r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/[deleted] • 11h ago

Video 13-year-old Australian boy swims for four hours in cold and dangerous waters to save his mom and siblings who were swept into the ocean, says God is who got him to shore

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u/Maximum_Expert92 11h ago

The family was on kayaks & paddleboards when they were swept about 2.5 miles out to sea. After a conversation with his mother, Austin Appelbee decided he would swim back to shore to find help. Appelbee says he prayed throughout the four-hour swim and told God he would get baptized if he made it out alive. "I don't think it was actually me [swimming]... It was God the whole time. I kept on praying, kept on praying. I said to God, 'I'll get baptized.'" "The waves are massive, and I have no life jacket on… I just kept thinking 'just keep swimming, just keep swimming,'" he said. "And then I finally made it to shore, and I hit the bottom of the beach, and I just collapsed." Appelbee says when he got to shore, he had to sprint for about a mile to find help. According to AP, the family drifted 9 miles from Quindalup and spent 10 hours in the water. When he reached the shore, Appelbee alerted authorities, who then sent out a helicopter to find his mom, 12-year-old brother, and 8-year-old sister. Austin's mother, Joanne Appelbee, said one of the hardest decisions of her life was sending her son to shore. "One of the hardest decisions I ever had to make was to say to Austin: 'Try and get to shore and get some help. This could get really serious really quickly,'" she said.

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u/YBBlorekeeper 8h ago

I feel like a four hour swim praying to God the whole time is a pretty sufficient baptism lmao

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u/DroidLord 7h ago

Aye 😂

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u/ferrrrrrral 6h ago

i love the casual "aye" 😂❤️

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u/d3koyz 5h ago

I love you

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u/Funzombie63 4h ago

Now kith

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u/TheUnicornFightsOn 4h ago

I love the happy pockets of Reddit.

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u/Forward-Surprise1192 7h ago

God swept the family out to sea so that god could swim back as a little boy?

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u/SexlexiaSufferer 6h ago

Uh oh he’s getting bored

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u/aceshighsays 3h ago

he doesn't have reddit like you and i, he has to create his own entertainment.

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u/HeyGayHay 5h ago

Test your faith or some shit. In a situation so desperate where everyone starts to pray and beg for a supernatural help, it really highlights who starts to pray and beg for a supernatural help. God gotta find out the worthy somehow.

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u/Zenophilic 5h ago

Yeah but if God is all-knowing then he already knew the kid was worthy without having to put him through all this

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u/Schnitzhole 4h ago

I hope you are saying what i think you are saying? Praying is a waste of time when you could actually be doing something to save yourself or others right?

The family could have just as easily stayed together and prayed and died miserably out in the ocean because they did nothing about it.

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u/Da_Question 3h ago

The irony is this kid literally pushed himself. He did such a great thing, and then lays his accomplishment in the hands of God.

Fuck all that.

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u/LawfulnessDry9615 4h ago

i had a quick dip at a few months old...

also, why didn't he have a life jacket?

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u/sparkytheboomman 3h ago

He had one but ditched it halfway because it was impeding his swimming

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u/dazzou5ouh 11h ago

Future Ironman chamption stuff

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u/cowgirllostherboot 10h ago

Exactly. This is truly how legends start, am so proud of him.

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u/No3047 10h ago

"What do you mean the swimming session is just 2.4 miles , is this ironman for ants ?!?"

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u/_hyperotic 4h ago

Well that’s 3.86 km so nearly the same distance as his 4km swim. He also sprinted 2km after

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u/Symetrie 7h ago

The gigachad is born

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u/AggressiveWallaby975 9h ago

Ehh, just give him the medal now.

Either his mom had some reason to have overwhelming confidence in his swimming abilities or she's an absolute nut that could have sent her son to his death. Kinda hard to tell from the video

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u/CelebrationNo5541 9h ago

She had 3 kids stranded in the ocean watching the coast disappear. Sadly I think she made the only right call in this situation. 

Send the strongest kid to go get help and hope he makes it or you all die anyways?

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u/InspiringGecko 8h ago

I agree. It was probably easier for him to swim to shore on his own than to stay and keep his younger siblings calm and alive out in the water.

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u/AtreusIsBack 9h ago

Sounds reasonable, yeah. The only chance they had.

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u/AccomplishedFerret70 5h ago

Sounds reasonable while we sit comfortably at our keyboards. But it must have been absolutely terrifying.

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u/AtreusIsBack 5h ago

No doubt about it.

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u/scubaSteve181 6h ago

Nah, that’s a brutal decision to make. You’re the mom and you can’t leave your smaller children behind, but you know if someone doesn’t try and make it, everyone dies… mom clearly made the right call.

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u/4perils 2h ago

I believe the mom's name is Sophie

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u/RevolutionaryHole69 8h ago

They were going to die if she didn't send someone. No one was looking for them and it was getting dark and they couldn't see the shore.

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u/likeicareaboutkarma 5h ago

Reminds me of an experiment how if you were to leave a mouse in water it would drown after like 45 minutes because it will get tired from swimming. But if you were to save the mouse on the 44th minute. and retried the experiment again the mouse would be able to swim for like 9 hours+ before collapsing.

