Rote Prayers And Patriotism

[Gobbler]

I don't know about you, but I am getting really sick of these internet calls for prayer from friends and co-workers. You know the ones I am talking about. They even bring up the pledge of allegiance and about how 86% of americans believe in god and 14% of the rest of us can just shut the fuck up! Well, I had had enough and responded to all concerned about how the founding fathers would not view things in that manner and I went into the history of the pledge and "In God We Trust" on our money. A few bleating responses, but none from the resident fundy. I did get one positive response from a co-worker who now works in a different building. She was raised catholic but now pretty much thinks it's bogus. So I have been leading her on the total deconversion path. We have been discussing prayer and what one her friends has been going through and how seemingly god is not there. The following is one of my responses:

 

"Just when you think you have it bad, someone else has it much worse! That is really unfortunate about what S**** has been going through. I didn't realize all that was going on. I certainly hope things will work out for her. It would certainly seem she has been through the storm of life. The old adage comes to mind, "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger." Yet I'm sure that is no consolation. Why does one person go through so much hell than the person across the street? Well, you're right it comes down to our choices and other peoples' choices and their effect on our own life. I don't believe any outside entity or deity has any affect on what happens. If there is, then that deity is certainly a demon helping those who he/she has a whim to help. No amount of prayer will have any effect with this demon. Jesus in the new testament made it quite clear, as also other writers, that whatever you ask for, it shall be given. There are many verses to that end. Well, I am here to tell you from vast experience, that that is a load of horse hockey! Bible also says, "the prayers of a righteous man availeth much." Again, that is not the case. I speak that from personal experience. When I was a deacon in the Assembly of God church I was quite intimate with the workings of the church and the pastors were friends of mine. There were several people throughout the years that I was there that had severe illnesses and horrible circumstances to go through. Of course there were reports of healings and answers to prayer. I would hear people thanking god for this or that. Some of it quite menial or ordinary. Some others a bit more elaborate. Some thanking god for finances or a new job, promotion, yada, yada, yada. Yet through all that, it seems god either couldn't or wouldn't provide healing for some big time problems. A case in point: A friend of ours in the church, 36 yr/old lady, very faithful woman and worked hard for the church in the choir and other activities to help out the church. Her husband also was the reason we started going to this church. A very faithful couple. On fire for the magical sky daddy. Well, she was struck down at her young age with a brain aneuryism. Turns out it was congenital. She was in a coma for about a month. Everyone, I mean everyone in the church was praying daily and visiting her daily 24/7. Throughout, her husband believed for a miracle, as everyone else did. Even though the prognosis from the doctors was bad. We believed the "Great Physician" Jesus! Not any earthly doctor. Prayer after prayer went up to that Hebrew Demon Tribal War God(read the old testament)! Nothing, she died! Well, a couple of months before that, another good friend of mine had a young son who was born with severe developmental problems. Had to breath through a trach tube all the time, pushed around in a baby wheelchair, always in and out of the hospital for acute illnesses. I have never seen a more faithful couple. Again, they believed for a miracle. They even took him to a Benny Hinn crusade one time for prayer. I think Benny even actually prayed over him. Of course nothing happened. And we really believed god worked through this shyster! We always saw other people apparently healed. Why not this little boy? Well…he died too. You would not believe the justifications that come out of christians' mouths. Well god took him home to heal him, we will understand when we get to heaven, so on, so forth. Even I said after my other friend died that god took her home so she could take care of the little boy in heaven. Other people agreed with this scenario too. Well, what a load of B.S.! I can't believe I actually said crap like that! There was no other justification though! Why did these things happen to faithful people despite what the bible promises us? And that is just two examples! There were numerous others! Even my own pastor questioned god why despite all the prayers nobody was healed, no not one! I guess he reconciled to the fact that we just can't fully understand god's plan. I always think, what better way to prove your existence to people than to perform great miracles like these. Remember Terry Schiavo? The comatose woman down in Florida? Millions upon millions of christians prayed for her healing. Remember, the bible promises this stuff. Nope, she died. Again, with the world's daily attention on this poor women and her conniving husband, what better way to show your existence? Yet you hear everyday god did this or that for them. Well he/she is certainly choosey about whom they help! And yet we read god is not supposed to be a respector of persons. I just can't help but think back to Carly Brucia, the 11 yr/old girl from Florida who was kidnapped right on camera, then brutally raped, tortured, and murdered by a scumbag. Do you think she cried out to god? I am most certainly convinced she did. Who wouldn't in that circumstance? Yet, no, it was too hard for god to send any of his angels to help her. I always hear of other cases about angels intervening on one's behalf. But not for Carly! That 11 yr/old who never hurt anyone. Yes, I understand evil is in the world along with good. It is because people alone perpetrate one or the other on each other. So the more reconciled one is to the idea that there will be no help from a deity, the better off you are! Therein lies freedom! Going back to Benny Hinn, I was flipping through the channels the other day and happened to see a segment from a news story on Comedy Central. I love CC, they are so blasphemous! Anyway, part of the segment showed Benny flailing his suit jacket around and people on stage falling down under the power of the holy spirit, "slain in the spirit". I was thinking, "wow, the holy spirit can push people down with one wave of the jacket, yet he refuses to actually heal anyone!" People are caught up in emotions, plain and simple. We want to think someone is out there on our behalf. To help us out in our time of need. Yet time and time again, nothing, nada. The silence is deafening! So when I get these internet prayer-grams, I just want to scream. Do you notice all these little prayers are rote memorization type prayers. "Pray this little seven-second prayer and be utterly amazed how god will move on your behalf!" "Pass this on to ten people and god will work a miracle in your life!" Even their own bible speaks against these rote prayers!"

[Lycorth]

That about says it all

 

Good one, Gobbler. Praise be I don't get those damn prayer request emails anymore...

[Interested Atheist]

Looks like a great story, Goobler - do you think you could just edit it a little and slap a few paragraphs in their for our viewing pleasure?"

[HadouKen24]

I'm surprised there isn't more of an outrage in the church about that kind of prayer. It treats God like a miracle dispensing machine. Just pray and have faith, and God will automatically make everything work. Forgetting the fact that God is supposed to be omnipotent and omnibenevolent, so he's already supposed to have worked everything for the best, in some mysterious way. It's very arrogant for Christians to pray for healing and such. It's like they're claiming to have a better idea about how things should be run than the Almighty himself. It's supremely annoying to see such hypocrisy.