So if prayers are so effective,

[beam me up scottie]

how come Katrina didn't harmlessly spin herself out over the Gulf ?

I am so sick of hearing about how everyone is or should be praying.

A little late, no?

What?
Did god forget to check his messages on Monday and oops! let that nasty old hurricane get past him?

[Bill McBlueState]

1. yeah, to put it another way...

This "God" fellow either sent the hurricane straight for New Orleans or did nothing to stop it. And now we're supposed to count on the same "God" to help people out, but only if we all beg enough.

I can't understand why so many people buy into this prayer thing. Even the most rudimentary application of critical thinking skills should lead people to doubt its effectiveness. It should be more like homeopathy, where, sure, the woo-woos eat it up, but there aren't National Days (c) devoted to it.

:mad:

[beam me up scottie]

2. The proselytizers are no better than the politicians.

They'll exploit any opportunity.

This whole thing pisses me off to no end.

If an individual wants to pray because it's comforting and they really think it will help, fine.

But that's not good enough.

They want EVERYBODY to join them, because if enough people get down on their knees, THAT will be what it finally takes for god to do something about all of the misery and suffering.

So all of the people who prayed before and during the storm didn't register on his radar?

And of course, anyone who DOESN'T join the pious doesn't really care about the victims.

That's the whole point of public prayer, isn't it?

To weed out the non-conformists and to make sure they understand they are in the minority?

I never thought I would hear the governor of a state, on national tv, after being asked for her advice to her constituents during a disaster of epic proportions, tell them to get down on their knees and thank the good lord.

[onager]

3. Weren't they praying for Katrina to miss NO before it hit?

You'd think that alone might give them a clue about the effectiveness of the whole thing.

But I'm just one of those Hater Skeptics. And when I'm feeling REALLY hateful...e.g, when I've just seen a Xian thread slagging atheists...I like to mosey in and thank them for the Kerry Prayer threads last November.

That worked out real well.

[BiggJawn]

6. Kind of like "The Hundredth Monkey"

If ONLY enough people PRAY, the GAWD will "be moved"...

So what that says to me is that we're supposed to treat GAWD like a brat treats his 'rents in the store...

"DAD!...DAD!....DAD!...DAD!"

[RaleighNCDUer]

4. Have you ever noticed that it is only the survivors

who get on their knees to thank god for sparing them?

'Thank you god for killing those other ten thousand, and not me.'

[salvorhardin]

5. I like how you think

:evilgrin:

[onager]

7. In formal logic terms, I'd call that...

The Argument From Trailer Park

I grew up in the Deep South. Every spring, the tornadoes would come thru and flatten the trailer parks.

Almost always, at least several people would be killed, quite a few seriously hurt, and even more would lose their homes and everything they owned.

But if the rescue squads found a child...or even a puppy...alive and unhurt in the wreckage: "Miracle from Gawd! Hosanna! Hallelujah! Our God is Number One! Miracle! Miracle!"

I used to wonder how all that made the rest of the survivors feel. It sounds like an out-and-out admission that Gawd thinks some people (or puppies) are worth saving, but others are not.

[Gelliebeans]

8. They like to think they

have preferential treatment. You know they got "god's ear" and the rest us can eat CAKE.
:eyes:

[Phentex]

9. I wanted to throw something at the TV when Gov. Perdue said

"If you can't give money or donate blood, the best thing you can do is offer your prayers."

Oh, yeah, THAT will help!

[HawkerHurricane]

10. Obviously, they didn't pray hard enough.

"If you pray hard enough, you can make water run uphill. How hard do you have to pray? Hard enough to make water run uphill!" - R.A.H.