All knowing God? Why prayer?

Prayer - how's that workin' for ya?

Religion - it makes no sense.

Taking prayer to its bare essentials.

Prayer - how's that working for them?

Prayer in schools, etc.

As is so often the case, the conservatives mislead everyone by lying about the facts. They distort, twist, bend, shorten, and manipulate the truth in order to scare you into their way of thinking. 

Have you ever tried to argue with one of them? I have - on a number of occasions - and what makes it so difficult is when they pull this on you without giving you any time to refute. So, you're in the middle of this conversation on climate change and a big lie comes up - "78 percent of scientists agree that global warming is not real because polar bears." And you sit there stunned. This flies in the face of anything YOU'VE ever heard, but you can't recall the facts or the source - what did you read last week? So you avoid the issue - you talk around it - score one for the idiot.

By the time you can get to computer and check the facts, it's too late to argue. They make you feel foolish with their nonsensical made-up facts. And so you avoid the discussion. AND, if by some miracle, they broach a topic you ARE familiar with, they start getting louder and shout you down. They are VERY good at defending their ignorance, trust me on that. I've seen it many times.

You can't fix stupid because stupid to them feels right.

It's true!

Then it's TRUE. He's God - and so is anyone else who ever prays, because they too are talking to themselves. Ha!

Belief

If you believe God answers prayers, then this is where that MUST lead you. So just what DO you believe?

Just clarifying

When the religious freaks have us praying in schools and on the streets, which prayers, exactly do they want us to say? Which imaginary father-figure are we praying to? And what important issues are we praying about?

A Good Person?

Are you a good person because you pray - especially publicly? It needs to be public prayer, otherwise your family and neighbors won't know what a good person you are.

Forget about praying for Haitians...

Again from the J-Walk blog (I've been re-posting quite a bit from him lately - good stuff.)

April 18 is a worldwide prayer day. God made a big mistake when he made Trig Palin, and if enough people pray to him, God will fix his mistake: Pray 4 Trig.

Q: Why Trig Palin?

A: Trig Palin is well known in the media; people all over the world know just who he is, and they already care about him. It will be much easier for them to sincerely pray for someone they care for, instead of what to them is a random name.

Also, it is known publicly that Trig Palin indeed has Down Syndrome. Science has no way to undo this condition, which is the result of an extra chromosome; but God can. When Trig Palin is found to be miraculously healed, everyone but the most hardened atheist will have to acknowledge God's Majesty!

And don't miss the discussion forum. More than 1,300 topics have been posted -- and 99% of them are spam.

Holy Shit - From The "How Stupid Can They Be?" Department.

Roman Catholic couples are being encouraged to pray together before they have sex.

A book published by a prominent Church group invites those setting out on married life to recite the specially-composed Prayer Before Making Love.

It is aimed at 'purifying their intentions' so that the act is not about selfishness or hedonism.

Click HERE to read more of the story.

I found this story on Gawker.
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StartingWith Prayer

From Acerbic Politics

Prayer In School - Replay

I can't help but wonder if this will wind up in the Supreme Court? From the Daily Herald in Illinois...

A U.S. District Court judge struck down the state's much-maligned "moment of silence" law, ruling that it was too coercive and crossed the First Amendment line barring government from establishing a religion.

Judge Robert W. Gettleman entered a permanent injunction banning enforcement of the law, ruling that its requirement that students must use the time for prayer or silent reflection amounted to a tacit endorsement of prayer.

"The statute is a subtle effort to force students at impressionable ages to contemplate religion," wrote Gettleman.

via Carolina Nautrally
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Pray For Poor Health

The Family Research Council wants all good Christians to pray to stop the government from providing health care. As I've said repeatedly, if this is the God the good Christians want me to worship, I'm going to pass. I'd much prefer a God that will love his people and care for them. I'll wait for him to come along.

The following is from The Rude Pundit - there's more explicit language than I usually use, so be warned.

The money shots of this call to prayer are the Bible verses we're given to provide back-up. Remember, the FRC wants us to live the way they think the Bible says we should. So if the FRC's gonna do things like oppose health care for children or, as Perkins tells us, keep the war going (and expand it to Iran and Syria), as in "May the Lord guide and constrain our President and Congress to do His will in our international and military affairs," it better damn well make sure Jesus has its back.

So, in reference to health care, we're told to look at John 10:10, which says, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."

...

The chapter's the story of the Shepherd and the Flock, where Jesus talks about how thieves break in to steal sheep, while the shepherd goes in through the gate. Then, because the Jews listening are too literal to understand him, Jesus says he's the gate, and then he says he's the shepherd, which doesn't really help matters. Either way, though, apparently what this verse means is that Jesus thinks it's better for little children to die in the street than Tony Perkins loses his capital gains tax cut.

Prayer in Schools

I am a member of the ACLU, though certainly not a major contributor. Still, I recognize the phenomenal work they do in maintaining our freedoms as guaranteed by the constitution and the Bill of Rights.

I also have friends who are conservative and religious and who often complain about the ACLU's positions on religion and prayer. One set of cases often singled out are those suits filed by the ACLU over prayer in the schools. Frequently the ACLU position is over-simplified and amplified in order to make their demands seem even more unreasonable.

The ACLU's position is really quite clear. Prayer and religion are personal matters. If you want to pray before an athletic event - feel free to do so. If you'd like to worship before attending any school event - feel free to do so. Just don't force your beliefs on everyone else at that event.

Because of the confusion, I herein post the ACLU's official position of prayer in the public schools...

1. Students have the right to pray individually or in groups or to discuss their religious views with their peers so long as they are not disruptive. Because the Establishment Clause does not apply to purely private speech, students enjoy the right to read their Bibles or other scriptures, say grace before meals, pray before tests, and discuss religion with other willing student listeners. In the classroom students have the right to pray quietly except when required to be actively engaged in school activities (e.g., students may not decide to pray just as a teacher calls on them). In informal settings, such as the cafeteria or in the halls, students may pray either audibly or silently, subject to the same rules of order as apply to other speech in these locations. However, the right to engage in voluntary prayer does not include, for example, the right to have a captive audience listen or to compel other students to participate.