CHURCH UNTOUCHED BY THE FLAMES OF THE WILDFIRES
What Miracle?
Does this count as a miracle?
Miracle: noun, “a surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divine agency.”
Let’s go over a few facts
- Death toll 111 and counting
- 122 families have been permanently displaced
- Over 2,200 structures have been burned to the ground
But this particular church is totally fine and was untouched by the blazing inferno that swept across Maui. While I’m glad that it wasn’t burned to the ground, I am absolutely appalled at how our news media decided to address it. Here are a few examples:
-News Nation. ‘Incredible miracle’: Maui church unscathed by fire
-New York Post Historic Lahaina church miraculously untouched by Maui wildfires that killed 80
-Daily Mail Incredible video shows Lahaina church miraculously untouched by devastating Maui wildfires
-Newsweek Maui Church Miraculously Unscathed as Video Shows Surrounding Devastation
This is a slap in the face of the readership as well as the victims. Our media needs to have more respect for its readers and certainly the survivors, my God!!! Imagine waking up in a FEMA shelter, a hotel room, a hospital, or a stranger’s house after a horrific night of fleeing raging forest fires that burned through your neighborhood only to realize that your parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, or children didn’t make it and died horrifically in the wildfires.
Imagine being one of the survivors of this fire and you’ve lost several family members and friends and you happen to run across one of these headlines. Imagine trying to make sense of life without the very people you’ve known your entire life but at least this particular church was spared. I wouldn’t want to see another church let alone step foot in one.
Here’s just one heartbreaking story among many about a woman who literally raced into a blazing inferno to save her son.
Her boy was home alone with freshman classes set to start the following day while the rest of the family were out working at a local condominium. When the family heard about the fires, they jumped into their car and sped home. The flames and the heat were so bad, they ended up abandoning their car to continue on foot.
The entire way, people were running past them and imploring them to turn back.
Everyone was running away from the flames, but we were all running toward them. Luz Vargas
They made it as far as their street where first responders were battling the fires. They wouldn’t let her go any farther. Days later, they were allowed to go back to the house into his bedroom where they found the face-down charred remains of their son and the family dog nearby.
Ask this grieving mother if she feels the “miracle”. Ask the family how they feel about the “miraculous church”. Members of our media are of absolutely no help whatsoever. Do better, media. Enough of the delusional clickbait headlines.
These are just a few examples, but you get the picture.
Let’s lower the bar even lower
This makes as much sense as an entire neighborhood burning down but in one of the houses, a Bible managed to survive the flames.
Ain’t god good?! Whooh!
Keep in mind, there weren’t hundreds of people huddled prayerfully in this church as the fire bore down on them. The church was completely empty, meanwhile, nearby homes were burned to the ground, and some of them with families still in them so forgive me if I fail to see the miracle in this story.
Somehow, we are led to believe that god allowed all of this to take place while He watched but drew the line and stepped in “miraculously” when it came to his favorite real estate and furthermore, we are expected to believe that He is the good guy in this story. Wouldn’t it have been better if He had sacrificed the church by letting it burn while ensuring that everyone “miraculously” survived the fires because of how much he values human life? I would have considered that miraculous.
Let’s lower the bar even lower and let’s suppose He had “miraculously” gathered all the inhabitants to the church, thus, saving both the people and the church. Would that not have been a better outcome?
I would be remiss if I failed to mention this last headline that barely made a splash in the news cycle.
-Christianity Today “Maui fires burn site where Hawaiian Queen first brought Christianity to the Island”. Why was one church “miraculously spared” and not the other? Is God playing favorites?
Correct me if I’m wrong or way off on this but I would think that this site is a bit more important historically speaking, wouldn’t you agree?
Imagine, a pagan looking at this. What are they to take away from it? Should the pagans take this as a sign and automatically assume that the Island gods were angry and had had enough of Christianity and sent fires to “cleanse”?
As ridiculous as that sounds, it’s right up there with the “God miraculously spared this church” hypothesis. We aren’t used to looking at things from another point of view let alone another religion.
Bottom line, let’s stop with the crap headlines. They don’t do any good at all for anyone, especially the victims. Shouldn’t that be the main focus?
Let’s offer more than thoughts and prayers for this one. If you’re able to donate, please consider donating to the American Red Cross of Hawaii and Hawaii Community Foundation
All proceeds from this article will go to either charity listed above.
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