"The Angels told us to remain calm and we would be saved" - The Cokeville Miracle

"out of the mouth of babes"

This event really does test ones ability to think laterally and when all is said and done, I arrive at one simple conclusion - either all of the children lied that "the white beings" saved them, or they all told the truth.

Religious beliefs aside for a moment, really try and think - what stopped all of the children from being blown up? A poorly made bomb? Why was the infrastructure so badly damaged yet the children came out virtually unscathed with the eventual story that they were told to stay calm by angels and they would be saved. These kids were the same age as what my son is now and I know that if he said some of the things to me that these children said to their parents, I would believe that he was telling me the truth (as he perceived it).

The question then becomes, what did these children conceptualize which resulted in them determining that angels spoke to them and consequently saved them - as they said they were going to do?

Did the children suffer from a localized (in time) mass delusion resultant from post traumatic stress?

It's stories like this that test me, make me reflect on the nature of reality and question the "God" concept.

Anyway, I have posted this here from my X-Files thread because they have now made a movie based on this event, an event that, in my opinion, falls squarely into the realm of the paranormal.

The Cokeville Miracle is about an Elementary School hostage crisis that occurred on May 16, 1986, in Cokeville, Wyoming, United States, when former town marshal David Young, and his wife Doris Young, took 167 children and adults hostage at Cokeville Elementary School. David Young entered the school with his wife transporting a large gasoline-filled device that appeared to be a bomb. At one point Doris Young lifted her arm sharply and the bomb went off prematurely, injuring Doris Young while David Young was out of the room. Returning to the scene, David Young shot his wife, then himself. All the hostages escaped, though 79 were later hospitalized with burns and injuries.

Bomb experts remained baffled as the explosive should have leveled the entire building. The children maintain that they were visited by Angels whom told them to remain calm and that they would be saved

Cokeville Elementary School hostage crisis

Angels Imprint

a reply to: Sublimecraft

Cool story, really makes one wonder in awe. S&f

a reply to: Sublimecraft

I believe it. If there weren't intervention such as that, I would not be here typing.

I remember seeing this on Unsolved Mysteries back in the day. I knew the guy committed suicide but I never knew he shot his wife. I always thought she was killed by the explosion. Definitely an amazing string of coincidences there. One of the gas cans apparently leaked onto some of the explosive powder, rendering it useless, thus the bomb didn't explode with anywhere near full power. One of the teachers drew a line of chalk on the floor and told the kids to stay behind it so they wouldn't anger the lady with the bomb. This ended up keeping them back away from the explosion. On top of that, the kids started to get sick from the gas fumes, so the man and his wife allowed the teachers to open up the windows for some fresh air. the windows being opened helped diffuse the pressure wave from the blast, from what I understand.

I honestly can't explain the series of coincidences in this case as anything but, nor can I explain what the children claim they saw unless it was the power of suggestion. The mysterious silhouette burned into the wall is definitely creepy. My question with these type of miracles is always this: Why? If there is an almighty, loving god (or spirit or interdimensional being or alien or whatever you believe in) who intervenes in incidents like this to save innocents, why does he/she/it choose to save some innocents and not others? Why save this classroom full of children but not the ones at Sandy Hook? Why allow 9/11 or the Holocaust or the endless wars and suicide bombers and murderers and car accidents and diseases that kill millions every year to persist yet every now and then decide to save a few lucky souls with a miracle cure or a lucky dodge of a bullet or out of control car? I just can't comprehend it and that's why I have to believe the majority of miracles are simply luck or perhaps some untapped potential of the human mind.

Yes, it is a very interesting story, but I can't help thinking about those poor children at Sandy Hook, and all the other innocent children suffering in the world, and I wonder, why not save all of them? I just don't get why these particular kids were worthy of saving, yet others are not.

a reply to: Sublimecraft

The issue I have entertaining an explanation of divine intervention is basically the same one I have whenever divine intervention is suggested:

Why would angels appear and shield these children but not those of say Sandy Hook Elementary?

There's a definite bias in religious thought that leads people to ascribe positive outcomes to God but negative outcomes to man or the Devil. IIRC, the children's stories were inconsistent with one another. Also, I'm pretty sure I recall that there was some issue with detonation of the explosive device(s) that significantly lessened the force of the explosion.

Finally, children are horrible witnesses and extremely suggestible. Remember all the "Satanic Panic" incidents surrounding ritual abuse that didn't happen? Or how about Alex Malarkey who claimed that an angel had taken him to Heaven and 4-5 years after the book about the incident was published, he admitted that his story was fabricated?

originally posted by: kaylaluv
Yes, it is a very interesting story, but I can't help thinking about those poor children at Sandy Hook, and all the other innocent children suffering in the world, and I wonder, why not save all of them? I just don't get why these particular kids were worthy of saving, yet others are not.

Well, we're overpopulating now.

