Trapped Chilean Miners: Seventh-day Adventists Send Bibles, the Pope Sends Rosaries

Two Churches, Two Different Perspectives

The Seventh-day Adventist Church sent 33 miniature bibles to miners trapped in a mine in Chile. The miners could be there for several months waiting until a shaft is dug to get them out. In contrast, the Pope sent them 33 rosaries.

“‘Give thanks to those who sent us the Bibles,’ a miner identified as Renan told a Brazilian weekly newsmagazine last week. The Bibles “gave me so much faith that I will leave here,” Renan said.

“The miners — who have been trapped since the August 5 collapse of a tunnel at the San Jose mine in Chile’s Atacama desert — rationed what would have been two days’ worth of food to stretch until they were discovered some 17 days later. Now, they await rescue, which mining experts say could take up to four months.
“While they wait [for rescue], food, water, medical supplies — and now, miniature Bibles — are arriving through a supply shaft. Each [Bible] is approximately three by five inches to fit into the device that is transporting supplies to the miners. Each Bible was personalized with a miner’s name and included specific scriptures to encourage them. A magnifying glass accompanied each of the mini Bibles to make reading easier…

“The church also gave a copy of the Bible to the ministers of health and mining, as well as to each of the families at the rescue site.”

Meanwhile, “Cardinal Francisco Errázuriz celebrated Mass on Thursday near the Chilean mine [and] brought a special gift for each of the miners: a rosary blessed and sent them by the Pope.”

“Cardinal Errázuriz praised the miners’ courage, fortitude, joy, solidarity and discipline. And he noted their expressions of faith and love for God, as well as devotion to Our Lady and St. Lawrence, patron of miners.”

The two gifts represent the different perspectives of the two churches concerning the foundation of their faith. While the Seventh-day Adventist church’s faith and doctrine is founded on holy scripture, the Catholic Church is founded on tradition, the mass, prayers and devotion to the saints and the Virgin Mary, the authority of the pope, and of course praying the rosary. The Bible is only secondary to Roman Catholics. Keep the Faith