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September 9th, 2011
11:08 AM ET
Family credits Virgin Mary statue for saving their house from wildfire(CNN)– Wildfires are raging in Texas. At the Garcia's home in Montgomery County, Texas the fire line comes right up to a statue of the Virgin Mary. The family tells CNN affiliate KTRK they believe the statue helped saved their home.
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  About this blog
The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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Idiots! Everyone knows it was the Great Spaghetti Monster!
Yousmelllikepee!...Exactly the comment I would expect an unbeliever to say! You just don't understand and probably will never will. I pray that you do someday and find peace.
I pray that you figure out how to post correctly.
As a recovering christian I can tell you from experience I am fully aware of the doctrine and denounce it for the cult that it is. You sir, are the one who needs help, not the free thinkers.
You will all meet your maker one day. Just because there is no face to the words you type, does not make it right or acceptable.
You don't base this assumption on the words of men do you?
I long ago met my mother & father. They are my makers. I wasn't made by a space ghost.
Better get a crap load of those statues and but them all around the US borders and coastline to protect the nation.
The fact this story is on the front page of CNN website is embarrassing and stupid.
Whether this family believes that God was directing the flames around the statue doesn't matter (and most likely they don't believe that as most people do not view God as a micro-manager). The important take-away from the story is that a beloved statue was spared from the flames and now serves as a symbol of their love and faith for a spiritual figure that is important to them. It's a nice story. People don't pray in hopes that God will grant wishes or sway the outcome of an event (or at least they shouldn't) – they pray for guidance, understanding and strength and in the end, the family got exactly what they needed – that's the power of prayer. It's so sad that non-believers get so hung up on the God exists/God doesn't exist issue that they miss the message contained in the beautiful stories that often follow a tragedy.
Power of prayer....translation>>>>> Power of the mind.
And what message is to be learned from the catholic woman who found Jesus on her corn tortilla? Religious people are always looking for signs in anything and everything. Sometimes you just gotta laugh.
If people don't pray to influence events, then why did Gov. Perry hold a prayer rally for rain?
We Muslims as well hold on public prayers during droughts and has always worked as per my knowledge...!
As can remember as well Red Indians had that Capability for rain but through a prayer of dance and as per my knowledge that worked out well for them as well...!!
Because Gov. Perry is an idiot!
It could have been considered in the weight and measurement of " A Marathon" or some thing alike where people gather to try and make good for the sake of the nation prosperity and good will...!?
Could it been issue held due fear that such act rather bring unwanted event such as heavy floods or storms...rather than a good peaceful rains...! Maybe the inner feeling of guilt or arrogance! Otherwise nothing will bring down the good and peaceful rains other than us gathering in big groups in one prayers asking GOD the Creator of the Universe his Pardon and for Forgiveness for our sins promising repentance and good will... This was mentioned in the Holy book and the Quran...it is a spiritual inner souls call towards Creator what ever the name or image or religious ideology they had or rituals for that...let them make or take why stand in the way of beliefs and wish's of the people if this country stands for all Freedoms...!!
If the call was for a singing party in the open we would have seen some thing else of a crowd ?
Another thing I just though of...they do not want to see crowds gathering since that could ignite some thing turning it into some sort of demonstrations or confrontations breaking into riots and robberies....?!
Any way what ever the purpose was for will be obvious if any Marathon race or singing parties were allowed after this arising issues that are taking place concerning N.security...!
Yeah, the Ghost Dance worked really well for the indians too. LOL.
Is it not being said that "If there is a Will there is always a Way"!!? All you need is the will and other things follow up naturally... After all they said GOD "Allah" helps those who help them selves first... So by having the intentions and the will we would have helped our selves for GOD "Allah" to help us by giving us more than our expect ions were for...!!
Devil is working fine to convince people that worshipping GOD through statues is fine and saving their lives..bringing them back to idols worship...
It was your prayers and good deeds that might have stopped the fire saving you and your house and not a liveless statue. Although we as Muslims holdup high the virgin Mary and her Son but we would not give any respect to any statue even if it was meant to be of them or any other prophet..
Oh wow, thanks for sharing! We all really needed to hear YOUR take on the situation!
Religion is the stupidest thing that humans have invented. Religon gives people hope. Not excuses to crticize, kill, torture, and scam others. It should be a world law that everyone keeps their religion to themselves. Religion can be for good, but it is used mostly for bad. Every group thinks theirs is better than the next. Guess what. Life isn't about which religion you belong to. It's about living, loving, and passing on. No one knows where we go in then end and each religion usually has their own version. Somewhat of a gurantee. But how do you know those gurantees are real? You can't, but people always try to claim their religion has the true answer and anyone who doesn't follow is going to go to the bad place. How can you people be such sheep? If someone jumps off a bridge, do you? Everyone should practice proper ethics and keep religion out of it. 90% of the human population should be ashamed of themselves. Religion has turned into a corporation pretty much. Each religion is guilty of squandering money, deceiving, killing inncoent people, and trying to push their beliefs on everyone they come in contact with. I get tiered of seeing people post things like" Oh yeah, well muslims do this, Christianity teaches this, your going to hell, etc." We are all of the same species. Get over yourselves and start acting like it. Treat each other with respect and kindness no matter what religion you support or don't.
