Post 68: Miracles

I caught part of an episode of Grey's Anatomy today and something that happened really got me thinking about miracles. So, not to give too much a way, one of the doctor's on the show had a patient come in that was very sick. They had an issue that would not resolve itself, but the parent's of the patient didn't want the doctor to do the procedure that would save the patient's life. Instead, they just wanted to wait it out. This reminded me of people who don't believe in medicine, but only in prayer.

Which has come up in another episode of Grey's Anatomy, but it also came up in American Dad. American Dad like Family Guy is often written off as a dumb show all about fart jokes and people being dumb, but while they do have that they also take a deeper look at things that happen in daily life. If anything these shows are a satire on life.

In one episode the baby has a play date his friend gets sick and Francine takes him to a hospital. The boy has a type of illness that could be treated, the parents believe, however, in relying solely on prayer. Francine then makes a speech, essentially she says that if they believe in God, isn't it possible that doctors are agents of God and that cures are miracles that God has provided to help people. In this episode they accept it and let their kid get medical help. But I think it is more complicated that that.

But this all lead me to wonder about what would count as a miracle.

This comes up in White Collar. The two main characters are talking about miracles. One says that he likes his miracles with smoke and lightening, he is looking for grand gestures that are unmistakably miracles, while his partner says that he takes his miracles where  he can get them.

Now, personally, I don't know if I believe in God. As I take Philosophy and English, Science and History, and classes in other varied subjects I see that there are contradictions everywhere.

I think if I do believe I will probably adapt an attitude like the main female character in a story I read when I was younger who, when trying to stay close with her two best friends who suddenly became very actively religious, she pointed out that God could have created evolution and the Universe and wouldn't that further be evidence of his power. Or perhaps, like the lab assistant on Bones, who believed that believing in God and Science are not mutually exclusive, that God created the mysteries and left them for us to find.

Anyway, back to miracles. If I did believe in God, I think that I would be with Neal, and take my miracles where I could get them.

I think that this is where I will end. I suppose I didn't go very deep, but without the belief or disbelief in God, I don't know whether I can go much further into the idea of what makes a miracle from a religious point of view.

So, I think I will end with a few jokes that go along with this post:

A man who lives by the beach is very religious. He goes to church every Sunday, prays every night, and believes wholeheartedly in God. There is an alert that there will be a major flood that will be very dangerous and will cause a lot of damage. He is told to evacuate. But the man says no, that he believes in God and God will save him.

The flood comes. Water is up to the second-story of his house. A group of people come by on a boat, and they ask him to climb through the window so they can take him to safety. He says no, he believes in God and God will save him.

The flood waters get higher. The man kneels on his roof and prays. A helicopter comes by and throws down a ladder and says, "come with us, we will take you to safety." The man again refuses, he says no, he believes in God and God will save him.

The man drowns. When he gets to Heaven, he is really upset. He goes to God and says, "why didn't you save me?"

God says, "I sent a warning, I sent a boat and I sent a helicopter. I gave you the means to be saved, you didn't take them."

This ties in with the doctors and cures. What if the doctors are the flood warnings and the medicine is the boat and helicopter?

The next joke is a little shorter:

A very religious man goes to Church everyday and prays he will win the lottery. But every week he doesn't win, as years go by the man gets more and more frustrated. Until, one day he loses it. He goes to church and instead of praying he shouts, "I have been praying for years! Why haven't I won the lottery?"

God responds, "You have to meet me half way and at least buy a ticket."

So, I think the message from this, assuming it is meant to be more than just funny, is that sometimes just believing in God isn't enough. Sometimes, you have to meet him halfway and buy that ticket. Sometimes you have to go to the doctor, instead of just waiting.

If you lock yourself inside your room and never leave or talk to anyone, it doesn't matter how much you pray or believe in God unless you go out and get food or ask someone to bring it you will starve.

If I do believe in God, it will not be a God that just gives because people ask, because I think it is more important for people to know how to do something than know how to ask for something to be done.

Like the saying goes: "Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, he eats for life."