Atheist Revolution

How Prayer Works

2009-09-28T05:38:00.001-05:00

While searching for some information online about some of the methodologically sound studies of intercessory prayer, I stumbled across a Christian blog. This particular blog, Tidbits and Treasures, contained an absolute gem of an explanation for why prayer "works" even though none of the reputable research supports its efficacy. The author referred to one of the studies and then claimed,

It would be impossible to measure PRAYER, or how it works, in a survey. I believe, if a person is a believer, and requests prayer, prays for themselves, or accepts the prayers of others, then prayer works!

The author appears to have no understanding whatsoever of what the study was measuring. Nobody was attempting to measure "PRAYER" in a survey; the key measure used involved health outcomes. But the second sentence is my favorite. Prayer works because this author says it does - all evidence to the contrary be damned. This is Christian "logic" in all its glory.

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Prayer Has No Place in Government Meetings

2009-08-21T06:48:00.000-05:00

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Opening the meetings of various governmental bodies with prayer is inappropriate, exclusionary, and blatantly unconstitutional. It represents an abuse of power and a transparent attempt to advance a religious agenda, even if it is only some generic god belief that is being advanced. No person present at such a meeting is prohibited from silently praying (as the Christian bible would seem to endorse), and so there are no viable reasons to formalize prayer by making it part of either the official agenda or a required custom. Atheists across the U.S. should be prepared to challenge this practice, not to stamp out religion but to separate it from the halls of power.

As Austin Cline writes,

There is ultimately only one reason for such prayers: to have the government endorse, support, promote, and/or encourage the religious beliefs of one group of citizens over and above the beliefs of all other citizens. Apparently, some religious believers — and they always turn out to be Christians, don't they? — are unable or unwilling to keep their religion a matter of personal faith. Instead, they need for their religion to be sponsored in some way by the government.

Just how widespread is the practice of including prayer at official government meetings? From what I have been able to gather, it seems to be far more common than most of us probably realize. We see it at the federal level in the U.S. Congress itself, at state legislatures across America, and in many local government meetings.

I do not buy the claim that these prayers are somehow symbolic and void of any religious significance. If that was the case, those who insist upon them, would not fight so hard to maintain the practice.

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Christian Extremist Group Calls for July 5th Jesus Fest

2009-07-01T05:13:00.000-05:00

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Tony Perkins, head of the Family Research Council, claims to have a direct line of communication to the Christian god. And just what is his god telling him to do now? According to Perkins, his god wants him to organize yet another national day of prayer (presumably because the one we just had worked so well). Under the name "Call2Fall," Perkins is hoping to organize his followers into one big Jesus fest on July 5, 2009. In this post, we'll take a look at an e-mail about the event Perkins recently sent to those he considers his supporters and have some fun with it.

What follows are excerpts from Perkins' e-mail...with commentary. You can find the entire e-mail on Pam's House Blend without contributing to traffic for Perkins' website.

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 and go to God. But we must go to Him on His terms, in humility, prayer, and repentance as outlined in 2 Chronicles 7:14. Then and only then can we claim the promise of God's forgiveness, healing and the renewal of our lives and our land.

So this all-powerful and loving god of yours essentially wants humanity to grovel before it. Even though this being could solve the problems to which you refer in an instant, what it really wants to see is humans begging.

The day after we celebrate our "Independence," we need to re-declare our "Dependence" upon God in humble and repentant prayer. At minimum, we hope that you will spend at least a few minutes literally on your knees in prayer during worship services on Sunday, July 5th.

Dependence on your god? No, not even you or your deluded followers are truly dependent on mythological creatures. You may find it useful for fundraising purposes to speak as if you were. I understand that. You have made quite an impressive living for yourself out of exploiting the weak-minded. But I think we all know that unless we are merely labeling nature as "god," we are not dependent on any supernatural entities.

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

Yes. Yes, I can. Absolutely nothing. But that suits you just fine, doesn't it? After all, when nothing happens, you can always twist it into evidence that not enough people participated, that they didn't pray correctly, or some other bit of willful trickery.

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Why Do Christians Want Health Insurance?

2009-06-26T06:06:00.001-05:00

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It was almost a year ago that I unveiled my health care plan. Now that the Obama administration is moving ahead on their own plan for reforming American health care, I have a good excuse to revisit it. Instead of merely rehashing it, I'd like to use it to inquire into whether most Christians really believe what they often claim to believe.

Do Christians Really Believe What They Claim to Believe?