Why do you hate the truth even if it is sore it has tobe said and welcomed...!? Do you mean I should say to them yes the statue did this..? You think it is ok to lie..! What would I tell the father of our nation "Abraham" who broke all the Idols to drive his people into worshipping the one GOD and not idols of any kind or names...
Strange to be hated for telling the truth...! By the way we as well told that any images or statues of Humans or Animals are normally haunted by devils and that's why they are rejected in most Islamic houses...! Another thing you mean all the neighbors that their houses were burnt did not have statues of Mary or the Cross of Jesus ? So are you saying all were infidels not keeping those in their houses and that's why their houses were burnt to the ground? Among the whole burnt area only this house had a statue and was saved....? So guess all now should rush to the stores and buy the new anti fire statues...!? Are there any anti floods or anti earthquake statues?! Am sorry but really think of what you are saying...!!
Quick, call Rick Perry! Mandate everyone has to have one in their lawns ASAP
Some of us already do.
They need to give a bumch of these statues to the fire departments to combat the fire. Don't you love simpletons (sheep) of the world
They don't have fire departments anymore – Rick Perry cut all the funding...you know, some that useless government spending. Much of the damage is his dumA$$ fault.Texas was served mainly by volunteer departments – he cut the funding for them. They were calling in retired or layed off fighters to come do it – for free, in their own trucks, bring their own safety equipment etc. Just think – He Could Do The Same For America!
God help us if they elect a fool like Perry.
I blame this on Rick Perry. He did not pray hard enough. Now all of Texas, and the United States, the world is doomed.
Slacker christians are worthless.
Guess if every home had one of these statues, we would have no need for the Fire Department. We could send some to the hungry children in Africa and they will all live too! Put them in the gun stores and maybe nobody would ever get shot...airplanes would not fall from the sky and cars would not crash. Cancer patients each need one by their bed. This is the greatest discovery in the history of the world!
Well said. I will start believing in god when churches take down their lightening rods and cancel their insurance policies.
Actually Texas doesn't have fire departments anymore – Rick Perry cut all the funding...you know, some that useless government spending. Much of the damage is his dumA$$ fault.Texas was served mainly by volunteer departments – he cut the funding for them. They were calling in retired or layed off fighters to come do it – for free, in their own trucks, bring their own safety equipment etc. Just think – He Could Do The Same For America!
Oh please.
It's surprises me that so many atheists enjoy commenting on a Belief blog. Atheists believe in nothing, hence their only voice is to bother believers. Hey it's a free country and you can say whatever you want, but don't mock people for believing in God just because you don't. They have the same rights as you do. At least we have Faith and Hope. What do you have???.... That what I thought!
I'll bank on truth and reality over faith and hope any day.
We have a moral obligation to call bull as bull.
Personally, I have hope that most of the human population will eventually realize that Christianity, like all the other religious delusions before it, is just that, a delusion. I hope that humans will learn to take responsibility for their own actions and will learn and work to solve their own problems as a community, rather than hoping for some benevolent sky fairy to swoop down and save them.
Now there`s some hope for you. For me, it`s far better than believing the obvious god fiction that you apparently espouse.
William, I agree with you.
Because we do not put faith in men does not make all atheists. What do "we" have? In general most of the "we" have rational and sound minds. Please note:
.
Schizophrenia is a mental disorder that makes it difficult to tell the difference between real and unreal experiences, to think logically, to have normal emotional responses, and to behave normally in social situations.
As the illness continues, psychotic symptoms develop:
• False beliefs or thoughts that are not based in reality (delusions)
• Hearing, seeing, or feeling things that are not there (hallucinations)
Don't assume to know what we believe in. Just because we DO believe in science and fact does not make us the devil (ok, got me there – I don't believe in the devil either) I do believe something Denis Diderot (1713-1784) said, "Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest."...he is from your scientific era...the dark ages right? We are just sickened by you people being duped – you make the rest of the human race look stupid and you stifle human progress at every turn.
We're just paying back for the numerous times you've bothered us. The number of times you've tried to get laws enacted according to your religious beliefs in order to punish people you don't agree with. The countless times you've come around on weekends banging on the door demanding to tell us about Jesus.