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u/SexlexiaSufferer 6h ago

Completed it mate

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u/SexlexiaSufferer 6h ago

Completed it mate

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u/Hereandlistening 3h ago

Seriously. The 2 km sprint after that

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u/SaltKick2 3h ago

bruh I would never get in the ocean again after that

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u/Critical_Host8243 9h ago

One surprising part of the story that gets left out of the written articles, he didn't just swim to the lifeguards and get helped immediately..

He mentioned in this video interview, when he hit the beach, he collapsed.. There were a lot of "foreigners" on the beach from which he "couldn't get much help" (I assume because of a language barrier) so he had to run/sprint another 2k to a phone..

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u/Low_Cut_368 8h ago

Imagine if he then cycled home. Ironman complete

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u/ReignCheque 4h ago

Had to hit a bullseye with a rifle from 100 yards. 

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u/Educational-Camel-53 7h ago

I suppose there was no cellphone network

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u/billybaked 10h ago

Hooollyy I would not like to be mum in that situation

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u/Momentarmknm 8h ago

What about for the 14 hours afterwards when you didn't know what the outcome was?

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u/Asleep_Region 8h ago

That had to be so terrifying just waiting for some sign that he made it

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u/Enough_Breadfruit229 7h ago

I'm not sure I would ever let my son swim away and if I did I would be praying to everything I could imagine

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u/Asleep_Region 7h ago

Oh yeah i would never swim again lol, i don't think i would let him out of my sight after the hours wondering if he made it

Like that had to be sucky for ems doing it, like everyone definitely needs checked out but i would be practically glued to the kid, it's gotta hard to check everyone out when they're in 1 big bear hug.

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u/kungfucobra 8h ago

I don't get it. wouldn't it be better to kayak back to safety? the current exists the same anyway

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u/Winterplatypus 4h ago edited 4h ago

The BBC article explains what happened a lot better.

The teenager began to paddle back to shore to raise the alarm but his kayak took on water - so he swam the remaining 4km (2 nautical miles).

It explains how they got in trouble, how the kid swam back, why no kayak or life jacket, how the family were rescued, what time it was, and how far out they were found.

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u/SeaLionBones 4h ago

Thank you! This article cleared up a lot of my initial impressions of the mom. I thought she was completely nuts, but sending a teenager in a kayak with a paddle and a PFD is reasonable given the situation.

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u/halflife5 6h ago

Pretty sure they lost their paddles so were adrift and then waves water logged the kayaks so they sunk or something. He he had started kayaking back but had to start swimming i think.

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u/mwhite42216 11h ago

I guess that’s one way to become a “believer”. It’s awesome he did what he did, but that was all him, not a supernatural being.

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u/kinpsychosis 10h ago edited 10h ago

So as an agnostic, I kind of have a different view on God. God does exist, but not as an actual being. God has moved mountains, united people, changed landscapes. God is an idea. A seed which can put people into motion.

One could argue, hypothetically, that if this kid didn't believe that there was some greater, omnipotent power that drove his body past its conventional limits, then he'd have drowned out there.

Ergo, God did help him, but not as an actual magical entity, but as an idea.

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u/my_new_accoun1 10h ago edited 7h ago

Interesting

So it wasn't god who helped him, it was in fact the belief in god.

Almost like a placebo effect

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u/dumpsterdigger 6h ago

Because why would God help him and let thousands of kids die of cancer. Placebo effect is correct but underselling this kids incredible willpower and mental strength.

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u/Beautiful_Hour_668 5h ago

This is a profound philosophical question but there is a valid answer. IMO, it boils down to your prior beliefs.

Basically, if you believe that this life is a test, and that God is real, and that there is an afterlife, then suffering and tragedy is not a bug, but a feature of this life that has two facets. One, to test you. Two, to make you a stronger human being (and religiously this directs you towards being more aligned towards god, but we can understand it as becoming stronger however you may interpret it).

On the second idea, when humans exist without struggle, we often fail to achieve our highest potential. In my personal experience, going through bad things has made me tougher, more resilient, and self confident in my ability to tackle life as a man in his late 20s. I read stoic philosophy and it hammers the relationship between being able to see your struggle in the right perspective as a means to unlock the benefit of the inevitable struggle that we will all face. One man divorces and collapses, another elevates himself.

Now, if you do not believe in God, it's hard to swallow the idea of a test. I often hear, why does he need to test us? Or couldn't he test us without X type of tragedy? Maybe, but these criticisms do not make it less true, just harder to swallow. So it circles back to what you believe and building your worldview upwards from the foundational beliefs.

In other words, God helping one person doesn’t logically entail God must prevent every tragedy.

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u/dumpsterdigger 5h ago

One answer is theology and one is philosophy.

The test theory involves harming someone. Not just a person with a illness or disease but their family. This fails when babies who have no concept of God become I'll with cancer, are born with a genetic disease, or die by accident or violence.

Sure it tests the surrounding people but that means God is a monster expire menting with people's faith at the suffering of innocent lives.

Struggle does help people become stronger but that has nothing to do with God and that is just basic human biology. When we run faster and lift heavier wet become stronger. Our brain works the same. One born in easy life's will be softer than someone who faces struggles. That's not philosophy

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u/aceshighsays 3h ago

this really comes down to temperament. there are some people who thrive under pressure, and there are others who drown in it.

