This letter was written to the Arizona Daily Sun, Flagstaff, January 17, 1990, in response to a story that run on New Year’s Eve about a tragic multi-vehicle accident in the fog. Many lives were Lost. It was written by Mr. Dan Barker, former Baptist minister and evangelist.
I read with dismay your front page December 31 stories about the tragic pile-up on I-40. Who would not be saddened by such a horror?
I was surprised, however, by what appears to be an unnecessary intrusion of religious bias into the related story, “Family thankful to survive horror.” It is not inappropriate for a reporter to quote the religious beliefs of interviewees, or to mention religion if it is relevant to the story, as long as it is objective and balanced. Sweitzer’s piece, however, seems to cross the line from reporting to Christian cheerleading.
The Singletons prayed before leaving on their trip, and it is their belief that this prayer kept them alive. They are entitled to this belief, but Sweitzer says they “know who saved them.” He gives the complete irrelevant report that “Singleton’s wife talked earnestly to one trucker and he became a born again Christian on the spot.” Assuming that this is a good thing, Assuming that your readers would know what is a born again Christian, and doing nothing to move the story. If the trucker had converted to Islam during the tragety, would that have been deemed relevant?
The praise and thanksgiving should go to the school districts that helped with buses, to the Flagstaff police and fire departments who saved lives, to the expert medical care of the Flagstaff Medical Center, and to the humanitarian efforts of the Red Cross. These are human, secular groups that put compassion into action. It is understandable that individuals will turn to their faith for comfort in times of distress, but using an occasion to thank and recognize a deity is ludicrous.
Why would a deity allow such an accident? Were those who were killed and injured undeserving of protection? Did the victims not pray hard enough that day? When the accident first started too occur, when the first vehicle went out of control, did did the watchful deity say, “Okay, here we go! Let’s see. Car #6 swerve this way because you haven’t prayed all week. Truck #4 can totally flip out of control because the driver missed church last week. Oh look! Van #3 has occupants who prayed this morning; OK smash the van but not too hard, they can probably scramble out and up the hill to observe how I punish the atheist in the station wagon, and let’s see. Yes! I’ll crush the mother, father, and sister, but let the one little girl live for a few hours.” And so on.
Who would love such a monster?
Did it occur to the Singletons. Or the reporter. That if they had not spent time praying that morning before leaving on their trip. Their car might have been a mile or two farther up the road (depending on how long they prayed), avoiding the accident altogether?
Let’s ask the injured (we can’t talk to the fatalities) if any of them prayed that morning. It was the Sabbath, after all. How many of them are (were) deeply religious people? What kind of message does this insensitive story send to those less fortunate?
One of the survivors of the crash of flight 232 in Iowa is an atheist and secular humanist, Peter Wernick. He credits his survival with the heroic human efforts of the pilots and with luck. Many Christians died in that crash. Let’s hear the Singleton’s story. But let’s be careful to avoid ‘Bible-belt journalism” in the reporting.
Dan Barker
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I read with dismay your front page December 31 stories about the tragic pile-up on I-40. Who would not be saddened by such a horror?
I was surprised, however, by what appears to be an unnecessary intrusion of religious bias into the related story, “Family thankful to survive horror.” It is not inappropriate for a reporter to quote the religious beliefs of interviewees, or to mention religion if it is relevant to the story, as long as it is objective and balanced. Sweitzer’s piece, however, seems to cross the line from reporting to Christian cheerleading.
The Singletons prayed before leaving on their trip, and it is their belief that this prayer kept them alive. They are entitled to this belief, but Sweitzer says they “know who saved them.” He gives the complete irrelevant report that “Singleton’s wife talked earnestly to one trucker and he became a born again Christian on the spot.” Assuming that this is a good thing, Assuming that your readers would know what is a born again Christian, and doing nothing to move the story. If the trucker had converted to Islam during the tragety, would that have been deemed relevant?
The praise and thanksgiving should go to the school districts that helped with buses, to the Flagstaff police and fire departments who saved lives, to the expert medical care of the Flagstaff Medical Center, and to the humanitarian efforts of the Red Cross. These are human, secular groups that put compassion into action. It is understandable that individuals will turn to their faith for comfort in times of distress, but using an occasion to thank and recognize a deity is ludicrous.
Why would a deity allow such an accident? Were those who were killed and injured undeserving of protection? Did the victims not pray hard enough that day? When the accident first started too occur, when the first vehicle went out of control, did did the watchful deity say, “Okay, here we go! Let’s see. Car #6 swerve this way because you haven’t prayed all week. Truck #4 can totally flip out of control because the driver missed church last week. Oh look! Van #3 has occupants who prayed this morning; OK smash the van but not too hard, they can probably scramble out and up the hill to observe how I punish the atheist in the station wagon, and let’s see. Yes! I’ll crush the mother, father, and sister, but let the one little girl live for a few hours.” And so on.
Who would love such a monster?
Did it occur to the Singletons. Or the reporter. That if they had not spent time praying that morning before leaving on their trip. Their car might have been a mile or two farther up the road (depending on how long they prayed), avoiding the accident altogether?
Let’s ask the injured (we can’t talk to the fatalities) if any of them prayed that morning. It was the Sabbath, after all. How many of them are (were) deeply religious people? What kind of message does this insensitive story send to those less fortunate?
One of the survivors of the crash of flight 232 in Iowa is an atheist and secular humanist, Peter Wernick. He credits his survival with the heroic human efforts of the pilots and with luck. Many Christians died in that crash. Let’s hear the Singleton’s story. But let’s be careful to avoid ‘Bible-belt journalism” in the reporting.
Dan Barker
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