One of the things that has always bugged me about Christians is that there often seems to be a massive discrepancy between what they claim to believe and how they behave. Health care offers an excellent example of what I am talking about. For the Christians who claim to believe that they have a personal relationship with Jesus and are cared for by a benevolent god, why do they need health insurance? Why avail themselves of modern medicine at all? Shouldn't prayer be sufficient?

An obvious explanation is that the Christians who take advantage of medical treatment do not actually believe what they claim to believe. They may say that they are content to trust their god, etc., but their use of the health care system suggests otherwise.

I can accept such an explanation (i.e., that many Christians do not actually believe what they often claim to believe). In fact, I find it at least somewhat encouraging. But is it accurate? And if so, why do so many continue to insist they they really believe such things?

The critic will object, "Wait a minute! By your line of argument, you could say that Christians who work for a living are hypocritical if they do not merely pray for wealth." I see this as a very different sort of argument. The Jesus/god as healer is a theme encountered throughout the Christian bible. I don't think I'm reaching too much to pose that question.

Revisiting Atheist Revolution's Health Care Plan

Here is how I previously described the plan:

Under my plan, atheists would receive health care at government expense just like what everyone receives in the counties with the highest quality health care systems. Christians and believers of other absurdities would automatically be placed on the Prayer Care Plan. This plan would not cost the government (or anyone else) anything at all. When believers got sick, they would pray for recovery. It's really that simple.

This should be quite appealing to the large number of conservative Christians who oppose any step toward universal health care because it would save large sums of money. If they really believe in prayer, as they so often claim, then they would have nothing to worry about on the Prayer Care Plan. In fact, their health care should be better than that received by the rest of us!

You know as well as I do that Christians are not going to be lining up for such a plan. They are not interested in opting out of their current health insurance or failing to seek medical treatment. The question is why. The seemingly inescapable answer is that most Christians do not believe what they so often claim to believe.

But My Particular God Works in Mysterious Ways!

That is a cop-out, and I believe you know it. If you want to respond with any sort of "but that isn't how my god works" claim, the question you still must answer is why. That is, why does your god, a god which you insist loves you, turn a blind eye to your health problems?

The "mysterious ways" thing is little more than a smoke screen. It does nothing to answer the underlying question. If you believe in the sort of god in which you claim to believe, why isn't prayer sufficient for you?

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The Prayer Amplifier: A Question of Ethics

2009-03-26T05:29:00.000-05:00

Image by Pickersgill Reef via Flickr

You have a great idea for an invention that is practically guaranteed to be a big money maker. Even if it does not live up to the various advertising claims you would make about it, it will sell well and earn you a fortune. In fact, no amount of scientific proof that your invention does not do what you will claim it does is going to hurt your sales. Sounds pretty good, doesn't it? There is, however, one small problem. You see, you know that your invention does not work. So you couldn't ethically market it to do something that you knew it couldn't do, right? Not so fast. Things are not quite as simple as I've made them sound. Your customers are absolutely convinced that the device works, and no amount of science is going to dissuade them.

There was a great discussion in the comment thread for a recent post on prayer, and it is this thread that inspired the current post. I want you to imagine that the invention I described above is a prayer amplifier as we consider the ethical implications of selling such a product.

At first glance, it would be morally wrong for me to sell a prayer amplifier. It does not work, and I know it does not work. Selling it anyway would be dishonest and exploitative. But what is it about my selling such a product that bothers us the most - that the device does not work or that I know that the device does not work?

If we are mostly bothered by the fact that the device does not work, regardless of what I think about the device, then we are dealing with a "truth in advertising" issue. We are saying that it is morally wrong to sell a product which objectively does not perform the claimed function regardless of what those selling it believe about the product. By this line of argument, we would have to conclude that the entire nutritional supplement and vitamin industry is morally wrong. Are we prepared to make such a concession? What other industries would we eliminate?

Suppose instead that what bothers us about this scenario centers on my knowledge that the device does not perform as advertised. Would it make sense to grant me a reprieve if I actually believed in the defective product? If I was convinced that it worked even if the objective evidence said that it did not, would this absolve me of my responsibility for selling the product? That seems like an odd argument to make, doesn't it?

Here's the thing, whether the prayer amplifier works or whether I think it works are both irrelevant. What really matters is whether prayer works. I think that the moral queasiness most of you are feeling at this point has nothing to do with the prayer amplifier and everything to do with me trying to make a buck off prayer, something we all know does not work.

