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Goodbye Jesus

When Their Prayers Aren't Answered


Adamtrev11

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One of my best friends from my childhood, who I went to middle and high school with and hung with almost every day as I was growing up, has kept in touch with me by email through all these years, even though we hadn't seen each other in over 5 years, prior to this year. He lives in another state in the same town as my parents, so once in a while he sees my parents and stays in touch with my family too. He's always been very nice and civilized, except throughout the years, he's grown into one of the most conservative right wing fundies you could ever imagine.

 

A couple months ago, he heard I was going to Naples, Florida for business, and since he has family in Naples and hadn't visited them in years, he wrote me an email saying it would be cool if we could meet each other there, catch up, and hit the beaches. I thought it would fun, although of course I was a little hesitant because of his recent wacky emails, which are usually those group emails urging people to live more "fruitful lives". So we finally made plans to meet up, and I extended the trip for an additional 3 days, so I could just hang out in Naples with this friend.

 

About two and a half weeks prior to our meet up, he called me on the phone and we talked for a bit. I got annoyed when he said he's been praying for the last week that it won't rain, and that the weather would be perfect for us going to the beach. In my mind, I was saying, "WTF?". Then he called on the phone a few days later. I was thinking to myself, "Chill out.. what the hell's the big deal?.. who cares if everything doesn't go perfect?". Then he ended the conversation with a prayer, and in his prayer, he asked God that the weather would be nice and that it wouldn't rain and ruin our trip.

 

The days leading up to my trip, I kept checking weather.com, and most days were supposed to be sunny and warm. To make the long story short, the day finally came, and I drove my rental car to the airport to pick him up... and it was raining cats and dogs!! We never did hit the beaches, because it rained for the next 3 days. The whole time we were together, sitting inside crowded restaurants along the flooded ocean front, he seemed particularly suspicious of his surroundings.. and me. In his mind, although he didn't say it out loud thankfully, God was apparently punishing the 2 of us.. and why would he punish us? Certainly not because of him? For the last month, he had been down on his knees praying for perfect weather. Through the process of elimination, it must've been me. It was all so cliche, when fundy Christians' prayers aren't answered, they get incredibly suspicious and start acting very strange around you. They assume the non-believer or lukewarm Christian (who they believe make God vomit according to some verse in the Bible) has made God angry, and God is punishing everyone around them. My friend was clearly agitated the entire 3 days. As for me, I was kind of relieved I didn't have to hang out at the beach with him. He probably would've given me a full sermon on how America's morals are going down the tubes, and that was the last thing I wanted to hear from him. How do you guys deal with fundy friends and family who get suspicious of you when things go wrong?

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There must be some "hidden sin" your friend did not confess. Therefore god is punishing him (and rewarding you -- after all you didn't have to deal with his sermons on America's morals, right?!?).

 

/sarcasm

 

 

Since I live in the south with biblebots all around me, I hear that kind of crap all the time. Just last night I went to my grandkids xmas play at their church-school and had to listen to "Satan tried to keep us from seeing this play, but we overcame!" All because we had some heavy rain -- which BTW, I'm sure other True Christians were praying for in order to keep us from going into a drought situation.

 

Anyhow, what I'm trying to say is I feel for ya! I usually use the sarcastic approach as often as possible. Christians don't usually "get" sarcasm or irony and it makes me feel good. Either that or I bite my tongue.

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Welcome to Ex-C!

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Wow--I'm really sorry. I've heard a lot of common topics, but have never heard something like that before. This may not help at all, but I've essentially had to cut out any close-knit friendships with fundamentalist Christians. After all, how can you trust someone who thinks you a sinner, and blames you for something as trivial as poor weather. If you can find a way to be friends with people like this, and maintain your sanity, more power to you. But don't feel bad if these friendships fade away.

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The whole time we were together, sitting inside crowded restaurants along the flooded ocean front, he seemed particularly suspicious of his surroundings.. and me. In his mind, although he didn't say it out loud thankfully, God was apparently punishing the 2 of us.. and why would he punish us? Certainly not because of him? For the last month, he had been down on his knees praying for perfect weather. Through the process of elimination, it must've been me. It was all so cliche, when fundy Christians' prayers aren't answered, they get incredibly suspicious and start acting very strange around you. They assume the non-believer or lukewarm Christian (who they believe make God vomit according to some verse in the Bible) has made God angry, and God is punishing everyone around them. My friend was clearly agitated the entire 3 days.

