"There seems to always be quite a lot of time on these threads either trying to convince yourself or others in the non existence of God...."etc

You know, Dan...what I see, and what concerns me, ...and why I started the thread...is the extremely common view voiced by those commenting on this disaster...and on other disasters, that 'God' does involve himself directly and 'save' or 'not save' individuals in such situations. *IF* you believe a supreme being is controlling what happens in minute detail, this belief will inevitably affect what you believe about your own responsibility for your own life and the lives of others.

We DO have fundamentalist preachers actually pounding on pulpits telling their flocks that "God wreaked vengeance on this person or that group.." for some fault or transgression. (Did anyone besides me read how New Orleans was blamed for its own flooding, due to its 'sins'?) This sort of thing happens almost daily about something, but it's only when some well-known preacher says it regarding some high-profile event that we go *tsk-tsk*.

   I noted this 'relatively' silly plane crash event because it represents a mind-set that can easily become a serious matter when some major event happens like 9/11...or huge tragedy like a tidal wave...or conflict like the current vindictiveness being shown to ALL Muslims over this Mosque in New York..(not really a Mosque).
If one is already 'primed' to believe in divine intervention over a plane crash, they are also more likely to 'believe' when some dubious authority figure tells them that 'God' wants 'X' person or 'Y' group to be persecuted.
It is not that I want to try to convince people to give up their religious beliefs.... I merely hope that people will stop and consider the REAL implication of certain attitudes and reasoning....that may even NOT be a part of their church's belief system! It does not require becoming an atheist to reflect on what what really is at work in plane crashes and simply be pleased in good fortune at surviving a tragedy.
   I do not wish to insult anyone's religion, even if I do not share it....but I DO wish that education and churches could work together to help people improve thinking about what their religion is really about and what it...and their God... can and cannot do.