Suppose I build a prayer amplifier which I claim "helps god hear your prayers." Further suppose that I run infomercials in which I explain that god's love cannot be scientifically measured and that those trying to discredit my device are merely jealous Satanists. The reality is that we all know that I'm full of shit, and I think that this is what bothers us far more than what my device does or whether I am deluding myself. Would this mean that we would regard the entire industry of Christian merchandise to be morally wrong?

Do the millions of devoted Christians who will buy my device not bear some responsibility here? After all, who can say for sure that none may be helped by using it? The placebo effect is a powerful thing, and if it makes them feel better...

Here is my question: If you believe that it is morally wrong for someone to sell a prayer amplifier, what exactly makes it wrong?

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Through Prayer, All Things Are Possible

2009-03-08T08:08:00.000-05:00

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Ok, so maybe I wasn't serious when I suggested that Christians should simply pray away the economic crisis. Now that they are suggesting the same thing, I wonder if they are any more serious? Either that or Pastor Suzette and her Prayer Institute team are hoping to sell some books.

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We Don't Need No Stinkin' Health Care

2009-02-24T06:26:00.002-06:00

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Think how much money could be saved if the entire U.S. health care system was dismantled. No more Medicare or Medicaid. No more employer-supported health care for workers. No more expensive hospitals. Eliminating all health care spending would leave vast sums which could be redirected elsewhere. Taxes could be significantly reduced across the board. Sound like a far-fetched Republican wet-dream? No, we could go way beyond what even the most rabid Republican would want. We could eliminate health care completely - nobody would have access regardless of how much money they had. If this does not sound very appealing, that is because you have not read Time recently.

In the cover story of what can hardly be called a fringe publication, Jeffry Kluger offers us the following:

Here's what's surprising: a growing body of scientific evidence suggests that faith may indeed bring us health. People who attend religious services do have a lower risk of dying in any one year than people who don't attend. People who believe in a loving God fare better after a diagnosis of illness than people who believe in a punitive God. No less a killer than AIDS will back off at least a bit when it's hit with a double-barreled blast of belief. "Even accounting for medications," says Dr. Gail Ironson, a professor of psychiatry and psychology at the University of Miami who studies HIV and religious belief, "spirituality predicts for better disease control."

Why are we continuing to waste money on health care when prayer is free and evidently quite effective? Did I mention that this is a cover story from Time? Why are we spending money on HIV/AIDS research? Granted, we're hardly spending anything, but even the little we are spending could be cut off and replaced with "a double-barreled blast of belief."

And why stop at health care? How come this isn't our economic stimulus package? We could have a faith-based economy! There would be no production costs whatsoever. How about eliminating the military and all defense spending, replacing it all with prayer?

Ladies and gentlemen, if I may indulge one more time: This is a cover story in Time Magazine!!! Does the media have no responsibility for spreading this sort of garbage?

H/T to The New Republic

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If Prayer Worked...

2009-02-20T05:14:00.004-06:00

Image by vjack via Flickr

When someone claims that prayer works, the first thing we should ask is what the speaker means by "works" in this context. If I say that prayer works because engaging in prayer makes me feel better, I may be right. However, this is not usually what the religious claim. Instead, they want to posit something supernatural in between the prayer and my feeling better. They want to claim that their god(s) intervenes in some manner. They are also rarely content to limit the efficacy of prayer to simply making someone feel temporarily better. But does even the most devout religious person really believe that their prayers bring about divine intervention? Their behavior certainly suggests otherwise.

Unreasonable Faith uses a recent comment in which the central question is framed for a nurse:

Now I’d like to ask you a question… why did you go through all the necessary medical training if you believe that prayer can heal people?

I have certainly blogged about this many times before, as has nearly every other atheist blogger with whom I am familiar. Still, I continue to find it a fascinating question. May that is because I have yet to hear a religious person answer sufficiently. (None of the following are sufficient answers: "God works in mysterious ways," "God helps those who help themselves," or "I don't claim to know the mind of god." Meaningless cliches? Yes. Sufficient responses? No).

The question can be phrased a variety of ways:

If you believe in prayer, why do you have insurance?
If you believe in prayer, why do you invest?
If you believe in prayer, why do you have a burglar alarm?
If you believe in prayer, why do you see a doctor?

The crux of the question is simple: If you truly believe that prayer works - works in the sense that your god intervenes in your life - why do you not behave as if you believed it?

If "prayer works" means nothing other than the act of praying makes me feel better, I do not disagree. But if it means anything more than that, then those advocating the wonders of prayer should have no need for the reality-based alternatives to which they cling. And if it does not always work, work completely, or only works on the small matters, then what does this say about your god?