Well said Sue! @ABSOLUTEPOWER....you are just doing what the atheists do. Criticizing others for their beliefs. You are right that it is a free country, and they can say thier piece just like you did. If you don't want people to mock you, then stop telling them what to do. Truth and reality out trump faith and hope any day. They are tangible. Who died and made you judge of what is right and wrong anyway? Christians mock atheists just as much as they mock other religions. Ethics people....thats all that matters. Treat people the way you would like to be treated. The world would be a much happier place if ethics were drilled into our heads instead of hopes and fancies of higher beings.
I have created the virgin mary out of non-flammable substances.
Witness my miracle!
So many of you are missing the point. Sheesh.
Do tell us what the point is, Suzanne. We`re all eyes.
I can see the point – its right here in the picture...the point where the fire stopped right? so if I can find a point where the fire stopped at a rock – does that make the rock holy? If it stopped by a particular tree does it make the tree blessed? if it stopped at...well you get the idea. Fires burn, fires stop. This one happened to stop at a statue hailing one of the biggest lies in mankind's history. Can we please get a count of how many virgin mary statues that did not stop fire? how about some data – thats how we do things in the real world...data and science
May God..or Darwin help you all...LOL. Just a joke...dont start with the rantings 🙂
Like I said above, I don't think this statue had anything to do with saveing the home, but sometimes you do wonder why things happen. I have a friend that lives in the mountains 50 mils from the nearest little town in northern Montana, he and his whole family are very devout Christians, I pray to have the same faith as he has. I don't know the year, but there was a huge fire that destroyed the surronding forest He tells how his family and house were completely surrounded by this fire, but it didn't touch a bit of their property. (I think, it is something like 20 acres) He gives the credit to God, and how can you deny him? He's here to tell the story. When he is home (he and his wife travels a lot) he still lives in the same little cabin.
Read stories about church bus accidents some time to get a better picture of reality.
Yes Bo, the simple mind of the believer is a gullible, indulgent beast. How did he explain the damage to other Christians' homes? They were not as pious as him?
"Observer", 10 of the 12 disciples were martyred and suffered cruel deaths. Bad stuff happens to good people, but praying that God takes care of you and protects you is still a good thing to do. What is actually being prayed for is God's Will to be done and hopefully that means protecting you and your family and love ones that day from all physical (or spiritual) harm. But when the day come to go home to God, as long as it is God's Will than so be it. One day we will all suffer a physical death, but as long as we follow Christ we will never have to suffer a spiritual one. Remember, Jesus came not to save us from this world but for all eternity.
I wonder what the reaction would have been if it was jus an ordinary garden gnome.
So if they put these statues all ove the fires would stop right? That's it, I am starting a business making these statues, never be another fire anywhere. lol
May I invest with you in this venture?
Yes you may.
And "believers" need to respect "non-believers" by not threatening infidels with an eternity of damnation. Personally, I loathe how both sides (theists & non-theists) are a great majority of zealots whose goal is to spout their beliefs until you finally nod your head to their beat. Both will prey upon a vulnerable person seeking spiritual enlightenment, manipulating one's conscience by responding to questions they do not have the answer for. Neither will tell you to think for yourself.
Think for yourself, and come to my conclusions.
Actually, "believers" believe in free will. Everyone has a choice to believe or not. Those that don't believe that when their life ends, it is over. Done. Kaput. Believers believe that there is more, and if you knew about that more, you'd believe as well. But that more isn't just Heaven, it is also hell. Hell is a choice. God doesn't put people there. They decide for themselves by how they live their lives. They choose it. The believer who believes that the choice of hell couldn't be wished upon their worst enemy....an eternity of torment, suffering and unimaginable pain. The believer believes that God wants everyone, so he's doing what God wants by evangelizing, and doing you a service by at least trying to explain it in a way you may listen. Not all are great at evangelizing or explaining. But they are trying. Why? because they care. You may not want to listen, you may not like what they have to say, but just realize they are saying it to try and help you in a way that you can't or won't understand.
How about some data...? isnt that something the "real" world uses to prove things out? Let's get a count of how many virgin mary statues had fire burn right past them compared to how many virgin mary statues the fire happened to stop at....1? oh you got just 1? come on people, you make the our race look stupid and you stifle human progress
I do know about that "more", my grandfather was a pasture and I was raised to believe that Jesus rejects any soul that doesn't believe in the gospel. That means no matter how good of a person you are, if you don't believe in the gospel, you will be going to hell (yeah, that "choice" you mention). Yup, that also means the billions of people living in this world, all other of God's creations, will be rejected for not believing in the gospel. That right there should make you scratch your head, but your elitism speaks volumes: "just realize they are saying it to try and help you in a way that you can't or won't understand." How are they helping anyone if their message cannot be understood by everyone? You're sorely mistaken by the word believe. You BELIEVE in hell. These "non-believers" you mention actually do BELIEVE there is no hell. Just because they don't share the same beliefs as you, does not mean they don't have their own set of beliefs.
*pastor