Credit where credit is due

One of the things that really irritates me about religion is claiming credit from your deity when none is due. The rescue of the Chilean miners has resulted in three different Churches claiming credit from their interpretation of God of Abraham myths.

The three Christian denominations have each claimed credit for what they say is divine intervention in the survival – and expected imminent rescue – of the 33 men who have spent 67 days beneath the earth.

This belittles the enormous effort that real people have gone to, with no supernatural means at their disposal, to attempt this rescue.

Also, the question that springs to my mind is: why did their God let the mine collapse, and then help with the rescue? Answers on a postcard please (or in the comments).

Thankfully, in this instance, none of the miners died. However, I get even more incensed when there's a horrible disaster in which people die. So for example, I typed "pakistan floods god saved me" into Google, and at the top, found this:

“ But my mother recited Psalm 23 for me and held me close to her. I thank my mum for her strong faith that encouraged me to walk along with her in deep dirty water. I thank God for keeping my family safe. I will never forget this experience of how God saved me and my mother from the clutches of death as long as I live.”

I find quotes like these offensive. I could tell you why, but this video does it far better [contains one rude word]: