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StockAyatollah...regarding your statement in reply 8, "I'd love to hear an atheist explain how their safe return was anything but a miracle.":

The Atheists (personally and individually, deep down) are really threatened by functioning Christianity.

Before the rescue, 80% of the informational/encouragement posts on the subject of the aid workers brought out comments by a FEW that were void of feeling for those affected by the situation, and were virtually gloating that the American women were going to die. They were also outraged that the US forces might try to save them. (Guess they wanted to separate church and state?) Any possibility for the workers getting out safely was discounted, and there were taunting comments along the lines of "well if you think your God is so powerful then they don't need the military's help anyway, right?"

But after the miracle those few 'atheists' (in the roughest sense) are much more silent on the rescue, and those who do speak are giving the Glory to people rather than to God.

So BEFORE they tell you "no way they will live," but AFTER they tell you to thank the military and not God.

As recorded in the Book of Matthew 11:15-19 (NIV Translation) Jesus said:

He who has ears, let him hear. ¹⁶ "To what can I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling out to others: ¹⁷ "'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.' ¹⁸ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.' ¹⁹ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners." ' But wisdom is proved right by her actions."

They won't recognize God, so they can't explain the safe return of the hostages.

We have three parties involved in that capture of the aid workers. One party consisted of AlQeada. Another party consisted of the ideological and religiously motivated Taleban. The third party consisted of Taleban "troops", and at this stage we are beginning to understand that their loyalty was "moveable".

In reviewing the various stories on the matter, it seems to me that ordinary soldiers who happened to be under the command of the Taleban took the aid workers from Kabul.

They protected the workers from harm on what was truly a battlefield when they locked them up in that IC.

God, through the ages, has revealed a number of what we call Divine Truths to humanity. He has worked through various prophets and teachers, in many ways, in many places. Many believe that God can directly counsel a man's mind to do right.

There in Afghanistan, a wild land full of wild men, God's counsel would appear to be in short supply, yet ordinary soldiers in the service of our enemy chose not to kill non-combatants.

A thought - where was it these rough men heard God? Who taught them?