Just a quickie:
I just wanted to talk about the power of prayer. I was reminded of this the other day when a co-worker said she'd pray for me. I don't even remember what it was that she wanted to pray for me about, but I remember feeling ambivalent.
On the one hand, I understand that she thought she was being nice by telling me that she was concerned about me enough to ask for divine intervention. But, on the other hand, I was annoyed that she would try to foist her christian mythology on me knowing that it's not really my bag, baby.
This is aside from the fact that I question everyone's motives. I don't believe in the concept of a good deed. I think that everything we do is based on desire. For instance, let's say I love my kids so I want to do something nice for them. Really, at the end of the day, I'm really doing something nice for me. If it cost me more than the joy I would get from performing the deed, I wouldn't do it.
But, that's beside the point. The point is, what did she expect was going to happen? Did she honestly think that she could convince her god to do something different to/for me than he had been planning to do? For instance, let's say that god was going to kill me in a car accident. He was all geared up and had everything ready. Then, just as I was driving down the road to my doom, this gal phones in a quick prayer. Does god say to himself, "Shit - I had this punk in my sites!"
I guess my question is, can you change god's mind? Isn't that the point of prayer? Aren't you really asking god to NOT do what he had been planning to do and instead do what you want him to do?
This reminds me of football. Both teams usually have a little prayer session before the game begging god to let them win. Does god decide for one team over the other based on who prayed harder? Or, is there such a thing as free will and god stays out of it? If that was the case, then it's gotta be annoying for god to listen to all this begging constantly knowing he won't do anything about it.
I think the best explanation I ever heard for prayer was to use the analogy that it was like a child saying "please". But, whenever I hear somebody pray, it sounds a lot more like begging.
BTW, my favorite prayer is the food prayer. It goes something like this: "Dear lord, thanks for the food, blah blah blah... Please allow this food to nourish our bodies." Well, what happens if you DON'T mention that in your prayer? Do you eat a ton of food and nothing happens? "Damn, I didn't get any nourishment out of that steak whatsoever! I probably didn't pray right."
It just seems silly to me, especially when you consider what most people pray for - which is usually more material stuff.
Not to belabour the point, but I'm reminded of a christian "rock" song I heard back in the 80's. It was called something like "The never ending shopping list." They make fun of people who do exactly what I was talking about earlier, which is to use prayer as some kind of christmas list to santa.
I'd love to hear a well thought out rebuttal to my take on prayer, from either christian or philistine.
Now, excuse me while I pray for somebody to buy my house.
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5 comments:
Maybe your coworker thinks she's Moses. Moses once changed God's mind:
"9And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:
10Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.
11And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?
12Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.
13Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.
14And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people. - Exodus 32:9-14
Another example of God changing his mind:
10And God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God repented of the evil that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not. - Jonah 3:10
You still haven't sold your house?
Mark my freind you are one cynical son of a bitch, I will pray for your soul (with no alterior motive). I am sure after hearing my heartfelt words, in the venerable Christian fashion "aud nauseum, aud infinitum" in other words over and over until he gets sick. He will decide not to squash you like a bug and allow you to continue with your extremly important work of spreading your atheistic word to the masses from your blogosphere platform.
Since you drew a comparrison from music I also have a couple of comparrisons that apply.
First for you "Sympathy For The Devil" by the Rolling Stones.
Second for my method of prayer and hopes to save your soul. The Lyrics from The Doors "Soul Kitchen" "You cannot petition the Lord with Prayer"
So if you believe Jim Morrison I guess there is no hope for you.
Bummer
hey old man. I enjoy reading your thoughts. I'm trying to get more people to read it because you can say it so much better than I can... it's probably cause you're old. anyways. I got into a religious "debate" the other night and it drove me nuts because the guy wouldn't listen to a word I said. I tried to even use examples from "Gods Debris" (because I think it's amazing), but they just wouldn't listen. ah!
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