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Prayer on Super Bowl Sunday

2009-02-01T08:30:00.001-06:00

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Today is Super Bowl Sunday in the good ole' U.S. of A. My favorite team is not playing in the game. I do like the Steelers and generally root for them, but I think it is cool that the Cardinals defied expectations by making it this far. I'd probably cheer them on in today's game if I didn't know what I knew about Kurt Warner. Now I'm not sure I really care who wins. Maybe I'll watch some of the game, and maybe not. I haven't decided yet. I bring up the Super Bowl again because I have not stopped thinking about yesterday's post on the subject of faith in football. I'd like to continue with that subject in this post.

In a nation as nauseatingly religious at the U.S., it is only natural that sports and faith would blend. My neighbors pray for everything else which they regard as of any consequence, so why nit include victories by their favorite team?

Players and fans who pray for victory are sometimes mocked for wasting their god's time. Does not their god have more important things on which to focus? There is something truly sick about focusing one's prayers on sports outcomes when people all over the world are starving and being killed in armed conflicts.

Then again, praying for desirable outcomes of sporting events makes more sense in some respects than other sorts of prayers. Take today's game as an example. As time runs out, we will have one of two outcomes: a win for the Cardinals or a win for the Steelers. No other outcome is possible. This means that prayers expended on the outcome of the game have a much better chance of being granted than normal.

Of course, the prayers will not actually be granted, as there is nothing to grant them. But that isn't what matters here. What matters is that a sizable number of people who pray for their desired outcome will receive their desired outcome, strengthening their tendency to pray in the future.

In many ways, I think that the typical Christian is much smarter than most atheists give him or her credit. The Christian can pray for peace in the Middle East, winning the lottery, the end of global poverty, or some other unlikely event all he or she wants. It is not going to happen. At some level, I think that many Christians are aware of this. They may indulge in such prayers because doing so eases their guilt, but they do not really expect divine intervention on matters of consequence. This is why we rarely see truly faith-based investing, medicine, national defense, and the like.

If Christians are going to be somewhat choosy about what they ask of their god, why not ask the things that are likely to happen anyway? This maintains faith and wards off the creeping realization that the whole enterprise is a sham.

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No Atheists During an Economic Collapse?

2009-01-12T06:45:00.000-06:00

Image via WikipediaThe "no atheists in foxholes" myth is not only alive and well, but it is being applied to all sorts of other stressful situations. Take, for example, this commentary from The Buffalo News. The author, Lisa Earle McLeod, begins with the foxhole claim and then takes it a step further, "I would also say there aren’t too many atheists during an economic collapse or when your kid gets really sick or when your car flips over in a traffic accident and you find yourself in a ditch." Simple ignorance about atheism and atheists or despicable anti-atheist bigotry?

Just as the more common claim regarding atheists in foxholes, Ms. McLeod's claim can be falsified quite easily. But I submit that it may be even more interesting to walk through the door she opens at the beginning of her comment and see where it might lead.

Why do we always wait until things get awful before we ask for help?

We wait until our marriage is in a ditch before we go to a counselor.

We wait until our kid is failing before we hire a tutor.

And we often wait until we’re desperate before we turn to God.

Why indeed? In the first three cases (i.e., asking for help, going to a counselor, and hiring a tutor), I expect the answer often centers on embarrassment, time, and money. We all like to believe that we can take care of ourselves without help, and many of us were even raised to view asking for help as a sign of weakness. Obtaining professional counseling and hiring a tutor not only require us to admit that we have a problem but also demand resources in the form of time and money.

I think that the fourth example provided by Ms. McLeod is different. Turning to some sort of god can be a personal and private matter, so the risk of embarrassment (at least the type of embarrassment noted above) is unlikely to be relevant. Similarly, if we are talking about something like prayer, monetary expense is probably not involved (until churches figure out how to charge for that too). Time may be a factor, as even something like prayer can require some free time. However, I have a hard time believing that this is a serious obstacle.

Still, I'm not ready to dismiss Ms. McLeod's claim that people only turn to their preferred god in dire circumstances. How then are we to explain it?

There’s nothing like a big problem to bring us to our knees, both literally and figuratively.

Perhaps religious people know, at least on some level, that their god(s) is merely a theoretical fiction, conjured to bring comfort. In their day-to-day lives, they have little use for such an abstraction and have no trouble living as atheists. However, during times of crisis, many may not be strong enough to face reality and overcome the embarrassment of seeking worldly assistance. Instead, they may resort to superstition to provide a fleeting sense of order and control in an often chaotic world.

