The Chiliean Mine Rescue

It has been quite a day.  Seeing each miner coming up through the shaft to daylight and freedom has been awe inspiring.  A great deal of praise is warranted for all of those who helped in the effort.

First, the miners themselves for finding a safe haven and staying calm while rescuers sought to determine their location.

To the first response rescuers who help drill the first bore hole to not only find the miners alive, but to provide a lifeline of much needed air, food, water, and communications.

To the mining company for bringing in experts from around the world to assist in the rescue, such as the NASA psychologists and doctors that helped rescuers interact with the miners.

To the Pennsylvania drill firm that heard the news about the rescue shaft not being done until December and saying we can do better and volunteered their services.

To the builders of the rescue capsule.

To the rescuers that went down first to help the miners for their trip up.

To the all the family, friends, and co-workers who assisted in the rescue.

But please, please don't praise God.  This is not a miracle.   This was a well organized, well coordinated effort by mere mortals.  There was nothing supernatural about what they did.  Nothing outside the realm of the laws of nature that would indicate any sort of divine intervention.  There just wasn't.

If you do want to praise God for the rescue, then do you also blame God for trapping them in the first place?  If not, why not?

Maybe, just maybe, there will be one honest miner in the bunch.  (As a side note, I think the depiction of the miners is uncalled for, they were obviously healthy looking and well groomed, but the message itself is good.)