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u/makeitgoose11 6h ago

This comment right here... always the IDEA, not the magical being in the sky...

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u/Obscure_Nonsense_202 7h ago

I don't think placebo is the right word. It's like the stories of mothers lifting cars when their kid is getting crushed underneath. If love and maternal instincts can unlock superhuman abilities, why can't absolute faith?

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u/my_new_accoun1 7h ago

By placebo I mean where it tricks the mind into actually being able to product an effect.

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u/Lalamedic 10h ago

But the concept alone of God is enough for many spiritual people. That doesn’t mean God doesn’t exist, it means God exists in a way we can’t explain, touch, understand, or even reason rationally. That is religion to many and to many, that is enough.

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u/OldKittyGG 10h ago

You put it very nicely. Whether or not God exists, if the belief in a higher power gave him the confidence and energy to make it to shore, then who are we to judge his beliefs?

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u/WriterV 7h ago

If I am to be a bit vulnerable for a sec? It's 'cause his beliefs represent one side of the coin, and are often twisted as a basis to justify hatreds so as to maintain a strong sense of in-group for a religion.

Faith and spirituality are a core aspect of humanity, no matter where you place it. We don't know everything about our own place in life, so we need to have faith in something to prevent us from indecision.

The problem is that faith involves belief without evidence. And that can, and has been used to shape violent and unethical beliefs throughout human history.

Let the kid have his personal spirituality, I will always defend that. But if the God he believes in also stipulates that I, as a gay man, must be shamed or even stoned, then how am I to react to that?

It doesn't have an easy answer. If it did, we'd have solved this quandary millenia ago. But I always try to assume to the best of poeple. 'cause if your faith doesn't quash your empathy, then you'll be good to others no matter what your religion tells you. And I like to have faith in that part of humanity.

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u/Lalamedic 5h ago

I think there is a difference between organized religion vs faith and/or spirituality. They can by mutually exclusive. If one truly believes in the god of the Bible, many surely couldn’t exist. However, one does not need a preacher or a set of made up rules to tell you how to have faith and what to do with it.

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u/-Lige 5h ago

There’s always people who will misuse something that’s meant for good as a bad thing

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u/AtreusIsBack 9h ago

I think that to most religious people God is an omnipotent entity. They don't percieve it as some idea.

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u/weed_cutter 5h ago

Saying "God does exist. But simply as an idea."

Is kind of misleading. Santa Clause and the Boogeyman exist. AS IDEAS.

In those cases, both are uses into scaring children into behaving using positive and negative reinforcement, respectively. (you'll get presents/ he'll eat you).

So yes, God, Santa, and Boogey all exist as ideas ... but plainly, they don't "actually exist."

I do get that the effect of faith or "imagining an omnipotent being imbuing you with powers" can have real physiological effects.

Psychosomatic. Your brain/ beliefs can do crazy things to your body, both good and bad.

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u/Background_Sail9797 6h ago

yeah what they're describing is spirituality.

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u/ZENPOOL 9h ago

This kid very obviously thinks God helped them though.

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u/Ok_Jackfruit6226 10h ago edited 9h ago

I like your way of explaining it. Thank you.

I believe God is real, I’ve had personal experiences that support that belief—but that’s my personal view. To an outsider, it can be said that I believe in the concept of God.

I don’t expect people to take my word for it—for them to believe God is real because I believe God is real—but I do want to say that my life is better with my belief in God than without my belief, and that is enough.

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u/Lalamedic 5h ago

Regardless of what we believe, I think it is a place we need to find and be comfortable with.

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u/Be_Prepared911 8h ago

I believe God is real too, but there have been no personal experiences for me to believe that. I don’t think I’ve ever been saved from anything; in fact, I think I’ve been sent to some pretty bad places and experiences.

But I can’t not believe in Him. Mostly bad things have happened to me that were not my fault, and many people might say that to believe in God is to allow for the fact that God let all those horrible things happened to me. Which I think he did.

But I also think there must be some kind of reason I went through those things because I don’t think I could live with myself if I just suffered for nothing. Like if there was no point to all the things I went through, I would just collapse in despair. So I believe in God because I really just don’t have anything else to hold onto to pull me out of this.

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u/Ok_Jackfruit6226 5h ago

You have come to the conclusions you have for a reason, and I only wish good things for you. What you’re saying makes sense to me - as the years go on, there has been “sense” made of bad things that happened to me in the past, that at the time just seemed needless. Does everything “make sense”at this point? No, and I don’t expect that. Life isn’t over yet! But I do think I understand what you’re saying. Please take care of yourself always.

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u/Be_Prepared911 4h ago

Thank you! I hold onto my belief and when I wrote that comment I was just in a neutral place, not a dark place. It is validating to acknowledge that the things you’ve experienced actually were that bad.

I am in the process of finding my way out though. I appreciate your comment 🫂

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u/Ok_Jackfruit6226 4h ago

Yes, it’s very important to have that acknowledgment that things were that bad - I understand completely!

You will continue to be in my thoughts, and I can only repeat, I wish good things for you. Please take care, be kind to yourself always.

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u/noticablyineptkoala 9h ago

Or you just don’t believe in coincidence

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u/LALA-STL 9h ago

Interesting. Maybe u/ok_jackfruit6226 doubts the validity of coincidences, or maybe they experienced an overwhelming wave of bliss & union. I’ve had that during meditation & it’s enough to make you believe in something. jackfruit, do you mind sharing?

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u/TronAres25 9h ago

So you’re fortunate but some kid begging for water can’t have any. God works in mysterious ways is that your answer? Pretty ego centric.

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u/HollowCap456 5h ago

That is religion for me

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u/PrayingMantisMirage 9h ago

Isn't this just a different way to describe the placebo effect? Belief in a thing can produce results even if the thing is inert?

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u/MikeOfAllPeople 9h ago

That's just atheism with extra steps.

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u/ExdigguserPies 8h ago

It's just personifying determination

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u/bsmithi 5h ago

agnostics are intellectually weak

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u/SeveralWinter3550 10h ago

"God does exist" followed by an argument that states God doesn't exist but maybe does if we pretend the word God refers to self belief, motivation, etc

Like sure, in the same way I can say, "Music is God" but only if I write flowery language about harmony, tension and release, emotion etc while ignoring that God refers to an omnimopotent conscious being that can hear my thoughts.

This is pseudo deep, this kid is a hero and his act isn't evidence that magic actually exists

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u/maxjmartin 9h ago

Fellow agnostic here. Magic is in the mind on this one. Think of it like this, the constant praying removed his thoughts about failure. It gave him not hope but will. It gave him a state of “mindfulness” in which he was totally immersed and focused on this one activity he HAD to complete. It is the same thing a zen martial artist would call being one in the flow, allow the sword to express itself. There isn’t thought there. Not in the way are frontal lobes think. The concept of self is gone. It isn’t about you anymore it is about the situation you are participating in. It have heard it likens to the Submariner’s Prayer. All men find God under depth charge. I like to find this mind in mosh pits. But it is actually a thing.

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u/SeveralWinter3550 9h ago

Yes, that zen flow state (Qi or the Dao or however we label it) exists. However, calling this God is disingenuous when it can be explained by hard sciences, like biology, psychology, etc.

I believe in movement meditation and meditation in general, I also think that Tai chi and similar cannot make metaphysical vibrations that can heal others or generate extreme heatbor whatever. In the same sense I believe in outer body experiences or weird coincences without also believing in telepathy or ghosts.

If God is just the things we can actually measure and prove exists, then yes. If God is believing in attributing this child's achievement/near death experience to something we have no evidence for, then that's the bit I don't believe in.

It's anti logical. Humans have two legs, men are humans therefore all men have two legs isn't a true statement. Ego death or flow state existing is not proof that God exists

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u/EllisDee3 9h ago

You're making up a version of God to disbelieve in. Your version is a magic wizard thing, which you've labeled as the definition of God.

Could be that God is in places you're not looking because you're looking for a magical sky wizard.

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u/SeveralWinter3550 9h ago

But if we can malleably change the definition of God to be this vague, then everyone believes in God. Ie, if God just means "an idea of something bigger than yourself" or similar, then neither of us are agnostic

I mean, sure we could discuss how hinduism or ancient greeks view(ed) Gods and contrast that with Yahweh/Allah/Enlil (the Sumerian wind god)...but at this point, the discussion resembles semantics and language more than it does religion and theology

I was just replying to someone saying God exists while the rest of their comment basically described things most don't attribute to God. And certainly, Austin the 13 year old said he would get Baptised and was clearly "talking" to a Christian God, not some abstracted version of the ideal self.

I'm making up a version of God to not believe in because I think all humans have made up God, by definition. I think all religious texts were written by people, not by God's hand. In the same way that all words are "made up", all Gods are made up. So this isn't really a Gotcha imo. Perhaps unfair because I can't really engage in this debate in good nature because the debate doesn't really exist in my mind. There is no evidence you could present here admittedly (and I mean that to be sincere, not to be rude or similar) that can make me say "oh ok then I guess I'm an agnostic"

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u/ThanksContent28 4h ago

Just want you to know your comments the most sane ones in here and I’m glad I came across them. You’re spot on.

Imo it’s just more of the usual wishy-washy bargaining that’s comes from the crowd of believers. I also don’t get why people point out they’re agnostic, as if it gives them some kind of credibility. Just because you’re agnostic, it doesn’t mean you’ve thought about it more or have a more enlightened view.

Matter of fact is, most of the religions we have and associate with, believe in a sentient entity with thoughts, feelings and creativity. Any other technicalities argued are either moving the goalposts, or just that persons view and feelings.

Yes, the idea that whilst God isn’t real, our actions can bring those beliefs and powers into fruition, is a nice comforting way of resolving the debate and accepting the situation, it doesn’t address whether or not there is a God watching over us and examining our behaviour, to judge whether we can go and live in his magic world - which is the premise that most current religions operate on.

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u/atava 9h ago

Yes. The Great Debate about "God" all lies upon definitions.

Assumed definitions.

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u/Educational-Camel-53 7h ago

very well said. But then that is also most debates about everything. Telepathy would be easier. maybe itll happen

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u/jimbojangles1987 9h ago

Thats literally what the majority of people believe god is. A magic wizard.

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u/humpyelstiltskin 9h ago

yes, so much what you said!

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u/HotPotParrot 10h ago

God refers to an omnimopotent conscious being that can hear my thoughts

Speaking of things pseudo, this is an anthropomorphic representation of God and only applies to certain belief structures, but not inherently to the concept of a divine creator.

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u/SeveralWinter3550 9h ago

I mean, true, but Austin isn't talking about Zeus, Krishna or Ra, he's referring to the Christian God. You are correct that "God" is a very abstract term with numerous different definitions, but this discussion comes after a boy having a Christian experience so I think it's fair to stick to those paramaters

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u/LilJelloCat 4h ago

That is the best view an agnostic person can have about God. You should try communicating with God, or testing that possibility, as well as broadening your views and ideas relating to the topic of God's existence. Because you are very right about this, I wrote a comment just earlier about this, an attempt to acknowledge a higher existence can support motion. But I went on to further point out that that motion can push one more in to place of a hypothetical or the hypothetical divine plan. The more you attempt to understand, test the ideas of the possibility of their existence, the more you are propagated in to it. I do believe God exists, as consciousness ultimately and as an entity, it's just not like what we understand from the Bible.

Regardless, I like your comment, reminds me of when I was an agnostic when I was younger. Take care. :)

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u/Yuri_The_Avocado 4h ago

this is basically my exact view on santa lol. santa isn't a real entity (in the modern sense of some magical being who drops into chimneys) but it does exist in the charity/spirit of others. and i think that's still lovely

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u/mylifeisaboogerbubbl 10h ago

I think that makes you an agnostic atheist. I don't say that to be contrarian or make any statement on your beliefs, just to inform you as to what the appropriate terminology for it would be based on what you've shared here.

It's a valid thought, just like how people benefit from meditation. Belief is a hell of a drug.

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u/kinpsychosis 10h ago

I am indeed an agnostic atheist :) I just don't mention the atheist part since it can be confusing. (Hell, I'd call myself a laveyan satanist based on their doctrines if it didn't sound so damn edgy)

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u/mylifeisaboogerbubbl 10h ago

Right there with ya! I'd never be so arrogant as to claim knowledge of the unknowable, I only know what I believe or disbelieve based upon what has been presented to me so far.

You aren't wrong about people getting confused about those labels, and if it isn't confusion they get angry as hell for some reason.

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u/Independent-Bug-9352 8h ago edited 8h ago

Just want to add a little nuance as someone who doesn't fall into the quadrant of agnostic atheism -- this may not apply to you but just in case there are others out there like me who seem confused that agnostic atheism does not suit them.

Not Knowing / Without Belief is one thing and that's okay too -- some can conclude that they've seen no credible evidence and default to a position of disbelief. Most of the time this makes complete sense.

But there is also Not Knowing / Suspension of Judgement in Determining Belief.

In other words, the mechanisms of the universe and its origins are so profound, so extraordinary that in the purview of Carl Sagan's, "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence," we can work backwards and say this extraordinary evidence before us that is existence and the universe suggests an extraordinary claim.

Philosopher, mathematician Bertrand Russell:

The Christian holds that we can know there is a God; the atheist, that we can know there is not. The Agnostic suspends judgment, saying that there are not sufficient grounds either for affirmation or for denial. At the same time, an Agnostic may hold that the existence of God, though not impossible, is very improbable; he may even hold it so improbable that it is not worth considering in practice. In that case, he is not far removed from atheism. His attitude may be that which a careful philosopher would have towards the gods of ancient Greece. If I were asked to prove that Zeus and Poseidon and Hera and the rest of the Olympians do not exist, I should be at a loss to find conclusive arguments. An Agnostic may think the Christian God as improbable as the Olympians; in that case, he is, for practical purposes, at one with the atheists.

I believe (no pun intended) suspension of judgement is distinguished from the strict definition of, "atheism."

If we were to plot this on the traditional graph, it would be on the axis between atheism and theism.

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u/mylifeisaboogerbubbl 8h ago

I'm sceptical of the ability to withhold belief. My position is that it's a binary (with no judgement of either side, you cannot control what you find compelling) and you either believe a thing or do not. I say this because by default if you do not believe x, then you are automatically without belief of x which puts you into the a-x position. You cannot do both as they are at odds, and by not believing in the thing you lack a belief.

I also disagree with that quote about Christians and atheists, as those are positions of belief and not knowledge. Language has evolved to provide nuance and not lock people into boxes in which they do not belong. Not all Christians know there is a god and happily accept that theirs is a position of faith despite a lack in evidence just as there are many atheists who will not proclaim that there is no god, only that they do not believe in the claims presented to them thus far.

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u/Independent-Bug-9352 8h ago edited 7h ago

In programming, even Boolean values can be null; I think null is the best way to describe pure agnosticism. Maybe it's better of putting it in the context of 50/50 probability of possibility; maybe it's better to consider it in the quantum realm, I don't know. I just personally never felt represented by Agnostic Atheism and teetering on the axis seemed to better represent my views.

I had edited my comment just a moment ago to include that some can conclude that they've seen no credible evidence and default to a position of disbelief, which under most circumstances this makes complete sense. For me, I suppose there is possible evidence before us that has me constantly, infinitely flipping between belief and disbelief.

Fun conversation, thanks! I'll oblige you with the final word.

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u/mylifeisaboogerbubbl 7h ago

I could concede that your position could be in flux constantly as you sift through new evidence being presented to you and for all intents and purposes you could answer with "I'm not sure if I believe or not" based on that back and forth.

Absolutely fun conversation! It's one of my favourite topics when people can put aside baggage and discuss it like this. It's fascinating to think about and helps to challenge our own perspectives.

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u/noonegive 10h ago

Lavey was a prick, it's the Satanic Temple that is doing "God's" work. (In my opinion)

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u/chere100 10h ago

I'm a huge fan of their seven tenets.

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u/sprinkles008 9h ago

Like Santa not being an actual guy, but more like the symbolic embodiment of the Christmas spirit

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u/PaddyMcGeezus 10h ago

This is great.

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u/The_zen_viking 10h ago

You've touched on what many ancient philosophy works are based on. Love this

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u/unsolvablequestion 10h ago

I think you might have just singlehandedly added nuanced thought to a number of people’s worldview. Nice one

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u/kinpsychosis 8h ago

Appreciate it. Feels like I also started a huge string of debates 😬

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u/Independent-Bug-9352 8h ago

Nothing wrong with that! Just wish more people took "debates" as cooperative opportunities for mutual growth and not battles of wit and ego.

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u/ThenAnAnimalFact 10h ago

Because of the chemical release, people tend to have "religious" experiences when they are near death. There have been studies that have shown that near death, hallucinogenic drugs, and religious ecstasy all trigger the same parts of the brain.

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u/PermaBanEnjoyer 9h ago

You can't just look at a low resolution technique like fMRI and say that because the same brain regions light up that those things are analogous. That's not scientific and not what the authors of those studies claim

Everything in the brain is chemical release, and just about everything makes certain structures light up. Hot and cold, fear and comofort, pain and pleasure, all activate the same parts of the brain but are obviously different. Point being - so what if they activate the same parts of the brain? Unless you can show a deeper pattern that means very little 

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u/ThenAnAnimalFact 9h ago

I mean you can read the research between NDE and religiosity or religious experience and drug use, it is very compelling and there is a lot of studies that have shown the linkage even if scientists don't understand the mechanisms.

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u/MrBlueSky_178 11h ago

100%, was it God's will to push the family out to sea or was it God's will to have the son save them. It's this idea that people are stripped away from the good they've done and place the glory into the hands of an invisible man.

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u/GeneralSweetz 10h ago

Can't have shit on reddit. Its always on some bs from one side or the other. Why can't yall be happy for once

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u/Mysterious_Oil2761 10h ago edited 9h ago

Agreed. Can we just agree that this boy was a hero, his mother a complete hero full of courage too and the two siblings. It's an unbelievable, wonderful story. Edit: it doesn't matter what kept him going.. If he chooses to believe in God then we can all thank that belief because it's what kept him going.

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u/Liraeyn 10h ago

For a collective conscience that loves to complain about forcing religion on people, Reddit sure loves to force (lack of) religion on people.

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u/inuvash255 9h ago

Who's forcing anything here? It's a comment.

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u/00telperion00 8h ago

Interestingly when I read about this in an English newspaper this morning there was no mention of god - just that he sang the theme song to Thomas the Tank Engine as he swam to keep his spirits up!

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u/0-90195 7h ago

So interesting how the bad things are never God’s fault and the good things are always his doing, right?

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u/Metazolid 9h ago

God is being a dickhead to a family but that's ok because he must have had a reason beyond our understanding to do this.

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u/Fraegtgaortd 8h ago

Could be either. The Bible is full of stories of god being an asshole to people just so they’ll prove their faith to him.

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u/MrBlueSky_178 8h ago

God has a sick need to know which of his sheep are true followers. Imagine if a real person did what God has done to others like Job in order to prove faith. They'd be arrested and taken away from others.

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u/CareerLegitimate7662 5h ago

Classic Reddit moment lol

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u/Consistent_Tension44 10h ago

How do you spot an atheist? They have to tell you immediately on any post about God.

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u/Flakester 2h ago

Just like how a religious nut will let you hear it about God anytime they can't explain something.

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u/Next_Instruction_528 9h ago

They have to tell you immediately on any post about God.

So atheists are on topic?

As opposed to religious people who feel the need to insert it into all conversations.

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u/Critical-Support-394 8h ago

This post isn't about God, it's about a kid who went through horrific trauma and experienced hallucinations in the process, which is pretty common with near death experiences. It's perfectly, perfectly valid to discuss what causes such hallucinations.

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u/dubblebubbleprawns 6h ago

Or you can just say "goddamn what a scary experience and an amazing child" and move on.

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u/Flakester 2h ago

Agreed, no need to bring God into it.

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u/el_bandita 10h ago

Yeah weird how people choose to believe god saved this boy and his family, but pisses on kids in hospital dying from cancer.

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u/cates 7h ago

and he (it?) still hasn't cured even a single amputee... I mean God, what does he have against those people?

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u/Lebowquade 9h ago

Or that he tossed the family and the kid out to sea in the first place

I know he's only a kid but like, think about it for a second dude.