A quick trip to any hospital chapel and you’ll find people who aren’t even sure they believe in God, praying with all their hearts promising to do anything if only the Almighty will intervene and help their loved one get better.

Forget for a moment that this simply is not the case and that many of us endure awful situations without resorting to superstition. Pretend for a moment that this is true. Just like the religious person, the atheist who engaged in such behavior would simply go right back to business as usual the moment the crisis resolved. When no gods intervene and prayers go unanswered, temporary relief may be obtained, but nothing changes.

I have to wonder what would happen if we prayed for answers when things were going well.

The same thing that happens in response to prayer in dire circumstances...nothing. I think most of us realize this, atheist and theist alike, and this is why the religious behave as Ms. McLeod describes.

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How to Resolve the Economic Crisis

2008-09-28T08:05:00.000-05:00

Image by alistairmcmillan via FlickrWith Christians using prayer to reduce gas prices, eliminate "the gay," control the weather, and even harm their enemies, it occurs to me that we are missing an obvious solution to the current U.S. economic crisis. Instead of an expensive bailout of Wall Street, Christians could simply pray away the crisis. This would be far cheaper so that the American taxpayer would not be overburdened with additional debt.

Should the News Media be Liable for Promoting Prayer?

2008-09-13T07:03:00.000-05:00

Pick any natural disaster over the past 20 years, including Hurricane Ike, and you can observe a common thread in news reporting. In each case, it is relatively easy to find stories in which religious faith in general and prayer in particular are mentioned. Moreover, they are always mentioned in a neutral to positive manner. Imminent danger is bearing down, but the news media will always find someone remaining in the path of danger because they are convinced that their prayers will be answered. Does this sort of uncritical coverage amount to promoting inaction?

Although I believe some interesting questions could be raised about liability in a legal sense, I am focusing on the moral sort of liability here. By covering prayer in the way they do, is the news media implicitly promoting it as a viable coping strategy? If so, do they not share some of the responsibility for the injuries and loss of life that often happen next?

I started thinking about this question after reading a recent post by Stardust at God is for Suckers! The post referenced an article from MSNBC on Hurricane Ike. Stardust calls on the news media to "STOP THIS PRAYER BULLCRAP and encourage people to follow evacuation orders to get the hell out of the storm’s path."

I agree. By describing case after case of people resorting to prayer instead of effective coping skills, the news media is indeed promoting prayer. In doing so, they are endangering people. Prayer is far from harmless, especially as an alternative to action.

For similar stories, see the following:

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Atheist Revolution's Health Care Plan

2008-07-02T05:31:00.000-05:00

I was sick last weekend, and I'm still feeling lousy. I have no energy and feel like I could sleep all the time. If I'm not feeling any better by this afternoon, I'll probably have to visit the doctor. I've just been holding off because of the expense. You see, I recently opted out of my employer-paid medical plan for a free one with much better benefits. The new plan does not even require me to visit health care providers. All I have to do is pray.

Health care will be a big issue in the 2008 U.S. election. Given that the United States is the only Western democracy without universal health care, it should be a big issue. While Obama promises universal health care, McCain seems satisfied with the quality of our current health care system, a system ranked 37th by the World Health Organization.

I propose a two-tiered system of universal health care for the United States which would be far less expensive than anything the Democratic Party has in mind. Under my plan, atheists would receive health care at government expense just like what everyone receives in the counties with the highest quality health care systems. Christians and believers of other absurdities would automatically be placed on the Prayer Care Plan. This plan would not cost the government (or anyone else) anything at all. When believers got sick, they would pray for recovery. It's really that simple.

Of course, any participant of the Prayer Care Plan could switch to the secular version and receive actual health care whenever they decided to abandon their ridiculous faith. Of course, I suspect few would switch. After all, prayer is a great cure for all ailments. (Cough, cough!) I'm feeling better already.

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Understanding Prayer: Not Supernatural But Self-Soothing

2007-09-10T05:33:00.000-05:00

While reading a post at Secular Planet, I had an interesting thought about prayer, how it works, and how mistaken I may have been in my previous efforts to understand it. Now my head is swirling with the possible implications. What if prayer has little to do with religious belief, faith, or even the litany of gods before which believers have grovelled over the millennia? What if prayer is really just a primitive form of self-soothing? What if believers are at least partially aware of this but have employed a variety of psychological defenses to repress full awareness?

