many homes.
It saved many animals.
It saved national forests and monuments.
And I’d bet it even saved lives.
So be thankful. No matter which side of the religious fence you’re on.
Nothing else matters. Nothing but gratitude. And it’s certainly not worth arguing about.
Dan Pearce, Single Dad Laughing
PS. Do you agree? Have you seen similar debates going on? Have you been part of it? Do you think it really matters where the “rain” came from (rain could be anything, really)? I’m really curious as to your thoughts today.
I would say it doesn't matter.
However, I find religious people annoying and self-absorbed. "I prayed for rain and it rained! God listens, to me!" It's just... ick. I mean there are millions of people suffering, millions of people worse off, and how many of those millions have prayed and prayed and begged and pleaded and done everything in their power and... nothing.
Coming from an LDS family it just gets ridiculous. If they pray and it happens, God saw fit to make it happen and listens and answers their prayers. If it doesn't happen, God has a greater plan, some lesson to teach, etc. It's stupid. I grew up listening to my dad tell stories about how he prayed and was answered. One time he couldn't find my sisters ballet slippers and after searching and searching he prayed and it "came to him" to look under the drawer. It's not magic. God didn't speak to him. He calmed the freak down and his rational brain said "they're kids with packed drawers, check behind/under the drawer stupid".
As a rule, I don't care about a lot of the how and why. As the oppressed child of an LDS family however, it rubs the wrong nerve and makes it very difficult to be patient with such ignorant arrogance.
When I hear this type of comment, I wonder how the many people who prayed for the rain that did not come in time for them felt. Why weren't their prayers answered? It's like football players asking god to help them win the game. But both sides say the same prayer. Is god picking sides in something as silly as a football game?
Well, I think it does matter who or what is responsible for the rain. The reason why is because gratitude always has a direction. For example if a friend gave me a fancy new t-shirt for my birthday I would be grateful towards him. I would not simply be grateful. What's important about this then is that if there is some being responsible for the rain, then that being is worthy of gratitude and to not give that being gratitude would be obviously wrong (think of the t-shirt example, in your view it would be like me being grateful towards the t-shirt). Notice how your gratitude did indeed have a direction:
"It saved many of our firefighting resources.
It saved many homes.
It saved many animals."
The gratitude was towards the rain itself. But if God was responsible for that, which I believe He was, but that's not the direct point here, then He is deserving of the gratitude. In this case it would be blatant idolatry which kills the heart. For to be grateful towards the t-shirt is meaningless, empty, misguided, and un-relational, but to be grateful towards the friend is the opposite of all of those, it is life. It is the same with this example. I conclude that it is grossly important where we say the rain comes from. In fact it might be impossible to overstate, for it is the difference between right and wrong, life or death.
I came across this searching for a perfect photo of rain clouds. Very concerning to hear about the wildfire outbreak in Utah where many friends of mine live. I took liberty to use your photo as my new cover photo, but if there is any problem with that I will remove it.
Agreed!! Well said
Great post Dan. I believe we should always be thankful but who do we thank if we have no idea where it came from? You always are thought provoking. That is why I';m here.
Hm... And I believed that I brought it here from Washington...
The awesomeness of miracles is that they happen at the right time. Unfortunately there are not enough miracles. I have witnessed several "miracles" in my life, and never have I had the audacity to claim that it was me, or in any other way because of something that I did. Not seriously at least. This idea is actually a bad idea, because it lends towards the opposite belief. If a person doesn't pray enough for something, then it won't happen. Or even worse, if something bad happens, it is because there wasn't enough people praying.
There is only one surefire way to make miracles happen. Hard work and dedication. Ask a doctor how many lives he saved, or a firefighter, or a police officer, or even a social worker. Now ask yourself what you have done to make the lives of others better. I don't have very many resources, so I haven't done very much. I know as a fact that I can even do more. But there are some things that I have done that I believe has made the world a better place.
First off, I try to not judge others. This is not easy, and even requires that I accept people that have done things against me. I know that I am not perfect in this, but I try. Second, I make a point to lead by example. The hardest job I ever had was being a supervisor. It was the most difficult job because I had to set the standard of how I wanted people to act, not because of work load. If you are a parent, your job is ten times harder than mine ever was. Third, I always stick up for the "little" guy. In every conflict that I come across, I look at both points of view, and I stick my nose in. This has gotten me in trouble, but my goal is to redirect the conflict towards something positive. I can't say that I always accomplish my goal, but at the very least I make someone feel like they have someone on their side. There may be other things that I do with the few resources that I have, but I can't think of them all, because most of them are spontaneous. This does not mean that I give everyone that asks for money all of the money I have, but I have been known to perform spontaneous acts of kindness.
Probably the most important thing anyone can do is to support the miracle workers around us. These are the people who teach our kids, protect our streets, treat our sicknesses, and put out our fires. Amazingly enough, this is done automatically through taxes, and in some cases through insurance. More importantly though I would ask that people show respect to these people in any way that they can. I will let you determine how you do that.
Believe what you want and always be grateful for what you get!
rain comes from nature. i'm sure there are meteorologists who looked into the "miraculous" rain, and they can tell you all about it. For the rest of us, let's just be happy that rain came and helped people and saved countless lives of plants, wildlife, and people.
There is scientific evidence that the "fire & brimstone" that destroyed Sodom & Gomorrah was actually an asteroid hitting the Earth; and that it impacted numerous other ancient cities in that area. There is also an explanation as to why Lot's wife may have appeared to turn into a pillar of salt when she looked back @ the burning city linked to this same natural phenomenon. Yet there are still strictly religious individuals that believe that it was the direct wrath of God to punish the individual sinners referenced in the Bible story. Without these stories to reinforce the belief systems of religion, it would be difficult, if not impossible, for humans to ascribe to any kind of strictly faith-based ideologies.