I'd rather be lucky than good any day.
I have survived incidents that should have at the very least hurt me very badly and walked away without out a scratch.
If it was a guardian angel, then I owe her lunch at the very least.

Is that "angels imprint" supposed to be one angel, or several smaller ones? At the top looks like a scary skull. Are there any color pictures of it? Maybe its just a big burn from the bomb? Cool story though. If yhey had to open the windows because the kids were getting sick, maybe the gas fumes caused hallucinations? But then why would they sll halluvinate the same thing??

If their stories were inconsistent, maybe they all saw the same thing, but from different perspectives and so remembered it differently. It would be interesting to hear an update from the kids, all grown up, today. How much do they remember?

Something outside of our sight happens for sure. What that is I can't explain I'm not sure probability is the answer and I don't think luck is it either. Their is strange and unforeseen circumstances and consequences of collective humanity for sure, the supernatural may not be the best answer but its also not a bad one

a reply to: Sublimecraft

I've just watched the movie. It started like a Lifetime movie, but most of the end and the montage at the end saved it.

It was truly moving. Ty for the post. s&F

The kids were telling the truth IMO.

There is significance to their being told to remain calm and they would be saved.

There are stories in the bible that also have this same command to not be afraid and they would be safe.

Doing that means they trusted in what was being told to them. You can't follow heavenly things without trust.

Faith is the key to everything. Obviously, giving trust to the one worthy of trust is pleasing to that higher power.

Relationships can't exist without trust. Experts are baffled how they survived at all let alone walked away from it, and yet, those who refuse to accept anything to do with miracles and heavenly pursuits still try to render the event a nothing. The bomb turned into a not bomb, but that's normal.. The experts said it still should have blown the whole floor of the building away.
The kids tell the real story as to what happened. Remaining calm was the results of trust being given to those angels that spoke to them, and so they weren't killed. Faith is always the first step. The only thing faith costs is a bit of pride, but so many are just to full of pride, and have no room left for faith.

Interesting story I'll say that did the teacher
Say the same as the kids or did the teacher die I don't think I picked thatpart up ? a reply to: Sublimecraft

a reply to: Sublimecraft

Great thread in reminding all of us that there is much more out here in this world than what we think we know.

S&F

this i pretty good. i have a theory on how the angels did it, the why they did and not the other shtty things that happened well id just guess their fickle and looking to get believers and worshiped

originally posted by: kaylaluv
Yes, it is a very interesting story, but I can't help thinking about those poor children at Sandy Hook, and all the other innocent children suffering in the world, and I wonder, why not save all of them? I just don't get why these particular kids were worthy of saving, yet others are not.

Yes, I've often wondered how divine intervention seemingly if true only happens to a select few whilst the sheer vast majority of similar acts of cruelty remain unassisted by such divine help.

I guess if everyone got such divine help in a time of need we'd know without doubt that tgere is an afterlife. That in itself will change the way we behave in this reality. I guess if this is true, we aren't supposed to know the whole picture in order for us to accomplish what ever we are here for.

Maybe our reality is merely a holiday from heaven, even a game of sorts or wherever, where we experience pain, suffering along with the good stuff etc so those souls who choose to come can experience being alive and reinforce lessons beind learned.

Im open minded.

Nobody can know the mind of God.
He moves in mysterious ways.
He doesn't think like us , and His will
is not often extended into this world.

However , there are many incidents
like this one that have remained hidden
over the years.

Mostly viewed from outside as strange
lucky coincidences ,they are divine
intervention of the awesome kind !

Only the witnesses can tell you of these,
maybe soon others will come forward ?

There are things that happen that are so unbelievable that the brain can't even comprehend what happened.
I believe them, or believe they had a shared experience of something.

Strange though, what makes a group of children so fortunate whereas others, say Sandy Hook, were not so fortunate?

Say it was something like Divine Intervention, what does that say about free will? If such a thing exists than there would have to be a set of divine rules which dictates when it's ok to intervene and when a tragedy must take place. What is that determining factor?

Best guess, someone from that group is destined to achieve something that is neccesary for the greater collective who needs to have that experience. Something would at the very least have to be unique about one group over another.

Does that mean our lives are predetermined? Why else would someone mess with the natural order of things? Why make exceptions if it wasn't too weave a grand storyline for mankind?

Looking at the first picture it doesn't look like much damage was actually caused.

According to the wiki, teachers were getting the children involved in prayers, maybe prayers mentioning angels?

Some of the children mention a beautiful lady telling them to go near the w indow. Perhaps one of the teachers that negotiated the opening of windows after the gas started to leak?

As for the angel imprint, maybe a result of clothing, hair, classroom materials that were burnt and blasted on to the wall?

It says that art materials were brought into the classroom, so maybe paint blown around the sillouette of people?

They were my first thoughts after reading it anyway.