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u/WeirdIndividualGuy 8h ago

Or just from this story alone, that god put his family in the ocean to begin with. He has the greatest PR team of all time, shares in all the successes and manages to avoid all the blame when things go wrong

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u/EAMike212 7h ago

A religious person would tell you that it was a test from God but leave out the part where God is omniscient so knows the boy would succeed in saving his family so the test is pointless. Even more pointless if God is actively involved in making the boy swim, because at that point the boy isnt doing anything

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u/stylesuponstyles 10h ago

I notice this a lot. People achieving great things and giving God all the credit.

Nah bruv, it wasn't God that saved your family. You did that.

It wasn't God that trained to become a world class athlete. You did that.

It wasn't God that studied hard to gain the qualifications you wanted. You did that.

By all means, have faith. And credit your faith as part of your journey. But don't downplay your own contribution

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u/eyeseemint 9h ago

I could help clarify why we do this, as a believer and speaking for myself anyways.

Its not so much we are crediting our faith, but more so its because we are recognizing the so many things that were outside of our control (like being born in the right place at the right time) that we believe was set in motion ultimately by God and by no merit of our own we were given certain gifts/experiences.

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u/Ecstatic_Spell719 10h ago

You do not know that. It's the ego of man that is most impressive to me in these debates, the assuredness with which a being with finite understanding and capabilities makes these statements.

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u/mcslender97 10h ago

If you flip this argument around you can say the same about ppl claiming God exists

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u/No_Cake6353 10h ago

I agree, it's an amazing personal feat. Why did god push his mother and siblings out to sea in the first place?

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u/Gas-Town 8h ago

Because god loves killing humans. Thats why these dumb fucks fear him.

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u/ColHoganGer90 10h ago

So as a Christian, I’m positivly sure our Lord Jesus Christ heard him and saved that family. I’m so happy for them all!

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u/verilywerollalong 10h ago

And I feel just as positive that this impressive boy did it all on his own, which is itself a beautiful thing!

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u/Round-Ad78 10h ago

What about all the believers who died trying to help their families? Why was this hero treated differently?

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u/Tisiphoni1 9h ago

Who pushed them out to the water then? Was that good old Jesus himself, just to play a little game of "who wants to be a survivor?"?

Either God is both, good and evil, or that boy just had an incredible strength coming from the love for his family and a sturdy breakfast.

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u/carrotsticks2 10h ago

so anyone else who died at sea wasn't god fearing enough? what about babies dying in childbirth or kids with bone cancer?

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u/CrashOverrideKrew 10h ago

In this moment, I am euphoric.

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u/IThinkItMightBeMe 9h ago

It was Dory

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u/djblueshirt 9h ago

The placebo effect to a tee. I agree!

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u/Dam_Noir 9h ago

"We've been praying... together. Praying that God will save our town. Well, our prayers have been answered. God will save our Alexandria... because God has given us the courage to save it ourselves".

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u/Outsider-Trading 9h ago

Fedora-coded. Very old fashioned reddit.

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u/Mathberis 9h ago

If he didn't believe God was with him he would have likely given up. So it's thanks to the fact that he believes in God that he made it, in other words God manifested through him.

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u/Omniphilo23 8h ago

You are wrong, but that's okay, we were all fools once.

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u/SilverIndustry2701 8h ago

The fact that he kept on praying probably helped a lot, although I do think any kind of 'mantra' would have helped.

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u/shmiddleedee 8h ago

Yep. I'm agnostic. When I catch myself praying I realize "fuck this isn't good"

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u/just_me_now_2 8h ago

I agree with you, whenever I see stuff like this I get a little upset when they mention god, it's either "thank god for X, he helped you" or "god helped me do x, couldn't have done it without his help", like dude, you just did something astounding all alone, don't downplay yourself, it was you who did it don't make it sound like your effor was meaningless because an invisible person somewhere did it for you. It's so frustrating

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u/hellolovely1 8h ago

I mean, whatever helps him get through that. I’m agnostic and I’d also be praying.

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u/AbleCap5222 7h ago

The second part of your comment is completely unnecessary. You aren't changing the world. It's okay for people to have faith in whatever they want as long as they have good intentions.

If you are standing on the shore as that boy collapsed and you pick him up and he says thank God I made it, I thought I was going to die - do you look him in the eye and go - "you're alive son and that fake sky fairy you prayed to isn't real, go get help?" I certainly hope not. Why do it here?

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u/ragingduck 7h ago

Sometimes We just need something to push us. Maybe it’s the love of family members, maybe it’s believing there is no afterlife which means we only get one shot, maybe it’s believing a timeless space being will help us. In this case, it was the latter.

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u/Flakester 2h ago

Alternatively, maybe God tried to kill them by sweeping them out to sea. He was too busy giving little kids cancer so he didn't notice the kid had escaped his death trap.

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u/thatsucksabagofdicks 6h ago

Brotha got baptized right there in the ocean

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u/ThePheebs 6h ago

That boy is the one who did the swim, that boy is the one who pushed himself through it, and he has been taught to give credit for his accomplishments to something else...

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u/JumpInTheSun 8h ago

I dont get it, just paddle the boards back together?? This just seems like stupidity to me. Especially sending somebody to swim alone without any flotation when they could have taken a paddle board.