 

I use to be one of those fundies who would pray for good weather and then take it as proof that God answers prayer when I got good weather. Unless your friend outright told you that he suspected God sent the rain because of you I would doubt that was he real motive. I suspect that what was going on in his mind was far more stupid than that. If it had been me you met with, say back in the 1990's, then I would have been looking over your shoulder and mine for Satan and his demons. Before getting on the plane or getting into the car I would have, out loud, bound Satan and called for Jesus blood to protect the vehicle. I would have done the same for each restaurant and building I enter. When God rejected my requests for good weather I would have wondered if I had glanced for too long at the flight attendant. "Oh please please please forgive me Jesus for finding women attractive. I'm so very sorry Jesus. Cleanse the fornication from my heart." That was how much guilt I felt for glancing at a pretty lady.

 

Your friend might have been searching his own past actions for the "sin" that was blocking his prayers. It's almost unthinkable for them that God doesn't answer prayers so they must avoid that conclusion. I can't tell what fundamentalism has done to your friend's mind but don't underestimate the potential. Now with that said if I as an agnostic and borderline atheist were to take a trip and find the main tourist draw unexpectedly out of action then I would be a bit agitated too.

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Sounds like he has a serious case of First World Problems:

 

imagesprob3.jpg

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Thanks guys for your responses. My friend is still emailing me way too often.. almost every day and it doesn't stop. Most of them are group emails and I quickly delete them. I'm sure he believes that his mission from God is to stay in touch and make sure I don't lose my faith. Sorry, it's too late.

 

Now more than ever, I feel that it's not a genuine friendship. If it wasn't for his belief that God is telling him to remain friends (essentially it's a chore), I doubt he'd stay in touch. He's also very manipulative. He writes condescending emails about people who have little faith, and he thinks his "brutally honest" emails are things that need to be said. Then he follows up with a nice complementary email the next day, like how great it was to meet up even though it rained the whole weekend. I hardly ever respond to his emails.. I'm emailing less and less and hoping this friendship fades away. He used to be cool back in the day, but now he's just nuts, and his emails are driving me mad.

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Fundy's think the world revolves around them and their "burdens," which are never satisfied. They are the most self-centered bunch you can find. All you can do is feel sorry that they have deprived themselves of a lot of the enjoyment of life by glorifying suffering. I assure you, your friend was enjoying in a perverse way being a martyr for those few days. How superficial and what a way to cheapen life!

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I like the poet Richard Brautigan who said he never carried and umbrella because he liked the rain.

Kind of puts a different spin on what is good and what is a punishment according to the weather.

Ever since then I followed his lead. A lot of people think I am crazy sometimes,

but I am a hell of a lot happier than I used to be.

 

My very own mother runs this trip on me all the time now. She is totally full of it all the time.

I used to accommodate her but now it just pisses me off. It has ruined our relationship and I am not prepared to get a lobotomy in order to improve the situation.

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I don't understand why your friend was suspicious because it was raining, when, according to his own religion, it rains on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45). Is your friend reading a different Bible?

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well, if i was still a believer, i would take the rain as god telling me to spend in depth quality time with a friend over god's purpose rather than spending time at beaches feasting on eye candy oy 3 days of praying rather than partying,,,,,,, hahaha

 

in my crazy years, i would see the rain as

 

1. what man proposes, gid disposes,,, (what a bloody cliche)

2. the beach was never meant to be, or

3. any unconfessed sin on either person,,, and a whole lot of crappy excuses why god did not answer my prayer,,,,

 

i do remember those crazy years ,,,,,

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Geeze, what a deluded dickhead. He really believes that God would change the weather just to suit him? Surely if God controlled the weather, he'd send the rain to some country that desperately needs it where genuine Christians are dying of hunger and thirst. Who does this moron think he is that he should be given fine weather when so many much more worthier people are praying for rain? Does this guy know anything about how weather works? It moves in patterns and God doesn't just suddenly bring rain or sunshine from out of the blue.

 

These sort of people just piss me off more and more. It's such selfish religion.

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Too funny. Too bizarre.

 

Why do Christians think God will alter the weather for them? What if 100 believers are praying for sunshine, and 100 believers are praying for rain, all for the same time period and geographical area??? Wow, God must really tear his hair out over these meteorological conundrums.

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