Family Research Council wants us to pray

I don't believe in the power of prayer...

..so it's a constant source of reassurance to me that Mr Perkins' flock's silent appeals to the Almighty are futile. If prayer worked, Muslims would rule the world (not that that would be any worse than any religion in dominance (terrible), just that they pray a hell of a lot more than anyone else).

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by: steerpike66 @ Sun Jun 14, 2009 at 05:27:00 AM CDT

actually...

I practice a form of Buddhism that involves a LOT of "praying" - in my case ~2 hours a day. And I suspect there are sects of other religions that have traditions of prayer among the laity that exceed even that. 5 short few minute prayers per day doesn't come close to the amount I (and many other) practice every day. Even though what we call prayer is an inward-looking experience not a petition to some external entity.

No big thing, im just sayin'

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by: slobeck @ Sun Jun 14, 2009 at 12:59:58 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Well, the word prayer literally means:

" to ask earnestly, beg,"

So if you're not making any specific requests, meditation might be a more accurate word.

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by: steerpike66 @ Fri Jun 26, 2009 at 09:02:57 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Okay

Go ahead and waste time praying. Not like anything is going to happen.

LOL "let's move from independence to utter dependence".
In other words, let's flush all our freedom down the toilet in order to conform to some idiotic religion.

Never.

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by: Eshto @ Sun Jun 14, 2009 at 06:02:08 AM CDT

Going to the Klan rally might not be such a good idea

but someone at a Klan rally might secretly want to be your boyfriend

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Claim to fame: Posted first PHB diary to be demoted

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by: cindik @ Sun Jun 14, 2009 at 07:21:32 AM CDT

I'm always amused

at the magical thinking of many "christians" regarding prayer.  "Regular praying isn't enough, so if we pray on our knees god must give us what we ask for."  "Praying by ourselves isn't enough, so if we get 100,000 people saying the same words at the same time god has no choice but to give us what we ask for."  

Puts me in mind of the ancients who searched for the philosopher's stone.  Just like no combination of chemicals, techniques, and incantations lead to the panacea, no combination of physical or verbal acts will guarantee any god will give them what they want, unless the god to which they are praying isn't the one written about in the bible.  

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by: jtperkin @ Sun Jun 14, 2009 at 08:33:00 AM CDT

Couldnt resist

Nothing I like more than some hypocrite on his knees...

"I drank what?"  Socrates

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by: kiltedyak @ Sun Jun 14, 2009 at 08:52:23 AM CDT

There's one heartenting thing in this

The Christian Right is finally admitting its "responsibility for the broken state of our nation."  I guess miracles really do happen.

Cynic, n.  A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be.  
-Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

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by: QScribe @ Sun Jun 14, 2009 at 09:07:36 AM CDT

No, they will never take responsibility for anything,

  They blame the non believers for all the doom and gloom.  They believe if everyone believed as they do the world would be perfect.

 What is really fucked up is they believe they have to lie to get everyone believing the way they do.  Kind of funny if the Truth shall set you free, lying then must condemn you to being a slave to some fictitious BS and there are sheeple falling all over themselves to get right with god by lying.

If I make sense? it was quite by accident.

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by: HappyCat @ Sun Jun 14, 2009 at 10:35:41 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

I was commenting on the specific wording of their statement

The Lord has impressed on me the need for us, as followers of Jesus Christ, to take responsibility for the broken state of our nation

Cynic, n.  A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be.  
-Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

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by: QScribe @ Sun Jun 14, 2009 at 15:03:40 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

Superstitions

Belong to the Middle Ages. Back then, nobody knew what caused hurricanes or earthquakes or blizzards. People thought all diseases came from gods or devils, and supplication was the only way to control their environment. If it didn't work, they blamed the worshiper, not the worship itself; it's not that prayer doesn't work, you just didn't pray hard enough.

Well, we know where earthquakes and hurricanes and blizzards come from now. We cure diseases with medicines that are 100% more effective than prayer. And if they don't work, we blame the medicine and make a better medicine than before, rather than insulting the patient.

Get off your knees, and walk like you're free.

My dad was a steelworker
My mom was a kitchen girl
and that's why
I'm a socialist.
-from an old song I used to hum to myself

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by: DaveB @ Sun Jun 14, 2009 at 09:20:29 AM CDT

Wait a minute

You mean to say that hurricanes aren't really controlled by Pat Robertson?  Shocking!  ;)

Cynic, n.  A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be.  
-Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

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by: QScribe @ Sun Jun 14, 2009 at 15:05:50 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

At first, I read that website as

call to fail, which seems appropriate, especially since after reading it that way once, it's pretty hard to read it as anything else. :) Also, get five friends to do this? The FRC now sends spam forwards, good to know. I'm an atheist so I'm biased, but it seems reasonable that if their 'god' hasn't heeded their requests before now, he's not suddenly gonna change his mind and rain down fire and  destruction on the icky unbelievers.  

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by: Solitary @ Sun Jun 14, 2009 at 11:31:32 AM CDT

Answer to your question...

Can you imagine what God would do if millions of Christians all across our land would actually do this and mean it?

I'm just guessing here, but I bet he'll continue to not exist.

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by: belenus25 @ Sun Jun 14, 2009 at 11:46:47 AM CDT

let them

They can pray all they like. "Get on your knees and fight like a man" and all that. But their god knows their true desires, regardless of what their mouths are saying.

They can pray to their god. I can pray to my own gods.
Prayer changes the person praying, not the reality.

"When you coerce God, you coerce reality. And when you do that, you coerce yourself and answer your own prayer."

No one ever talks about [extermination]. They just do it. And you go on with your lives, ignoring the signs all around you. And then, one day, when the air is still and the night has fallen, they come for you.

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by: valarltd @ Sun Jun 14, 2009 at 12:48:01 PM CDT

The Power of Prayer

"Can you imagine what God would do if millions of Christians all across our land would actually do this and mean it?"

God would do what he always does.  Nothing.

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by: TomTallis @ Sun Jun 14, 2009 at 14:50:43 PM CDT

yes indeedy

Can you imagine what the Rude Pundit would do if he sees Perkins' latest communiqué?

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by: coram nobis @ Sun Jun 14, 2009 at 16:27:14 PM CDT

[ Parent ]