The implications of such a possibility are intriguing. For starters, this would suggest that many of us have been wrong in our analysis and critique of prayer. For example, I've previously struggled to understand how Christians can simultaneously believe in an omnipotent and omniscience god and believe that this god is more likely to be swayed by prayers from multiple persons:

Does the believer think that more individuals praying will result in a better outcome than just an individual believer praying? Why? Is it to make sure their god hears them? I thought their omniscient god already knew what was going on without any prayers whatsoever. Of course, that would mean that intercessory prayer is always worthless because one isn't telling one's god anything he/she/it doesn't already know. Is it because their god must be persuaded to help? If their god is benevolent, added persuasion should not be necessary.

But if prayer is little more than self-soothing, this question is easily answerable. In fact, it is probably irrelevant.

To understand prayer, most of us have tried to get inside the believer's head and understand the phenomenon from the believer's viewpoint. Unfortunately, this necessarily limits us to material of which the believer is consciously aware and is willing to disclose frankly. But isn't it possible that the believer concocts supernatural trappings because praying primarily to soothe oneself seems childlike and not particularly admirable?

When we say that there is something admirable about intercessory prayer, it is because we implicitly accept the rationale provided by the person praying that they are attempting to help someone else. Even though we know prayer is ineffective in helping others, it is difficult to resist this trap. But if we view prayer as being about helping the individual praying feel better and little else, then our impression may change considerably. In this sense (i.e., self-soothing), intercessory prayer is effective. I've touched on this before, suggesting that adults who regularly resort to intercessory prayer may have less developed coping skills, but I continued to fall victim to the trap of trying to understand prayer from the viewpoint of the person praying.

What I'd like to suggest here is that prayer is a primitive attempt to soothe oneself. Furthermore, I think that most believers know this, at least at some level. However, they push it out of awareness and employ a variety of psychological defenses to repress it because it has unpleasant implications which make them uncomfortable.

If there is any truth to what I say here, I wonder whether one implication might be that assisting believers in developing developmentally appropriate coping skills might be one path to decreasing their need to rely on prayer as a source of comfort. Religion, and religious fundamentalism in particular, has long been hostile to the mental health profession. Perhaps we've uncovered part of the reason for this hostility.

Tags: religion, prayer, god, belief, repression, psychology, mental health, secular, atheism

Intercessory Prayer and the Nature of Belief

2007-08-24T07:33:00.000-05:00

Intercessory prayer, not to be confused with imprecatory prayer, refers to Christians praying on behalf of others. For example, such prayers might be offered for the benefit of an ill member of one's congregation. They seem innocent enough, perhaps even admirable in some cases, and yet they raise important questions about what Christians believe and the degree to which they truly hold the beliefs which they commonly espouse.

If we imagine a 6 year-old boy praying that his older sister will survive her surgery, we are hard pressed to see a problem. Science tells us that intercessory prayer does not work, so the worst we could say about the boy is that his prayers are futile. But it isn't like his prayers are distracting him from helping in some other way (he's only 6). In all likelihood, he finds his prayers a source of comfort because they provide him with feelings of control over something uncontrollable. Illusory to be sure, but not entirely without temporary benefit.

When the person praying is an adult, it is only natural for us to ask what else the adult is doing to help the situation. "You are praying, but what are you doing that might actually help?" Similarly, we might wonder whether the adult has learned developmentally appropriate coping skills.

Where things become particularly interesting is the scenario where adults ask other adults to join them in prayer (e.g., pray for the miners) or to pray en masse for a common goal. In my humble opinion, this speaks volumes about the nature of belief.

Does the believer think that more individuals praying will result in a better outcome than just an individual believer praying? Why? Is it to make sure their god hears them? I thought their omniscient god already knew what was going on without any prayers whatsoever. Of course, that would mean that intercessory prayer is always worthless because one isn't telling one's god anything he/she/it doesn't already know. Is it because their god must be persuaded to help? If their god is benevolent, added persuasion should not be necessary.

Perhaps believers know that their intercessory prayers offer no benefit to anyone other than themselves. When something good happens to a loved one, believers are going to thank their god. This will be the case even if they never offered any intercessory prayers at all. When something bad happens to a loved one, believers virtually never blame their god. This will be the case even if they offered a multitude of intercessory prayers.

Tags: Christianity, Christian, prayer, intercessory prayer, imprecatory prayer, religion, religious belief

Know Them By Their Deeds: Pastor Prays For Harm to Befall AU Staff

2007-08-16T14:21:00.000-05:00

Americans United for Separation of Church and State recently asked the IRS to investigate unlawful politicking by the First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park, CA. Now the pastor of this church has responded, only it isn't what you'd expect. Rather than denying the allegations, this pastor decided to respond by calling on his congregation to pray for assorted bad things to happen to AU staff.