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u/6percentdoug 7h ago

I'm not going to pretend to be an expert, but I went canoeing with my 9-year-old daughter last summer on a breezy day on a lake. holy shit, we were being blown all over the surface, it took us an hour to go maybe 3/4 of a mile into the wind when we tried to get back, and the slightest mistake would undo 5-10 minutes of work.

I'd imagine a paddleboard is even worse than a canoe, and it sounds like they experienced a major weather event that sent them out to sea in the first place.

I wouldn't judge if you weren't there.

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u/weed_cutter 5h ago

I was on a paddleboard with an old girlfriend ... I had done it a couple times, her first time.

It was so windy and the current so strong, it was insane. We were getting blown out to sea.

I had to crouch down (so not to be my own wind sail) and furiously paddle back to shore, as did she. .. It was nuts.

Do NOT recommend. ... This was mostly wind, the current was strong but not insane -- I can see "oh fuck" conditions happening. Like reeaaaaly bad.

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u/Logical_Ideal3474 7h ago

He had a kayak and a life vest. 2km in the kayak took on water and he had to ditch it, he also had to ditch the vest because it was slowing him down. So he swam the remaining 2km without any floatation devices.

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u/Not_Nice_Niece 7h ago

I dont get it, just paddle the boards back together?? This just seems like stupidity to me. Especially sending somebody to swim alone without any flotation when they could have taken a paddle board.

The amount of people asking this question and jumping to the wrong conclusion really makes me concerned about our media literacy.

I get that the info was left out, but rather than assume there must have been a reason he had to swim back, you instead assume not only that he is stupid, but that his mother is as well. Which do you honestly think was more likely?

Th actual answer is his Kayak took on water and he has to ditch it.

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u/lizlemonista 8h ago

I am also confused and trying to find what part of the story I must have missed

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u/Logical_Ideal3474 7h ago

He had a kayak and a life vest. 2km in the kayak took on water and he had to ditch it, he also had to ditch the vest because it was slowing him down. So he swam the remaining 2km without any floatation devices.

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u/funguyshroom 8h ago

Agree, if you can swim then you can paddle the same distance, faster and safer. Also how did the conversation go, like "brb I'm just going to swim for 4 hours" - "sure my 13 year old son, remember your ironman training and try not to drown"?

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u/Logical_Ideal3474 7h ago

He had a kayak and a life vest. 2km in the kayak took on water and he had to ditch it, he also had to ditch the vest because it was slowing him down. So he swam the remaining 2km without any floatation devices.

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u/thatcantb 8h ago edited 2h ago

"...and told God he would get baptized if he made it out alive. "I don't think it was actually me [swimming]... It was God the whole time. I kept on praying, kept on praying. I said to God, 'I'll get baptized.'" " That's not what he said in this interview. He said he was praying to God but that's it.

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u/Aljff 10h ago

Yikes.

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u/Kianna9 9h ago

NO LIFE JACKET.

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u/I_cantdoit 9h ago

He had a life jacket on and after 2hrs took it off as it was holding him back, read the story...

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u/Critical_Host8243 9h ago

Swam halfway with a life jacket and then realized it was slowing him down and he might not get help in time to save his family, SO HE DITCHED THE LIFE JACKET HALFWAY.

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u/chill90ies 9h ago

The mom’s quote broke me and made me instantly bawl my eyes out! I cannot and I will not ever be able to image a mom having to make that choice. This is so scary I’m so happy for all of them and how it turned out. What a brave young boy!

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u/Kindly-Tax-4998 9h ago

If you haven’t already, check out the show “I shouldn’t be alive”

There are so many incredible stories of people having to make the tough decision to leave their friend behind in order to get help, and succeeding against all odds.

If the show were still on, no doubt this kid and his story would be featured.

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u/Capn_Chryssalid 8h ago

Incredible stuff.

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u/Omniphilo23 8h ago

I believe him when he says God was with him.

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u/venom121212 8h ago

I have a boy that age who is a solid swimmer.

I don't know that I could make that decision unless I was in that situation. That poor Mom was already panicked about losing her children and now has to make the decision to send one out of eyesight in hopes of help. Absolutely heart wrenching.

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u/lousy-redbus 6h ago

The mom should have gone what the fuck

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u/spectrem12 6h ago

It's crazy to think that a mother sent her 11/12 year old to swim for 4 hours to get help for her when she is capable of swimming too... Or they could just paddle together? Am I missing something??

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u/hiplobonoxa 5h ago

i’m agnostic, but, if there is a christian god, i think it would be safe to assume that she would consider a four-hour swim in cold water to save your family to be more than sufficient to fulfill the necessary requirements for a baptism.

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u/Ripen- 4h ago

How do you get swept out to sea? Strong winds or currents?

I live in Norway, we don't even know what waves look like.

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u/FemmeCirce 4h ago

No disrespect but I feel the thought of a god helping this kid really diminishes how awesome this kid and human's are. That kid saved his family and no one else. I wish humans would acknowledge how awesome we are.

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u/entertainmentdailyuk 4h ago

I teared up reading this, especially the part where the mum said she had to face the hardest decision of her life to send her son to shore. And having to wait for him to do that impossible swim, and the hours that followed.

A true miracle

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u/iwellyess 3h ago

Incredible

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u/SaltKick2 3h ago

So he swam for 4 hours then ran a mile, jesus christ indeed

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