this post was submitted on 09 Jun 2024
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Pastor’s daughter, 6, killed in freak badminton accident while on vacation (www.independent.co.uk)
submitted 5 months ago by jeffw@lemmy.world to c/offbeat@lemmy.ca
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[–] mocha_lotsofmilk@lemmy.world 64 points 5 months ago (4 children)

This is the sort of thing that would break me if I were to believe in god in the first place, man. Like, like religion or not, this dude devoted his life to an entity that has a "plan" and then his sweet daughter dies in an accident that his other kids were also present for and participants in. How could you believe after that? Fuck. Hope they make it out of this as well as they can.

[–] AFKBRBChocolate@lemmy.world 31 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Totally agree. And can you imagine being the person whose racket broke and killed her? Whether you did something wrong or not, you'd always feel responsible for her death. At least, I would.

[–] mocha_lotsofmilk@lemmy.world 19 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Sounds like that person was her sibling too... Just tragic

[–] Obi@sopuli.xyz 7 points 5 months ago

They're setup for a life of pain, depression and self harm behaviour...

[–] Galapagon@sh.itjust.works 13 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Because it's " part of the plan, and it was challenging at first, and it tested my faith. I even asked 'y u do dis god?' and then I learned something something god is glorious n such"

[–] erin@lemmy.blahaj.zone 4 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

I'm not religious, but I grew up in a religious home. It's worth noting that "everything happens for a reason" and "God has a plan for everything" are not in the Bible and are not doctrine, as far as I remember. These are platitudes people with a poor understanding of their religion say, but not actually part of the belief system. This pastor likely has a more nuanced, and possibly more painful, view of this event through the lens of their belief.

[–] WldFyre@lemm.ee 1 points 5 months ago

Those tenets were definitely a part of my upbringing haha

[–] PM_Your_Nudes_Please@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

Something similar (but maybe not quite as tragic) is why my wife and mother-in-law lost their religion. My MIL was catholic, and initially tried to raise my wife as such. But my wife was really painfully sick for years as a child. Basically all of her elementary school years were spent either in pain or unconscious. She doesn’t even remember most of her childhood. Watching her go through it and not being able to do anything to help was what caused my MIL (and by extension, my wife) to lose religion. Because what kind of benevolent god would intentionally inflict that on a child?

[–] Valmond@lemmy.world -3 points 5 months ago

Hey now, daughter is singing psalms in heaven right at this very moment!

Or she's in hell of course.

[–] TheOctonaut@mander.xyz 32 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Yeah this isn't the first thing I should have read today

[–] Hugh_Jeggs@lemm.ee 4 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago)

I don't understand why people click these things. They're specifically designed to sell to you via advertising, and the byproduct is making you upset

Just... don't

[–] LemmyKnowsBest@lemmy.world 29 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Sorry, how would the aluminum shaft of a racquet separate from its handle, on a downward swing, while 10-year-old boy is holding it, striking and piercing the skull of a girl who is sitting on the sidelines... be an ACCIDENT?

Sounds like a sibling squabble got a bit out of hand and that 10-year-old boy needs to be watched verrrry closely forevermore.

[–] Letstakealook@lemm.ee 16 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I'm very suspicious of this story, myself. Somebody hit that little girl with the racquet.

[–] LemmyKnowsBest@lemmy.world 4 points 5 months ago

Yeah I'm speculating that the preacher refuses to state and publicize the obvious facts, because that would ruin his 10-year-old son's life, and tarnish the entire family's life, and the preacher's image, and career.

[–] ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

It was an act of God

[–] arin@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago

Quite literally

[–] TheFriar@lemm.ee 12 points 5 months ago (2 children)

I don’t understand how this happened. A badminton racket shattered moving through the air? And exploded with such force that a shard flew across the court and hit the girl on the sidelines with enough force to impale her skull?

[–] skeezix@lemmy.world 7 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (2 children)

Yes. Then exited and tore through a six inch wooden beam.

[–] TheFriar@lemm.ee 5 points 5 months ago (1 children)

So is this pastor protecting his son? Is that pretty much the takeaway here?

[–] skeezix@lemmy.world 1 points 5 months ago

The takeaway is don’t play badminton.

[–] Dkarma@lemmy.world 3 points 5 months ago

Just like 9/11

[–] SoleInvictus@lemmy.blahaj.zone 3 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Based on the article, I gather that the racket shattered during play and the aluminum shaft was launched with enough force to impale her through her skull. The momentum behind tools like that is pretty significant and the cross-sectional area of a badminton racket shaft is very small. An adult skull is only around 6-7mm thick. Given she was a young child with a relatively thin, soft juvenile skull, I can see how it could impart enough force to shatter through thin bone if everything lined up perfectly.

Given it was a group of children playing, I wouldn't be surprised if the kids were also trying to smash the shuttlecock as hard as possible.

That was a lot of fucked up analysis. I'm going to go hug my cat and wife now.

[–] TheFriar@lemm.ee 1 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

I mean, sure, the human skull is only so thick and a child’s skull is soft- er, but…we’re still talking about a shitty little badminton racket. I’ve hit my head pretty fucking hard, on relatively sharp stuff. Breaking skin on your head is relatively rare. To be impaled by a randomly shattering racket, with that thin aluminum? After the thing flies at least a few feet through the breeze off the water…with enough force to then impale bone?? It just sounds really…implausible. With enough force to kill her! It almost seems more than implausible, honestly. Unless there is a factor they just aren’t sharing. Did the kid intentionally hit his sister is the question. It sounds that way, honestly.

[–] Thcdenton@lemmy.world 12 points 5 months ago

Poor kid. RIP

[–] eran_morad@lemmy.world 7 points 5 months ago

I genuinely appreciate reading stuff like this as a reminder that I’ve been fortunate. Holy shit.