AU's complaint indicated that the church's pastor had used church resources to endorse Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. That is, AU alleged that the church had violated the federal law prohibiting non-profit religious groups with tax-exempt status from endorsing candidates by promoting Huckabee as "god's candidate."

“Federal tax law is clear,” said the Rev. Barry W. Lynn, Americans United executive director, “Churches and other non-profits may not endorse candidates, if they want to keep their tax exemption. I am confident that the vast majority of Americans do not want to see their houses of worship politicized.”

According to AU, Dr. Wiley S. Drake, the pastor of this church, explicitly endorsed Huckabee in an August 11 press release. Now AU has issued another press release alleging that Drake has encouraged his congregation to "pray for the demise" of AU staff members.

Instead of responding to Americans United’s concern of illegal activity, Drake issued yesterday afternoon a plea to his supporters to join in “imprecatory prayers” (curses) every morning for Americans United and its staff.

Fortunately, AU also provides us with a taste of Drake’s own words:

“In light of the recent attack from the ememies (sic) of God I ask the children of God to go into action with Imprecatory Prayer,” Drake said, in an Aug. 14 press statement issued from the First Southern Baptist Church of Buena Park. “Especially against Americans United for Seperation (sic) of Church and State.”

According to AU, Drake identified two specific staff members in their press release as the targets of their "imprecatory prayers."

In a section of his press release called “How To Pray,” Drake includes a long list of biblical citations that call on God to smite enemies. For example, the alleged enemies of God “shall be judged,” “condemned,” and “his days be few….” Additionally, supporters should pray that the enemy’s “children be fatherless, and his wife a widow,” and “his children be continually vagabonds, and beg; let them seek bread also out of their desolate places.”

Tags: hypocrisy, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Americans United, California, Southern Baptist, religion, Christian, Christianity, Mike Huckabee, Barry Lynn, Wiley Drake

Pray For The Miners

2007-08-11T15:23:00.000-05:00

The Utah mine collapse is all over the news. Several broadcasts show local residents displaying large banners that say something like "pray for the miners." When I see such signs, a question never fails to pop into my mind: Why? Of course, we're all hoping that they'll find the miners unharmed, but why would anyone call for prayer when there is clear evidence that intercessory prayer is ineffective?

Of course, many believers find evidence completely irrelevant. They believe because their parents believed, and they've never really questioned it. They believe because they are rewarded by their communities for doing so. Most of all, they believe based on faith, precluding the use of reason or evidence.

If I had a loved one who had either died or was trapped underground in the Utah mine collapse, I would not want to see any of these signs. I'd rather see my neighbors doing anything that would have a reasonable probability of actually helping. And when it became clear that there was nothing that they could do to help my loved one, I'd appreciate their emotional support.

Some day prayer will go the way of the evil eye (at least in industrialized nations). Until that day, I'll just try to pity those holding the signs for knowing no more appropriate way to express themselves. I'll also continue to hope that this story has a happy ending. What I won't do is participate in the delusion that some spirit is involved here.

Tags: Utah, mine, miners, mine collapse, prayer, religion

Public Prayer

2007-07-19T05:43:00.001-05:00

Christians may squabble endlessly over what it means to be a Christian, and many are fond of claiming that only those who believe exactly as they do deserve to be called "real Christians." However, it seems fairly obvious to this author that there must be some common doctrine shared by all Christian. One of these is the belief that the Christian bible is central to the religion. Granted, fundamentalists are going to take their bible far more seriously than so-called liberal or moderate Christians, but all must agree that the Christian bible provides an important source of guidance. So why is it that so many self-identified Christians ignore what their bible says about prayer?

What are we to say about a "Christian" who prays publicly or crusades to promote public prayer? Here we seem to have an individual who is either ignorant of what his or her bible says about prayer or is intentionally disregarding it.

The Christian Bible Condemns Public Prayer

Matthew 6:5 - 7 says:

5. And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
7. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

Pretty clear, isn't it? Public prayer is compared to hypocrisy, and private prayer is valued. If you still aren't convinced and want many more examples of what the Christian bible says about public vs. private prayer, follow this link.

What Are We To Make Of Christians Who Pray Publicly?

