Drowning Christian story

The Drowning Christian story is a lighthearted fictional anecdote that encourages Christians to try to help themselves and use common sense instead of relying on God to fix their problems for them. Christians and atheists alike enjoy the story. Other names that the story goes by are "Parable of the Flood", "I Sent You a Rowboat", and "The Drowning Man".

Versions
This version is told by Troy DuFrene.

Other versions mostly follow the same plot, with minor detail changes, such as the man being religious instead of a preacher, him clinging to his house instead of a church, or hanging from a branch off a cliff. Also, different things (cars, canoes, etc.) might be sent to his rescue. It even shows up in a movie, The Pursuit of Happyness.

Discussion
Arguably, this story stands against the Bible story of Peter walking on water, in which Peter leaves the safety of the ship to join Jesus walking on the water, but then briefly loses faith and falls into the sea (but still survives when Jesus reaches out and lifts him up). In contrast to Peter, the preacher in the Drowning Christian kept his faith without wavering, yet he still drowned.

The story is a contrast to how Jesus responds when tempted by the tempter/Devil/Satan in and  (and, presumably, whatever happened in ) where Jesus essentially points out that God says, "Don't be an idiot."

This story provides an excellent counterpoint to denialists like antivaxxers who say that they should rely on faith instead of modern medicine to protect them (how do they know God didn't send vaccines?). The COVID-19 pandemic led to a version of the story in which the person dies of COVID, having refused to get vaccinated or wear a mask.

In Islam, there is a similar instruction given by Prophet Muhammad, “Tie your camel first, and then put your trust in God.” (Hadith relayed by scholar Al-Tirmidhi)

Atheists may use this story to point out the uselessness of faith. "We're capable of overcoming just about any tough situation — it requires perseverance and loved ones. God is nowhere in the equation," comments a guest writer at Friendly Atheist.