It matters to religious people because they can defend their faith and beliefs by saying, "See, I told you so." To the rest of us, it's just a matter of observation, and, as you said, gratitude. Keep writing!
There are storms on other planets, planets without people...
It doesn't matter what a person believes. If he feels strongly enough about it, he or she will ALWAYS find evidence to back up his or her beliefs. And 'yes' many of us think it's a stupid topic to debate. But the debate is about beliefs, not rain, and people die for their beliefs. They start wars over them. Always have. Always will, sadly.
Spoken like a true Agnostic! And I say that with frank appreciation because I, too, am Agnostic.
Hmm, very interesting that as an expession of their faith in God and in response to their prayers someone could claim "credit" for a weather event. I know spirituality or rejection of same is very personal. It is for me. I think perhaps those of us who choose to express our spirituality outside of organized religon find that smug certainty of what religon has accomplished exasperating. But, isn't that kind of the whole concept of faith? I believed, I prayed, God answered my prayers, my faith has been reaffirmed. And yes if you believe that? More power to you, I kind of envy that blind faith that does not have any questions, any doubts and indepent thought associated with the world. You go cupcake!
But, and it is a big ol' but, when you push your faith out there at me, smugly display it, scream it, wave that flag? Those doubters amongst us, those who question your certainty, your effect, your faith, well we don't have your faith and your unquestioning nature. We are appalled and well, we are never going to convince each other are we?
I can more quietly respect your religous zeal if you can more humbly thank God for answering your prayers and yes that is the gratitude part, rather than to claim credit for your faith. I am also thankful. But we can all just be thankful and still disagree on who gets the credit for the weather.
Jamie: Gratitude is the best attitude...I love that!!
I agree and thank you for posting this. It explains exactly how I feel!!
I agree and thank you for posting this. It explains exactly how I feel!!
Be thankful for the blessing of rain! Regardless of its source.
It's been rainy in a lot of places where it usually isn't this year. Can't the manipulation of the atmosphere with certain chemicals bring rain? Maybe those chemicals exist in the smoke as a means of checks and balances? Just curious...
Can't believe there were actually debates on this! Just be grateful for things that happen in life. The Big Guy upstairs is always teaching us lessons in life, you just have to keep your eyes open to it. Was it God or was it just time to rain? Who cares... Be grateful it rained!!!
Thankfulness is always the appropriate response to such a situation. It's our unique and beautiful selves that decide to whom or what we extend that thankfulness.
The sample of FB comments you shared were not thankfulness or even statements of faith. They were self-centered statements. IMHO, with rare exception, religious zeal and debates are usually self-serving. I too often find religious people reacting this way are more focused on seeking validation from others for a personal choice/conviction than focusing on the God they've chosen to love and serve. The non-religious side of the debate is not much different. They, too, are more focused on seeking validation from others for their choices, instead of just focusing on the things in life they choose to enjoy, love, and serve.
Meh, it's irritating.
Rain is an interesting mystery and a force of nature that refuses to be controlled. We know quite a bit (scientifically), but some stuff still eludes us. I expect it'll be that way for .... um, I don't know, eternity?
I'm okay with that. And I choose to be thankful.
HAARP!
People just have to learn to agree to disagree. You can't convince someone of something if they don't want to change their minds. We have to be amiable to the change first. Politics and religion are two subjects that make debates get heated because people have their own beliefs and they don't want to change them. As far as I am concerned, what you believe is dandy as long as you are not hurting anyone or anything. I respect your beliefs and please have the courtesy to respect mine. Just because they might be different beliefs doesn't make them wrong or one side more valid than the other. We are all living, feeling, beings. That should be good enough for all.
I completely agree with you that it doesn't matter where the rains came from ~ who or what was responsible for them. It's nuts that people are even debating it.
I haven't seen or been involved in such debates, but I would imagine that if I was affected by the fire and the rains came, I would just thank the rain and the firemen who risk their lives for persons unseen.
Debates that have no conclusive conclusion (say THAT 3x fast!) just add to the division of humans. That's really one thing we don't need more of on this marble we share!
what I'd like to know in Women's Olympic soccer, do you Americans pay the ref before or after the game? LOL their something important to debate!
Ask Bill Nye.
Solar energy drives winds that evaporate water from the surface of the oceans. The water vapor cools as it rises and then falls to the ground as rain, snow, or some other form of precipitation. Rain is part of the hydrologic cycle, which describes dynamic changes in the aquatic environment. So what's the debate? what A silly thing to debate!
We have similar conditions here where I live. Although the fires that have burned through a town and hundreds of acres here, seem to be the caused by an arsonist. We have not gotten enough rain to be helpful, and the wind and lightening started another fire. People on both sides of the religious debate argue and throw up walls with each other. Bible belt evangelicals, and Athiest evangelicals alike. It seems no one taking time to just be, and each side keeps trying to control others beliefs, the only person you can control is yourself!
Religion seems to help comfort people in times of need. I'd rather DO something to actually help instead of praying that some god do the work for me. In the case of the fires, that might just be offering services to those in need.
Thank you Lord !
Gratitude is the best attitude, no matter your beliefs. This isn't a competition.
I'm pretty sure the rain came from the clouds. Yes.
I can totally feel this post. There is currently a fire raging less than 5 miles from my dad's place. The community is a farming one. People are in danger of losing their homes, farms, ranches, livestock...everything. They're sending in a crew of 500 people to fight it. The fire has grown 150% OVERNIGHT. I don't care where the rain comes. I won't even complain when it arrives (I normally hate the rain). I just want everyone safe. I don't want people I grew up with to lose their livelihoods. If I'm this scared sitting 200 miles away, I can't imagine how those who are directly in the path must feel.