It seems that their own bible, a text which they themselves claim to be at the center of their faith, condemns public prayer as hypocrisy. The family exhibiting bowed heads, joined hands, and audible words about Jesus at the local restaurant? Hypocrites. Christian extremists who believe that all school children should have to recite prayers in school? Hypocrites. The Senators who begin their daily meetings with public prayer? Hypocrites.

If you are one of these people and reading this makes you mad, I point out that this is what your book says. If you weren't aware of this fact, I wonder how serious you are about your faith. Perhaps it is time to consider joining the reality-based community. On the other hand, if you knew this was in your bible and simply ignored it, I have to ask what gives you license to selectively follow only those aspects of your religion you like?

H/T to The Honest Doubter

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Tags: prayer, public prayer, school prayer, Christian, Christianity, bible, faith, religion

Praying for Cures: Faith as Treatment

2006-06-18T09:15:00.000-05:00

I've always been more than a little bothered by the idea of parents denying medical care to their children because they'd prefer to rely on faith. Naturally, Christians are quick to claim that they would never do this and that faith healing is not something mainstream Christians endorse. This article in the Miami Herald suggests that seeking relief through prayer may be more common that some would like to admit.

The article describes a "faith-healing ministry" in Florida. Far from being a side-show attraction, "They come seeking help for blindness, breast cancer, depression and back pain." Think this is just a bible belt thing? According to the article, this ministry belongs to the International Association of Healing Rooms, an organization based in Seattle which claims over 10,000 volunteers and 417 branches around the world.

My favorite quote from this article reflects a telling tone that we've seen before: "Studies examining the effect of prayer on healing have been inconclusive, and some have shown no effect at all." Some have shown no effect at all? Amazing! It seems like the author is puzzled how this can be the case even though the science is fairly clear that well designed studies of the healing effects of prayer show no effects.

When I read things like this article, I am reminded of two things. First, there are a lot of stupid people out there. Second, even smart people may believe stupid things when they failed to learn critical thinking skills.

Tags: faith, religion, prayer, healing, Christian

Pre-Game Prayers

2005-10-28T06:37:00.000-05:00

I ran across this letter written by an evangelical Christian and thought it was worth recommending. The author takes a strong and unexpected position against school-sanctioned prayer. Drawing on his experience as a religious minority while stationed abroad in the Air Force, he realized the effects of imposing the religion of the majority on the minority.

"Yet when placed in a setting where the majority culture proved hostile to my faith and beliefs, I became paralyzed with indecision and could not act decisively to defend and proclaim my own beliefs. I felt instantly ostracized and viewed myself as a foreigner in my own land."

Unfortunately, this insightful comment reflects the day-to-day experience of atheists in America.

"Because unless you're ready to endure the unwilling exposure of yourself and your children to those beliefs and practices that your own faith forswears, you have no right to insist that others sit in silence and complicity while you do the same to them."

I'd like to conclude by applauding the sentiment expressed by this author. He is an example of the kind of Christian who could be a powerful ally in our quest to preserve the wall of separation between church and state. Maybe the next time we find ourselves tempted to lump all Christians together as ignorant we should first re-read this letter.

Prayer in College Classrooms

2005-08-19T15:20:00.000-05:00

At three different universities (two state universities and one private liberal arts school), I have witnessed college students praying during class. For the most part, I observed this interesting phenomenon prior to examinations, usually while the professor was preparing to distribute them. Some of the prayers were silent, and I inferred prayer from the bowing of the head, the position of the hands, and the mouthing of "amen" at the end. Other times, the prayer were at least partially audible. In fact, I have seen a few instances where the prayers were entirely audible and delivered in a histrionic manner so that other students could easily hear what was being said.

The students who did not pray (easily the majority in every case) typically either ignored the praying students or laughed at them, sometimes elbowing their peers and pointing out a praying student. As a student, my reactions included a combination of disgust, pity, and humor. I have always found public displays of religion (e.g., prayer, wearing crosses, t-shirts with religious material, etc.) to be unfortunate and in poor taste. At the same time, the arrogance that would possess someone to believe that their imaginary god would intervene by helping them do better on an exam was funny.

Prayer Works...For Who?

2005-02-28T17:03:00.000-06:00

"I'll pray for you." "You're in my prayers." What does this mean? I derive no benefit from your prayers. If you want to pray, admit that you are doing it for yourself. You derive the benefit - it lets you feel superior, helps you relax, gives you the impression that you are not alone in the universe, etc. But don't tell me that it is for me. In fact, don't tell me about it at all. It turns my stomach. Maybe your statement is intended to bring me comfort, but it highlights your ignorance and leads me to feel a mixture of pity and repulsion toward you.